People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 March 1896 — McKinley Not A Sliver Man. [ARTICLE]

McKinley Not A Sliver Man.

A reader of the Chicago Record asks if exGovenor McKinley has expressed himself upon the silver question. The reply is that he has. on several occasions, and in unmistakable language. During the debate in the house of representatives June 25, 1890, upon the bill to purchase silver bullion and issue treasury notes thereon, Maj. McKinley said: “I believe that we should preserve these two moneys (gold and silver) side by side. And it is because I want to preserve these equal standards of value that I have opposed and shall oppose concurrence in the senate amendments. Ido not want gold at a premium; I do not want silver at a discount, or vice versa, but I want both metals side by side, equal in purchasing power and in legal tender quality, equal in power to perform the functions of money with which to do the business and move the commerce of the United States. To tell me the free and unlimited coinage of the silver of the world, in the absence of cooperation on the part of other commercial nations, will not bring gold to a premium, is to deny all history and the weight of all financial experience. The very instant that you have opened up our mints to the silver bullion of the world independently of international action, that very instant, or in a brief time at best you have sent gold to a premium; and when you have sent gold to a premium then you have put it in a great measure into disuse and we are remitted to the single standard—that of silver alone; we have deprived ourselves of the active use of both metals.” The above is the sophistry with which he excused his vote against the free coinage of silver. The only logical conclusion to be reached from the above is that ne wants a gold dollar behind the silver dollar. No one pretends that there is even a possibility of an “International Agreement” to restore silver to its free coinage rights.

For thirty years the most powerful lobby, next to the bankers’ lobby, that has been maintained at Washington to influence legislation, is that of the great express monopoly. They have prevented the reduction of postage oh merchandise and books from 16c and 8c per pound respectively, and by so doing have virtually had all the carrying of these two classes of mailable matter, easily underbidding the government rates. This lobby is now attempting to capture the periodical business by having the postage rates raised high enough to be able to underbid the government on that immense traffic also.

A friend of McKinley repudiates the report that he ever said that the next republican nominee for president would be a free silverite.