THE CRIME OF '73.
Mr. Harvey and all silver advocates talk to us about the crime of 1873. Let me say here and now there was no crime committed in 1873, directly or indirectly.
IF THERE WAS A CRIME COMMITTED, SENATORS JONES AND STEWART OF NEVADA, THE PRESENT HIGH PRIESTS IN THE SILVER MOVEMENT WERE THE CHIEF CONSPIRATORS, FOR THEN, AS NOW, THEY WERE AMONG THE LARGEST SILVER MINE OWNERS IN THE UNITED STATES, AND THEY VOTED FOR THE BILL.
Prior to 1873 we had coined in this country, all told, about 8,000000 of silver dollars, since 1873 we have coined up to January 1st, 1896, $547 914,340 of silver, about $426,000,000 of which are standard dollars. Since January 1st, 1896, we have coined over $13,000,000 of standard dollars. During last August we coined 2,650,000 of silver dollars, and the profit to the government—the people—was between $800,000 and $900,000.
WEBSTER SAYS: "DEMONETIZATION IS TO DEPRIVE OF VALUE, OR TO WITHDRAW FROM USE AS CURRENCY."
Does it look very much as though we had withdrawn silver from use as currency? In what way have we deprived silver of value? It is a full legal tender for all debts, public and private, and without limit as to amount, and has been for the last eighteen years. These, fellow citizens, are facts which you will not find within the covers of "Coin" Harvey's books, it looks as though we had added value to it, since the silver dollar circulates side by side with the gold dollar, notwithstanding its bullion value is 48 cents less than its nominal or face value.