American Eloquence, Volume 4: Studies In American Political History (1897)
History
American Eloquence, Volume 4: Studies In American Political History (1897)
Speeches, addresses, etc., American; United States -- History; United States -- Politics and government
And now, sir, I want to state in conclusion, without any purpose to
bind myself to detail, that I will vote for any measure that will, in
my judgment, secure a genuine bimetallic standard--one that will
not demonetize gold or cause it to be hoarded or exported, but will
establish both silver and gold as common standards and maintain them at
a fixed ratio, not only in the United States but among all the nations
of the world. The principles adopted by the Acts of 1853 and 1875 have
been sustained by experience and should be adhered to. In pursuance of
them I would receive into the Treasury of the United States all the
gold and silver produced in our country at their market value, not at
a speculative or forced value, but at their value in the markets of the
world. And for the convenience of our people I would represent them by
Treasury notes to an amount not exceeding their cost. I would confer
upon these notes all the use, qualities, and attributes that we can
confer within our constitutional power, and support and maintain them
as money by coining the silver and gold as needed upon the present legal
ratios, and by a pledge of all the revenues of the Government and all
the wealth and credit of the United States.
And I would proclaim to all our readiness, by international negotiations
or treaties, to bring about an agreement among nations for common units
of value and of weights and measures for all the productions of the
world.
This hope of philosophers and statesmen is now nearer realization than
ever before. If we could contribute to this result it would tend to
promote commerce and intercourse, trade and travel, peace and harmony
among nations. It would be in line with the civilization of our age.
It is by such measures statesmen may keep pace with the marvellous
inventions, improvements, and discoveries which have quadrupled the
capacity of man for production, made lightning subservient to his will,
revealed to him new agencies of power hidden in the earth, and opened
up to his enterprise all the dark places of the world. The people of
the United States boast that they have done their full share in all this
development; that they have grown in population, wealth, and strength;
that they are the richest of nations, with untarnished credit, a model
and example of self-government without kings or princes or lords. Surely
this is no time for a radical change of public policy which seems to
have no motive except to reduce the burden of obligations freely taken,
a change likely to impair our public credit and produce disorder and
confusion in all monetary transactions. Others may see reasons for this
change, but I prefer to stand by the standards of value that come to us
with the approval and sanction of every party that has administered the
Government since its beginning.
JOHN P. JONES,
OF NEVADA. (BORN 1830.)
ON TREASURY NOTES AND SILVER,
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, MAY 12, 1890.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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