ple, we are called here in
Congress to furnish such measures of relief as the law can afford.
In the discharge of this duty I will sweep away all party bias,
all pride of opinion, all personal interest, and even the good will
of my constituents, if it were necessary; but, fortunately, I
believe their opinions concur with my own."

In conclusion I said:

"It is said that if we stop the coinage of silver it will be the
end of silver. I have heard that moan from some of my friends near
me. I do not think it will be the end of silver. We have proven
by our purchases that the mere purchase of silver by us in a
declining market, when all the nations of Europe are refusing to
buy silver and throwing upon us their surplus, is an improvident
use of the public money, and it ought to be abandoned, or at least
suspended until a time should come when we may, by an international
ratio or by some other provision of law, prevent the possible coming
to the single standard of silver. Now, that can be done.

"What do we propose to do now? We simply propose to stop the
purchase. We do not say when we will renew it again, but we simply
say we believe, in view of a panic or any possibilities of a panic,
that it would be idle for us to waste either our credit money or
our actual money to buy that which must be put down into the cellar
of our treasury and there lie unused, except as it is represented
by promises to pay gold. I say that such a policy as that would
be foolish and delusive.

"Senators say that this is a blow at silver. Why, silver is as
much a part of the industry of my country as it is a part of the
industry of the state of the Senator from Colorado, the able exponent
of this question. The production of silver is a great interest,
and the people of Ohio are as deeply interested in the success of
that interest as the people of Colorado. It is true we have not
the direct ownership of the property, but it enters into measures
of value of our property. There could be no desire on the part of
any portion of the people of the United States to strike down
silver. That idea ought to be abandoned at once. Therefore, in
order to at least give the assurance of honest men that we do not
intend to destroy an industry of America, we put upon this bill a
provision proposed now by the Senator from Indiana.

"I say that instead of desiring to strike down silver we will likely
build it up; and any measure that could be adopted