The Portland daily press., 1891-10-16

MIR. Reed, in his admirable speech at the
Boston Republican meeting, In the course of
his discussion Of the silver legislation Of the
last Congress, said:
Every law that is made must suit the whole
country and be the best for the whole country.
verse opinions that are wrong, If enough people
believe In them. OF course It onght to be the
highest Craftsmanship to accomplish ideal perfec-
ton But II you cannot accomplish your ideal,
and something must be done, the highest states
manship is to do the best you can.
The truths tersely set forth In the above
paragraph should always be kept In mind
when considering the work Of legislative
bodies. especially legislative bodies which
represent constituencies covering
great extent of country and representing
great diversity Of opinions. Nothing is
more common than to hear legislators
Condemned for voting for measures which
contain some provision known to be
contrary TO their views. How frequently
Senators and Representatives are charged
with inconsistency or vacillation on
this account. Yet in the great majority of
cases this condemnation is all wrong aud
does the person against whom 1t is directed
gross injustice. Whether the fact that
legislator has voted for a measure which
contains provisions opposed to his belief or
regarded by him as unwise even, Is credit
able, or discreditable depends upon the
conditions surrounding the act. The public
instructor from the rostrum, or in the press,
has no defence when he supports measures
which his judgment does not approve. IL Is
his business to educate the people to correct
opinions, and II he promulgates views
which do not onuau,ard thoc,eoIuo. o.. 1t
own judgment, and undertakes to induce the
people to accept them, he Is guilty of dis
honesty. The legislator. however. stands
In altogether different position.
1t frequently happens in his case that
there are presented to him two policies,
between which he is compelled to choose.
We say compelled to choose because that is
practically the fact, for though he may be
silent when the vote comes, that very silence
makes for the one policy or the other. 1t
may happen, and 1t very frequently does,
that neither measure is In his opinion free
from danger, that neither is what he would
have 1t or what he would advise. But one
of these measures is bound to become law.
and he supports the one that in his view
contains the less Of danger In doing so he
may vote for some provisions which are op-
posed to his well known opinions. but 1t by
no means follows that he is amenable to the
charge of bad faith or bad craftsmanship.
On the contrary his act may be dictated by
the highest wisdom.
These considerations must be kept In view
when considering the silver legislation of
the last Congress. To many eastern Repub-
licans the silver measure Of that Congress
did not fully commend itself. That is to
say. had they been given the power to enact
measure that fully commended itself to
their judgment 1t would have been In some
respects different one. Undoubtedly many
eastern Republicans would have been better
pleased had there been no increase Of silver
coinage provided for, and the old law had
been allowed to remain untouched, But
everybody who knew the situation In the
last House knew that the avoidance of all
silver legislation was impossible, and that
some increase Of the silver currency was
inevitable. The practical question the legis.
lators had to grapple with was how to pre-
vent an increase of this silver coinage to a
point that would drive gold ont of circulation
and bring upon the country the evils of
disordered currency. To a solution of this
question the Republican leaders devoted
themselves. The solution involved some
compromises, some concessions to the silver
sentiment of the West, but 1t saved the
country from the evils Of deprecated cur
rency, and the country can never be too
grateful that the solution was found The
inevitable consequence of rigid adherence
In every particular on the part of eastern
Republican to their views In regard to silver
would have been free coinage. They saved
the country from that calamity by some con-
cessions. no one Of which involved the sur
render Of principle and no one of which in
volved any serious danger. There was not
an act passed by the last House that under
the circumstances evinced more wise and
practical Craftsmanship than the silver
neasu,e' though IL may not be, judged apart
from the circumstances surrounding n an
ideal measure. ="