Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-06
NOW SHY OF SILVER.
Democrats Will Not Try 10 Make Free
Coinage Party Measure,
THOUGH 1T WILL PASS THE HOUSE.
The Fate of the Scheme in the Present
Senate More Doubtful.
G0RMAN ANXIOUS TO HAVE 1T SETTLED
lFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT


WASHINGTON, April 5.-Notwithstand-
ing the promise Of the Democrats that they
would fight the free coinage fight to finish,
strong effort is being made to reach some
understanding that a fatal break may not
occur between the Eastern and Western
Democrats in the Fitty-second Congress. A
lively correspondence is in progress between
Eastern, Western and Southern leaders on
the subject, when personal consultation is
impossible, and it is pretty confidently
predicted BY some of them that the free
coinage question will be got out of the way,
if not without some trouble in the next Con-
gress, at least before the convention of 1892.
One Policy Not in Doubt
1t is well known what the Republican pro-
gramme will be. It was said recently by a
prominent Republican Senator that the sill
yer question would be settled so far as the
Republican party was concerned long before
the meeting of the 1892 convention by the
adoption of policy something like that
proposed by the late Secretary Window,
only that the present volume of coinage
would not be increased, but that silver GER
ti6cates would be issued as against all silver
bearing the stamp of American production
that might be offered at the Treasury.
AS to the Democratic prospects a good
Democratic authority said to-day: "It has
been practically settled that free coinage
will not be made party measure in the next
House, that no caucus will be held to bind in
divldual members, that free coinage Dill Will
be passed by combination of Democratic,
Farmers Alliance and probably of Republican
votes also, and sent to the Senate early in the
session. 1t has been ascertalned. however,
that it is by no means certain that such bill
will pass the next Senate, although that body
has been reinforced by new silver Senators.
Several of the Democratic Senators who voted
for free coinage last winter are dubious now as
to tho policy they then voted for. They say
that the financial panic has the effect to stam-
pede the country on the currency question and
that the dire consequences predicted as Ger.
tain to occur in case free coinage Was refused
have not materialized."
Dangerous to Democratic Success.
Congressman Dewitt Warner, of the Re-
form Club. is one of the few Democrats who
look upon the silver question as dangerous to
Democratic success. Mr. Warner expresses
the opinion that with free coinage candidate
on free coinage platform, the Democrats
would not carry a single Eastern state. Mr..
Warner says that it IS not only the moneyed
men of the East who are against free coinage,
but the laboring men as we'll, who, he says,
know by eIperience-some of them at least
that an inflated currency will not increase the
wages OF labor to tho extent it increases the
nominal price of the necessaries of life, and
consequently, that the purchasing power of
their wages would be less than now.
The opinion is shared by a large and influ-
ential number of Eastern Democrats especial
ly in New York, Connecticut and Massachu-
setts. A straw which may show the direction
of the wind at this time is a remark attributed
to Senator German, who, when asked if an
c0iuapa Democrat oonld ha or
a free coinage platform said that it was yet too
early to lay down the issues for 1892 and that
the silver question might be practically settled
by that time. LIGHTNER.