The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-02-11
THEY CAN'T AGREE,
NO CAUCUS TO BE HELD ON THE
SILVER QUESTION


harter Says II a Free Coinags Bill Is
Passed the rnrtX VIII be Beaten and
Bland Says 1t VIII be Beaten If One IN
Not Passed.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-Thc Senate
Committee on Finance has at last re-
solved to grapple with the subject OF
tree coinage Of silver. Ala meeting OF
the committee Tuesday morning 1t W as
decided that the Issue had better be met
at once SO that the committee could not
be charged with smothcring bills relat-
ing to Tree coinage. Accordingly it. was
resolved that at the meeting next Tues
day the Stewart free coinage bill should
be taken up and reported to the Senate,
There is little doubt as to the nature of
the report, for the discussion this morn .
iny showed that the two Democratic
Senators would probably Join with the
Republican majority in Recommending
adverse actlon upon the bill.
The Democratic caucus, which vas to
have been called Friday evening next,
has been abandoned for the present at
least. The Democratic caucus Saturday
night passed a resolution increasing TO
thirtyivc the number of signatures nee.
eSsary to secure the issuance ofu caucus
call. Mr.. IIartcr of Ohio ut first thought
of securing the number of additional sir-
natures thus rendered necessary but
alter consultation decided TO alb N !on
the effort for caucus, as he believes
the free silver cause is losing ground
lie said to-day:
II have decided not to push Il silver
caucus Tor the reason that Democratic
opinion is changing very rapidly. not
only upon the wisdom of passing a silver
bill, but upon the merits Of the question.
While last Thursday nine out ften men
would have predicted that free silver
bill would pass the House. to-day | ycn-
turc to express the opin on that no bill
providing for the free and unlimited
coinage of silver will pass this session.
The moat intense, honest and earnest OF
the Tree silver people recognize the fact
that Tree silver plank in The platform
would break the party in twain, and
that we would have to say mOod-byc to
New England, TO the Middle States and
to such States as Wisconsin, Illinois,
Iowa and Michgan. Leading German
papers III the United States have served
notice upon us that the German vo,c in
a body will leave us on that issue and
90 to the Republicans. AlLo.cthcr toe
question presents dangers not before
considered and from this time On the
active opposition of Democratic news
q 1,,I
most Influential class Of papers in the
party arc now opposed h. any action at
this session, and they are being recruited
IN numbers and influence every day.
Under these circumstances | hclievc
delay III calling caucus will prove that
all need OF it may pass long before any
danger OF such suicidal legislation as
tree coinage makes itself felt. There
Will be caucus action, but | really be-
lleve we have passed the danger line
and that no considerable body of men
i'll the party Will take tic responsibility
OF forcing legislation through the House
which will wreck the party. We cXpcct
to sweep the whole country it the fight
is made on the tariff, but it would be
hard now to gather sevcnty-tivc men IN
the House who would 90 upon record as
believing a Democrat can be elected
President OF the United States in 1892
upon a platform which would give citi-
zens OF greedy Colorado one hundred
cents worth Of the property or services
OF everybody else in the land for what is
supposed to cost them less than ~
cents"
Bland, when told OF the decision to
abandon the proposed caucus and Hart
er's reasons therefor, said: "IIartcr
was the chief promoter Of this caucus.
He has asccrta;ncd TO his satisfaction
that the Democratic party cannot be
bulldoZcd by tha national bankers nor
the money power of this country, and
that it caucus were called he would be
in wotul minority. Democrats under
stand that we are not proposing to
build national platform here, but simp-
ly to carry out the pledges to our peopIe.
Four-litths of the Democrats who came
here came pledged to free silver. Instead
OF there being q change against Il rec
coinage bill the changes are all the other
way. The party sees now that if VIC do
not pass free SILVER bill VIC will be stul.
titying ourselves and our record in the
last Congress-, that VIC will be acting the
part CT towards. The Republican party
will charge that we arc incompetent to
pass the legislation Ll.at we were sent
here to opass; that they, The Republicans.
had the courage to pass a bill giving free
coinage to nearly all the American pro-
duct. The Republicans would step in as
friends OF silver and defeat the Demo-
cratic members in enough congressional
districts to give Republicans control of
the llouso. The Democratic party IN
1883 ignored the silver question in the
in ntercst OF Cleveland, who was known TO
be hostile to silver, and whose admins
tratlon had been against il. The Repub-
lican party in Their platform denounced
Clcvcland's administration for its hos
tility to silver. They ccuragcously an
nounced themselves as friends of silver
and beat Cleveland in his own State, so
that what Democrats got by cowarthce
on this question was the loss of the
Prcslsency and loss or tho House of
Representatives. They were driven from
power. If they again act the part of
duplicity on this question and permit
the Republicans again to step in front of
them, they will lose not only the Prcsi-
dcnCy but bCyOnd all question thc