Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-04-28
TELLER ON SILVER.

The Colorado Senator Scores the Admins
tration For Antagonizing Free Silver-He
Declares That the Attitude of the Admin
istratton and Leading Republicans VIII
Cost That Party -Four Western states
Re Defends His Action on the Elections
BIZ
WASHINGTON, April 2I.-Mr. Morgan's
resolution in regard 10 free silver being
taken up in the senate yesterday Mr..
Teller, OF Colorado, addressed the sem
ate in favor OF free silver Senator
Teller said:
We are told now that q question that affected
the welfare ana prosperity OF the whole country
was not @ 50 much importance and considera-
ton as was the question of having a certain
man OF one Political party or the other elected
as CHIEF executive for The next four years That
influence ms been felt in the senate and il lad
been felt in other places The revolt against
the republican party in 1920 was not against
tarf1 legislation but against currency lezis-
lation- The great metropolitan journals Of
the republican party had made the assertion
that the president would veto 8 free silver
bll-the principal claim for the denomination
OF the present incumbent They had repre-
sented that the president stood hkeoa wall
against the wishes OF the house and senate on
the silver question: and that, while the people
might get wild and while the senate supposed
TO be the most conservative body in the world
might lose its judgment. the president, with
greater patriotism, with greater intelligence.
with greater devotion to the interests OF the
country, stood as the safeguard for Wall street
and its money bags
No man could deny that executive influence
had been during the last year the protent in
duence which governed republican rep-eSenta-
tives in the house He had been for fifteen
years observer of the power OF federal
patronage. The silver bin lacked ma ority in
the house to-day because the democratic party
was afraid that If the democrats II
the house should put themselves sQuarely
ION IF f-aa IN
state Of New York would cast its
votes for The republican party. He knew
whereof he spoke when he said that the banks
Of New York city had organized themselves
for the purpose of defeating silver legislation
He ventured to say that there was no. 4 IA
tionai bank in the country that had not been
appealed TO by that organization 70 contribute
funds and influence 10 the defeat Of silver leCis-
lation- Coming down to the political aspect OF
the question, Dir. Teller asked what was TO be
the relation OF the republican party 10 the
question OF currency as applied TO silver
republican administration had been elected
on a platform that had been carefully and de-
iiberately prepared and that declared that the
republican party was in favor of the use OF both
gold and silver as money, and condemned the
poIcy OF the democratic a1u1iniS ira ton in its
efforts to demonetize silver. Many republican
senators from the west had been so contiding
as to actually believe that the platform adopted
In Chicago had meant what it said-that they
mad thought that the republican party was in
favor of silver as money. Would any sane
man say TO him that silver could be used as
money in the broad sense of the term if the
minis were not opened to it as to gold:
They had thought the republican party &C
tuaIy condemned the course of the late demo-
cratic administration in its efforts to repeal the
Bland act Colorado had stood third in the list
Of republican states for the present executive
On every stump and IN every campaign in that
state it had been proclaiaaed than the republi-
can party was the party OF silver, The demo-
cratic party in Difference to its candidate and to
his known hostility to silver had not dared to
speak upon the subject The only utterance
| that they could learn OF was when q distin-
| guished member Of the committee on resolu-
/ tons in the democratic convention was asked
| by member from Colorado as TO what was the
| plan about silver; and his reply was - sill
| YER"
My attention has been called recently to some
| public utterances in reference to which desire
to make statement. There came from the
house OF the last congress a bill which has been
commonly dubbed the force bill 1t was an
| election law was member of the majority
| OF the committee to which 1t referred
Without my vote that bill could not have go: TO
| the senate L consented that 1t might be re-
ported but reserved the right to move any
| amendment to it and to propose any modifca-
ton Of it-declaring that as il then stood itwould
| not receive my vote. Nearly two years have
| since elapsed have read the bill with care
| and attention more than twenty times, and
repeat now, that if it were presented 10 me now,
with the alternative Of party support party
| DISMISSAL, SnOulO not the DILL
A more infamous bill, in my Judgment,
never passed the threshold of the doors
| of the senate Avowedly in the interest
/ of good government, it was instigated in
| my judgment. by men whose interest it was to
! prevent 4 free expression Of the will Of the
| voters have time to speak of it in
detail was at that time laboring under dis
| ability Of voice which prevented me from
| speaking. But want to say here now that my
attitude on that bill had no relation. no connec-
| ton directly, remotely or otherwise with the
| question of silver
Mr.. Teller asserted that If there was
an attempt made at the Minneapolis
convention to place the republican party
in antagonism to silver, the four silver
| producing states would not hereafter
be able to act in cooperation with east
ern republicans in the senate or any
| other body. He was in favor of an in
| ternational conference, but he would
never have one until an executive was
| elected who really favored it.