Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-24

nominal supporters OF Mr.. Mills is
greater and his friends defeated the
resolution By the positive majority of
sevonteea to seven. It may safely be
predicted that Mr.. Mills support in
the senate will not consent to such a
seyere reflection upon him as to tie his
hands on one of the two leading issues
of the hour, and that instead of black
eye for Mills, the resolution will turn
out to be black eye for the silver
cause in Texas, and abroad, where the
influence of defeat for silver in the
Texas legislature viii necessar lily have
much weight. Foreseeing such re-
suit, THE GAZETTE had hoped for the
withdrawal Of the resolution before it
came TO vote. It was not to be ex-
pected that Mr.. Mills friends would
permit him to be put in the humiliat-
ing attitude of man elected upon
conditions, and with a notification
that he was under distrust.
Indeed, as suggested by The Ca
zETTE yesterday, it is doubtful whether
Mr.. Mills would take the senatorship
in the face of a large Endorsement by
both houses of the Tree silver resolu-
ton. If he did accept it, he would,
doubtless, do SO upon the reasoning
that the legislature has no authority to
bind him, and he would proceed to ig-
more its instructions. 1t will be re-
menbered that upon this very subject
Senators Ben Hill and L. Q. G. Lamar
disobeyed instructions from the legis-
latures OF Georgia and Mississippi
many years ago, and for = time were
threatened, in consequence, with polit-
ical death. The quality of Mr.. Mills
courage is not to be doubted, and his
failure to register his vote against the
Bland bill was not due to his own in
clination, but to the over-persuasion of
cautious friends.
One good result has been accom-
plished by the free silver resolution,
and perhaps that is all it is able to ac-
complish: It has demonstrated that
the Democratic members Of congress
from Massachusetts,, Hoar and Will
Jams, are growing little too soon.
They were for Mills, and bolted the ac-
ton of tho Democratic caucus on the
speakership on the specific ground that
it selected free silver man, and that
they had pledged themselves to support
in no manner the silver cause. Now
they are accusing the other two con-
gressmen from Texas of misrepresent-
ing the state in favoring silver, and
point to the easy victory OF Mr.. Mills as
a vindication of their own course in
boiling the caucus action. Texas is
still in favor of free silver, though it
must be admitted that the adhesion OF
Mr.. Mills to the opposing forces is
building up movement in line with
his own views which, in connection
with his strong personality, has sue
ceeded in capturing ono-haf Of the vote
in the senate.
Repeating what we said yesterday
upon the subject of the free silver reso-
luton: if there has been any popular
mistake about Mr.. Mills present views
on silver, he is not to blame for it, I'M
less he be censured for not taking pains
to express himself on the Bland bill
now pending. He has utilized every
seasonable occasion to declare that the
financial question should be sent to the
rear, and to assert that there is no ma
terial benefit to be derived from the
free coinage of silver. On that issue
THE GAZETTE has fought MI. Mills
and it proposes to continue to fight
him. But he has won for the present,
and it is proper that he should enjoy
the fruits of his victory.
The passage of the free silver reso-
luton would either force Mr.. Mills to
decline, the senstorship, to ignore in
structions, or to forfeit the reputa-
ton for courage for which, more
than for all other things, he is es-
teemed.
Despite his irritability and his anx-
iety to rebuke all those who have
shown the same pride of conviction
that he is so prone to exhibit, THE GA
zETTE would dislike to see Mr.. Mills
placed in such a disagreeable di-
lemma.
The man who snares a bird is en-
titled to eat it. Leave Mr.. Mills to en-
joy his victory in peace. The free sill
yer advocates can find better use for
their energies in preparing to renew
the fight than in tripping up the VIM
ner while he is in the first glow of vic
tory.