The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-09-12
HOW THE FIGHT GOES.
mr.. JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS LOOKS
DOWN UPON THE SCENE.
pUNGENT COMMENT ON THE CONTEST.
No Time Like the Present for Saving the Par
ty of the PeOple-Bimetalism Is Merely n
Cloak Behind Which the Advocates Of
Single Standard are Hiding.

Washington, September S.-(COrrespond-
ence from the Gallery 1T IS a Gull mo
ment here. Legislation is leaning back III
its big rocking chair tanning itself heartily.
Possibly something important is about 10
happen. but there is no expectation on the
face of legislation, nor on the faces OF those
who must be used to these moments Wheh
orr great men sit and smile 1T each other.
Taking advantage OF this brlef lnterinlSsioh
nv mind runs back to the negro porter on
the Pullman car. He is by all odds enc OF
the most accomplished and progressive col
ored gentlemen | have ever known. lie
found me out in some way, and he literally
overwhelmed me with attention. lie hau
been employed by Henry Grady, and he
had lived in Atlanta These We're the Inks
that bound him to me- He was full of lnfor-
nation and good will. | discovered that
ne WAS born at Ocala, Thomasville, Jones'
boro and Little Rock. He is married
man. too. having Il wife at New Orleans,
at Montgomery and at Macon; and next
week he is to be married in Jersey CITY.
The Lord knows j wish him well. lie Is
a modern illustration OF the Auiu prov
erb that true love has Il long arm ana Il
bad breath" When he talked OF Henry
Grady his eyes flied with tears ana when
a living man, black or white, tearfuiN
remembers one who has been dead several
years. l think he should be allowed great
latitude in the matter of birth and mar
rlage.
| am not here To send you the news
That feature is in more sk-liful and more
capable hands. | am here merely as all
observer to whom these fields are fresh
fresh, but not fascinating. They do not
Al nom Ist
are just-that run TO Interpretation
need to be cold-blooIed. That which
is on the surface you will get
plenty of i'll the ordinary course
of your news service. | shall look for that
which lies below. giving, if possible, such
hints as will enable your readers to discoy-
er for themselves what is between the
lines of the news that goes forth from here
over the wires.
The correspondents here are too busy to
take it to pieces. They have too much TO
do 1t is feat enough for them if they can
get all that is going and get it off betimeS
so that the irritable managing editors of
the land shall have no cause of complaint.
If Il correspondent here were to undertake
to interpret the news-to add TO il what
he really knowe-his chief sources of infor
nation would be instantly closed to him.
and his only resource would be to become
pohticlan-l will not 20 SO far as TO say
an ceseeker
In sense, too, am in the bonds, but
shall not undertake to protect any poll
Gclan flank or rear.
The trouble here now-the contention
that IS today going on in the senate--is
over class legislation of the most violent
sort 1t Is Il naked attempt to icgislate in
oehaif Of The money power that has its res
ldence IN the east, and against the proSpcr-
" OF the people, and III this contest the
people are 1eebly represented, indeed, 50
lar as numbers are concerned.
Not very long ago, when the finance com
Imttee was organized. was supposed and
DeHeved, on the lines of the democratic plat
form, there was Il great cutlery at the east.
Inc papers of that section declared that for
tihrty years the senate finance committee
mad been organized in defense of the pro
tected and moneycd Interests of that section
and they warned those interests that the
tlme and come to besjir themselves Just
now active the east has been may be seen
finance committee. When organized it was
Tor the free coinage of silver in accordance
with the desires of the democratic voters
of the country and the pledges of the
democratic platform. At present. the
hnance committee is i'll favor of-Well for
the sake of pOlItenesS, | will call ii bimetnl-
lie goldbuggery. And John Sherman the
agent and mouthpieca of the east, is as
much the mainspring of legislation as he
ever was, Those who stand for democrat
ic principles and democratic pledges are as
largely in the minority in congress today
as they were in 1880 when an effort was
made 10 faSten the force biz on the country
in 1880.
And this reminds me. when the force
Dill was pending in the senate Il fter il had
passed the house, the democratic minority
WAS urged to stand against il to the last
Why? Because it was a menace to The peo-
PIE rights and interests: because il was
the attempt of II political organization to
pelpetuate lis power by means Of class
legislation. Ii amy democrat among the
minority had tlickercd for Il moment, or
even gwen 1t rs his opinion that the major
lty. beng responsible for legislation ought
to have the opportunity to carry out its
designs he would have lost his standing in
the party. He would have been tabooed
And yet the force bill, as any well-informcd
person Will tell YOU, WAS Il mere political
buSaboo. inherently futile and. in the ma
furc and essence of things. Imperative
Senator Joseph T.. Brown demonstrated this
in letter to The Constitution when ex-
clteInent lii regard to the force bill ran
high. lie showed in his plain. common
sense way that such Il political measure as
the Davenport bill defeated lis own end
But here Is 4 measure of infinitely more
Importance than the force bi.l-a measure
that will etfectually denonetize silver by
reviying the Sherman law of IS13-a
practical confiScation of hundreds of mil
lions of dollars in the value of property
and III the prices of productS-and vet the
democratic minority are told that it will he
diSgraceful to tillibuster against a measure
of repeal that promises no relief to the
people III any shape or form, and that is
framed for the sole purpose of carving
out the demands of the banking and money
lending interests of the east
In my opinion, if the democratic party is
worth saving at all, it is worth saving now
If the interests of the people stand for
anything whatever. against the interests
of the monied men of the east, they are
worth standing for here and now in oppoSi-
ton TO this ruinous measure that contenl-
plates the repeal of the Sherman law and
nothing else. | am aware that The Con
stitution is not opposed to unconditional
repeal in order to clear the decks and place
the question of bimctailism on its merits
] am, therefore, speaking for myself only
when | say that it was never more neces-
sary-nOt even when the force bin was
pendinG-fOr the democratic minority in
the senate To stand firm against the de
mands of the soldbugs and pretended BIZ
GOO Dsls 8 100000