The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-01

one issuance OF the proclamation all the
Democratic papers of the East had been
claiming that the financial depression
| was due solely to the silver law, and
had been vigorously denouncing the Re-
publicans for passing it, though they
| well knew that it was passed simply to
avoid a free coinage measure, for which
the majority of the Democrats and a
minority of the Republicans had been
| clam oring
On the seventh of August Congress
met, and two days later President Cleve-
land addressed a message to it, in which
he said:
l believe these things Failures and
disturbance of values) are principally
chargeable to congressional legislation
touching the purchase and coinage of
silver by the general government. This
legislation is embodied in statute
passed on the 18th day of July, 1850,
which was the elimination OF much
agitation of the subject involved, and
which may be considered truce after
long struggle between the advocates
OF Tree silver coinage and those intend
Ing to be more conservative.
After pointing out the evils that had
already resulted from this legislation
and the still worse evils that probably
would flow from it he. urged speedy
action in this language:
1t is of the utmost Importance that
such relief as Congress can afford in
the existing situation be afforded at once.
The maxim He gives twice who gives
quickly" IS directly applicable.
Bear in mind that these words were
addressed by Democratic President to
Congress largely Democratic in both
branches, and that they related to an act
which the Democratic national conven-
ton had stigmatized as "cowardly
makeshift fraught with danger and
an act which at this time the Demo-
cratic papers of the country were claim
ing was entirely responsible for all our
woes. Bear in mind also that before
Congress met the Democrats of the
East professed to be alarmed very
much lest the Republicans in the
existing emergency should behave like
partlsans rather than patriots and try
to thwart the wishes of the Democratic
President, and they were filled with
appeals to the Republicans to adopt
different course. Now let us see what
has happened.
Three months after the President
called Congress together the law is re-
pealed. The urgent appeal of he President
for prompt action was passed UNDECIDED.
Ii the case were no worse than that the
Democratic majority would have laid
themselves open to merited rebuke and
condemnation. If the evils which the
coun try was suffering from were the
direct outgrowth of the Shermansslaw,
as the Democratic President and most of
the Democratic Journals said, the Demo-
cratic majority would have been e,tceed-
ingly culpable for letting it remain three
months, when it could have BEEN re-
pealed in as many weeks, even if in the
end the whole or majority of this ma
jority had voted for it's repeal. But the
case is far worse than this. Had repeal
depended upon the Democratic majority
the Sherman law would either have con-
tinued to be a law or would have beam
supplanted by measure far wora e.
fraught with many more dangers. A ma i
Jority of the Democrats of the House
voted to substitute for this law the old
Bland-Allison statute which provided for.
the absolute coinage Of 1900, 900 silver
dollars each month. To be sure after
this substitute was rejected by the almost,
solid Republican vote with minor.
ity of the Democratic vote majority of.
the Democrats did vote for the repeal
of the bill. But in the Senate ma
Jority OF. the Democrats did not vote for
repeal even. If the Republicans of the
Senate, the silver Republicans and the
anti-silver Republicans, had refrained
from voting there would have been a
majority of two against repeal, made up
of two Populists who are nothing but
Democrats, and who had
gained their seats largely through
Democratic votes. On the final vote
the Democrats were equally divided.
nineteen OF them responding favorably
to the appeal of the Democratic Presi-
dent and nineteen of them responding
adversely in spite of the tremendous
PAo9AAAO WAAASAA ohO OACCuUltC udu DuD
upon them. But the case is even worse
than this, for all but two of the Demo-
cratic senators only few days ago put
their names to paper in which they
agreed to continue the "cowardlv make. |
shift fraught with danger to the coun-
try" the act which the President de- |
clared was the chief cause of the financial |
depression, year and add to, it pro- |
visions which would have rendered it far
more dangerous. The country and the |
President owe the passage of the repeal |
bill to the Republicans Of the Senate. 1t |
was their votes that secured its adoption. |
Without them the Sherman law could |
never havesbeen repealed. Without them !
It would be law today without prospect |
Of change except for the worse.
This is not simply Republican as
'ertion. One of the most distinguished
Democratic senators acknowledged on
;he floor of the Senate that this
vas the fact. "The bill will pass.n
'aid Senator Cockrill in his fare