Rocky Ford enterprise., 1893-11-02
a WORD FROM woucoTT.
He Givss the senators His View Of the
Situation - Affecting colorado
and the Future Of the Re-
publican Party.

ne 3ivss the eenAtors His View OF the
Situation - Affecting Colorado
and the Future Of the Re-
publican Party.
On Saturday during the closing hours of
the debate on the repeal bill In the Senate,
Mr. Wolcott of Colorado delivered the follow
ing speech, which waa listened to with the
closest attention by senators and visitors. He
said:
"A few hours ago We voted upon that amend
hent to the bill which would give Us free
coinage. 1t was lost, great majority Of the
Senate voting against 4. Al the other
amendments will meet a like fate. They are
only good In that they arc better than uncon-
ditionsl repeal, and 1t seems idle TO go
through the form of voting upon them. am
Indifferent whether l vote for them or not;
senators who intend voting for unconditional
repeal, and their amendments may save for
them .omething Of the Appearance Of things.
Nobody is really deceived, however, - those
are not tho friends Of bi-metallism. The
course OF this debate, and the vote of yester-
day have given US the names, and the addi-
tional roll-calls will but serve to emphasize
the defeat which silver has suffered. We
came here buoyed up with hope and confident
OF final success. We have met an overwhelm-
Ing and disastrous defeat, and tho reasons are
"The fight for silver has failed because
Democratic support and Republican eneour-
agement have been withdrawn. The true
situation has never been understood by the
public; 1t has never developed on this floor;
II has never been EXPOSED 70 the light. There
m ~ been talk Of closure, and senator's across
tion BY advocating II, have posed IS If they
Nere each Columbus discovering some new
land, or the ingenious and adventurous spirit
who had found the clue to the Senate maze
They are lauded by the metropolitan preas as
n ha fha ovtn ,f thoir
country, and unsavory criticism and bitter
denunciation have changed and blended into
scclanations and praise.
why, even tho newest Behator here must
have Understood perfectly that closure ~ ap-
plicaole to this measure was an impossibility,
that 1t could find NO foothold or abiding
place In this chamber. These arguments
have been for the gallery. for gullible pub
70 sec 1t enacted. We have from the nrst In
vited vote upon its adoption. The majority
will need 1t later. 1t will not be so ardently
pressed by this side of the chamber In the
winter months. when the repeal of the cleo
tlon law and tarin revision come up for pass
when that delectable time shall como the
silver state senators will no longer be 'goats
while we may not be able to emulate the
subserviency recently displayed by this side
towards the administration, we shall hope to
exhibit our earnest desire for progress In leg
islation by taking to heart the lesson which
has been taught US, aud by lending our pres
ence at all hours, for quorum and vote.
"The open and avowed sentiment Of large
majority Of this body 10 against the introduce
ton here Of the previous question or any form
Of closure, that the majority believes that the
privilege of free discussion 10 q safeguard
which should not be removed and that while
delays may arise, because Of the right of un-
limited debate, yet the sum Of gain it brings
Is Infinitely greater than any Inconvenience
which may be occasioned.
ArSaa fha Il ItnnI nf ~. o. 80
BY this right Of debate. This Senate loses It's
dignity whenever IL becomes simply . mouth
piece OF tho executive will, and when 1t Yields
70 influences which should have no share in
understood that vaporings here and else
where about closure have had no sort Of In
nuence on the result Of this debate and state
without fear Of successful contradiction that
idea Is would pass. Since this measure was
nrst reported tho opposition TO u has been
based solely on the belief that unconditional
repeal unaceompanied BY Affirmative lerisla-
ton, would bring suffering and disaster 70 the
whole country, and not destruction Of the
welfare and the prosperity Of the silver states
60 Of this bill.
1T was from the outset dlstinctly under
stood that II the support Of friends on the
other side Of the chamber should be With
drawn, while We felt that irreparable wrong
would be inflicted upon rs by unconditional
repeal, we should nevertheless cease TO op-
pose vote. The time has come when We are
left alone. Party exigonoy and other con-
trolling motives have led TO acquiescence BY
tho other side In the inevitable result There
10 not the slightest criticism TO be offered to
such conclusion. For two months We have
fought together for the maintenance Of q
DOUBLE standard, and We have lost.
"some OF the criticism to which we have
been subjected By Democratic senators Il
misplaced. We have been told BY some Of
AtAr, NhokR
AID revolutionary. This sounds droll to
those Of rs who witnessed the contest over
the force bill. Senators who are vaguely un-
oerstood now to favor closure, and who have
denounced US, Eled out solemnly again and
again into the cloak rooms or ensconsed
themselves In the committee rooms to avoid
aiding to make quorum. That struggle
lasted - long as has this, and the organIza-
ton Of the speakers and machinery Of the
contest were perfectly equipped and oiled.
1.-THE senators on the other side have spoken
critically OF the speech of the senator from Me-
braska because IT occupied Is hours. Iremem-
Der ono speech on the force bill, that of the
senator from West Virginia, which occupied
12 hours. The distinction between the two 10
slight, and the able address OF the senator
from Nebraska will not suffer BY comparison
with any other, long or short, which has been
uttered in this chamber. do not refer to
only to emphasize the fact that hne distinc-
tions breed nice differences, and TO insist that
In view Of the few months that have passed
since that somewhat memorable event and
the character of that struggle, some Of the
utterances Of the southern senators have been
uncalled for and out Of place. We, who arc
from states where silver 10 produced, claim
and have claimed NO special consideration
growing out of the faith Of that measure; but
confess that We had expected that the strug-
gle for our very existence, which We have
made ON this floor, should bring Us sympathy
and not dcnunciation from representatives Of
the section which not long ago made simi-
lar appeal, and did not make 1t In vain.
have been here long enough to hear MS de-
nounced BY southern senator's as obstruction
ists because We stood for the vital interests of
the whole country; long enough to hear 1t
proposed that the doors of the Senate should
be opened TO expol the senator who, In the
exercise of bis constitutional rights, sought,
by Withholding his vote, to postpone, II only
for day, the dire suffering which must be
inflicted upon his state BY the passage Of this
bill.
"One senator attempted to hold mp the SEN
Ator from Kansas to ridicule, and told us that
those of US who stood for the double standard
were following that senator and the doctrines
Of bis party. The Populist party holds ten
cts to which cannot lend my approval, and
many of Its doctrines seem to me to be wild
and visionary. L would infinitely rather
stand, however, Ia the place Of the senator
from Kansas than in that of the senator who
H. -t-I