Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-06-06
Daiaware's Representatives on Living
Issues.

Issues.
The New York World made the fol-
lowing inquiries of Senators and Repre-
sentatives in Congress:
Do you favor single gold standard or
Do Won favor further tariff changes?
Do you favor principle of income tax
The replies from Delawarc's Senator
and Representative were as follows:
WILMINGTON, DEL. June III am op-
posed TO the free coinage oil silver oy the
United States alone.
lam in favor Of changes in the tariff IN
the direction of free iron ore and Tree coal
and moderate reductions in rates OF duty
on many other articles. but / do not ex-
pect to see changes in any direction.
GEORGE GRAY.
AItIFonp. DEL, June Ill am bimet-
allist. favor an International agreement.
Ii money is the creature of law, why not
have regard to law in its creation, even the
law of nations?
Further tariff changes are necessary
both for revenue aud for protection,
The income tax is in its right place
decently buried. J.s' WILLIS
Senator Gray's reply is clear and posi-
tive on both points touched. lie is OPP
posed to the free coinage of silver by
the United States alone, and he would
like to sec tariff reform carried to its
logical conclusion.
Congressman Willis is evidently in
fog. lie knows that he is bimctallist,
and that he is in favor of an interna-
tional agreement; but he is evidently
not prepared to say what he is in favor
of if an International agreement can not
be had. Since nothing is more certain
than the impossibiiity of securing an
International agreemeutatthis time,theFe
is no telling what Congressman vans
does favor. Does he favor maintaining
the present gold standard until his
dream Of international agreement may
be fulfilled2 He is careful not to say SO
much. Possibly he does not know him-
self.
When he learns that International
agreement is not within the range Of
present possibilities-and it is to be pre-
sumcd that he will learn that much
after awhile-will he be enough OF a
bimetallist to plunge into free coinage
or into an enlarged use of silver without
any international agreement? His
declaration does not throw any light
through the fog surrounding that qucs-
ton.
= But there is an expression in his re-
ply which indicates that he is tinctured
with the initiation beresy, and deeply
tinctured at that. He thinks that money
is the creature of law" That is the
very essence of the old greenback doc
trine. 1t is the basis of much of the free
silver argument Reasoning from that
basis, Delaware's Congressman will find
it hard to keep out Of the free silver
camp.
Money is not the creature Of law
There would be money if there were no
word about it in any statute in thu
world. Law no more creates money
than it creates matrimony. If money
were the creature of law, Of course Law
could create it out of silver, or paper, o
lead, or peach stones, just as well as GU
of gold; and while the law is creating
money it might as well create an unltm
tied quantity of it.
OF course Congressman Willis tall
about having regard in the creation 0
money, seven to the law of nations,
must be taken as q specimen of hi
pleasing rhetoric, and not as an in
stance of amazing ignorance; for Con
gresham Willis doubtless knows a
well as the rest of us that "the Law
of nations"-a definite legal term--ha
no more to do with bimetallism than
has with the man in the moon or til
June drop.
Congressman Willis speaks of tn
tariff in way which indicates that Ii
still longs for the Mckinley tariff; bu
that is harmless fondness for formC
intellectual lelusion. The new tariff
working too well and prosperity
coming back too rapidly under jts pr
visions for any party to venture
return to the deadly Mckinley taril