The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-16
They VIII Caucus by Themselves.

IhCy W CAutha ny
Senator Teller has had talk with the
other silver republican senators-those of
them who are in close sympathy with him
and they have agreed that they will not
go into the republican caucuses. They say
they will caucus by themselves.
Senator Teller refuses to say whether or
not they will oppose all financial and tariff
legislation which does not make conces-
sions to silver. At present he only says
they will not confer with the republicans
in caucus. This policy applies to the next
congress as wei as the present one.
The inference from the course which
Senator Teller and the other silver sena-
tors is pursuing is that they do not intend
to permit any legislation which, in their
opinion. would tend to weaken the cause
of silver Their present purpose is to so
shape their course as to keep alive the
silver agitation. This they will do by pre-
venting the republican party from chang
ing existing conditions and by insisting, if
business conditions do not improve, that
there can be no return of prosperity until
the coinage of silver is made free and I'M
limited.
II this is not their programme then ali
signs fail. And it is pretty safe to say that
all the other silver leaders are in hearty
sympathy with them. Mr. Bryan announce
ed the other day that it was the purpose of
the silverites to keep up the agitation of
the silver question from now until the
next presidential election. He doesn't in
tend that the country shall have any
peace. All kinds of business are to be kept
disturbed and unsettled by the fear that
we shall have a deprecated currency at
some time in the near future and
this is to be done in order that his finan-
cial views may have another chance of
being adopted. He has even promised that
ver shall stand the best chance of filling
the pick of the Offices if the silver party
wins, regardless of their fitness for the
public service.
A programme like that can hardly.b in
spired by desire for the public welfare.
If Senator Teller and the other silver lead
ers are really anxious that the country
shall be prosperous it would seem as if
they would be willing to see if prosperity
is possible by means of the policy in favor
of which the people have decided They
have said they want sound money. In or
der to give the sound money policy a fair
trial there must be little more revenue
and reform of our currency system. The
inference from what Senator Teller says
is that the silver republican senators will
oppose legislation to secure either of these
things.
The republicans are going ahead in the
preparation of their proposed tariff bill as
if they thought they would have no diff
Guilty in passing such bill. At present,
without the help of the silver republican
senators, there is no prospect for such
tariff legislation as the republican leaders
have in mind. If they are depending upon
sound money democratic senators to as
sist them they are going to be disappoint-
ed. Sound money democrats would doubt
less help them to pass purely revenue
measure, like an additional tax on beer
or tax on sugar, but they won't assist
in infiicting upon the country another Nc
Kinley tariff iniquity. If the silver repub-
lican senator's maintain their present atti-
tude the republican party will have to
change its programme or it will be such
a conspicuous failure in its efforts to re-
store business prosperity that the people
will have no use for it four years hence.