New-York tribune., 1896-09-01
PIyCHBECK-A AND PEWTER STATESMAN.

Another of Mr. Clevelond's pinchbeck favor
ties has shown his real quality by deserving to
the standard Of Unrest and Reputation raised
by Boy Orator Bryan and Mrs. Mary Elizabeth
Lease Roger Q. Mills. of Texas long the Ad-
ministrations trusted champion on the floor or
the United States Senate has followed Hoke
Smith into the Tillman-Altgeld camp For
year past perhaps, the intensity OF the Texas
Senator's devotion to Mr.. Cleveland's policies
financial administrative and foreign-has been
somewhat visbly relaxed. The Admnstra-
tons programme in Cuba was vigorously, al
most bitterly, attacked at the last session or
Congress by the fiery apologist of its earlier
fragrant blunders in Hawaii; and the Secretary
of the Treasury, trying the winter before TO force
his scheme for the retirement of currency notes
and greenbacks through the National Legislat-
ure found In his Oldtime colleague in the House
not friendly ally but determined opponent.
Mr.. Mills's ominous inacton in the struggle
which ended in the utter overthrow of the Ad-
mnstrations power and the population OF It's
doctrines as party faith at Chicago might prop
erly have thrown n further cloud Of suspicion
on the stanchness of his loyalty to the defeated
cause of sound money. But so clearly, explicitly
and uneQuvocally had the Texas Senator COM
mtted himself to the Presidents programme
of unyelding opposition to the free coinage OF
silver that it was difficult 10 conceive the de-
gree of qualification involved in his acceptance
of the Chicago platform and his support of the
Tillman-Altgeld National ticket.
In a speech in the Senate, September 10, 1893,
Mr.. Mills. who was then supporting the Noor'
hees bill for the repeal Of the purchasing clauses
of the so-called Sherman act. made the follow
ing very just and pointed observations:
In 1870 gold became the standard which meas
ured all values in this country. 1t Is now the
standard-the uniform standard Of value of the
commercial world We are invited to abandon
this standard and go to a deprecated standard
of another metal. 1t will be just as fatal as II
went to the deprecated standard of paper
money. | denounce now in this country
the attempt to shift and change the standard Of
values for the purpose Of enabling the debtor
to cheat and defraud his creditor out of half
of what he has promised him, and in doing so
to put the country upon variable and shifting
standard of value. by which the people will he
plundered continuously from one end Of it to the
other. Every contract now in existence in the
United States made since 1879 Is on the gold
standard. and where dollar is mentioned 1t
means gold dollar or one as good as gold; and
/ will never vote for any law that enables a man
TO cancel an obligation to pay 100 cents by pay
ing 81 cents.
1t Is no wonder that President Cleveland. when
he read this lucid and outspokcn declaration.
was impelled to write his weknown midnight
letter of thanks to the Texas Senator, and to
overwhem him with compliments on the zeal
and boldncss of his defence Of the Adminlstra-
tons financial policy
Times have not materially changed since Sep
tember. 1893, nor have political conditions But
to-day we find the former pleader for sound
money and National honor advocating the cleo
ton Of Bryan and Sewa and declaring. melo-
dramatically, from the stump: II would vote
"for the free and unlimited coinage of pewter
rather than help disband the Democratic party"
The Texas Senator Is bold enough to confess
that he prefers party success to the manten
ance of National credit and honor. He must
know. however. that he thus invites a melan-
choly and humiliatng contrast between his own
attitude in the present contest and that Of so
many other more sterling and patriotic support
ers Of the outgoing Administration. He must
also know that in the light of that contrast he
writes himself down irretrievably as poll
tlcan Of neither conscience nor slncerity-a
statesman merely Of pinchbeck and pewter.