Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-02-06
SMALL POLITICS.
Republican Senators Trininx Wien
Serious Matter.

Il Il
Republican Senators Trinine With
Serious Matter.
It has been evident almost from Ii.
first that there has been no intention
in either house of congress to trea,
the presidents appeal for Legislation
for the relief Of the treasury as any
thing but ball to be tossed and bat
ted in q partisan game. Not one rep
resentative or senator has risen to the
| occasion and treated the matter in
statesmanlike manner, as its i'm.
portance demands.
Look ut the loan bill. The presi.
dent wanted two things: First, au
thority to borrow gold on the security
of bond promising to pay gold and
bearing, say, three per cent. interest
and, second, authority to redeem legal
tender notes so that they would stay
redeemed. The former would enable
him to get the needed gold on :he
best possible terms and at the least
cost to the people. The latter would
reduce the amount to be borrowed
to the lowest limit, and thus contrib
ute toward reducing the cost to the
people.
At no time has there been mani
OF these things. The house bill provid-
ed for "coin'' bonds at three per cent.
and forbade the sales either of these
or the bonds already authorized ex-
cept by public advertisement, while
The house refused to entertain for a
r.oment the suggestion that when
legal tender notes were redeemed
tiny should stay redeemed.
The bill as it passed the house was
worse than worthless for the purpose
for which legislation was asked.
Then the finance committee of the
republican senate took it and made
it as cad as any financial measure
could bt by converting it into SIX
teen to one free silver bill, pure and
simple. It having now become evident
that the bill thus transformed would
pass the senate some time and then
go to the Legislative garbage box it
was due to the public that it should
&c to its destiny without delay.
Eut this was not to be. We have
had many dreary days of talk, partly
about this miserable bill and partly
about the distribution of hay and pump
kin seeds and the end is not yet. The
amendmant stage has not yet been
passed. The political fine workers
have yeti to bring forward the com
promise sehemes designed to round up
certain CID sses of voters.
Senator Lodge, republican, has al
ready oneied a substitute amendment
ieaving out all about silver and gold
and authorizing loan of 100000, 900
in green ba e>s OF anything else that
comes handy for the construction of !
coast defenRs. Senator Faulkner is re- |
ported to have an amendment up his |
sleeve providing that the secretary of |
the treasury may borrow gold enough !
to retire the sreenbacks and treasury |
notes, but TINT the minis must be |
opened to the coinage of silver sor the
benefit Of depositors until the amount
of silver dollars so coined Equals the
of notes retired. I And SEN
ator German is said to beready with
n similar amendment, butprcviding for
unlimited free coinage of silver not
only during, but forev9 after, the re-
t;rement of legal teneer notes.
All tHiS DaDDle a}n pay ing sAaA
politics is less hurtul than it would
be if there were aty probability that
any one of the numerous schemes to
undermine the public credit should be
But It does harm not only
because it discharges the hope of any
reasonable acton for lie improvement
If the currency ana the protection of
he STANDARD, but because there is a pos
,ibiIity of mischivous legislation, like
hat of 1890, or worse, and in great
numbers of transactions possibilities
IS well as probabilities have their in ,
Iuence for ,ood or i'll. If congress
would let tie worst be known and go
,cme. it ;,ou1d render the country q +
egative ervice.-Chicago Chronicle. T
ylE PEEH D,nEc /