The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1896-03-07
LOYAL SENATORS.

To stand upon the floor OF the senate
and emphatic your convictions on 9
great economic question. in opposition
to your party, as did Senators Dubois
Carter, Mantcl, Teller and Cannon
when the vote on the tariff bill was
taken. requires moral courage of the
highest order, which even those who
take an opposite view must admire.
When these senators broke away from
the party lash and voted against the
revenue bill on the ground that it should
not be passed unless its friends and
those most directly interested in pro.
lection should recognize the interests of
the west by doing something for silver,
lead, wool and other western products,
they voiced the sentiment OF the people
in the states they represent. Ii congress
contained more men who had the cour.
age to express their convictions, free
coinage bill would pass both houses and
the masses OF people he benefited there
by; but they have not-:he iron hand OF
the gold monomstalists holds the lower
house With death like grip and many
members who are for the free coinage OF
silver dare not express their convictions
because the party lash is drawn over
them by the eastern leaders. Dubois
and his republican collesgues from the
west have proven themselves loyal to
the interests OF their states.
The Washington Post in explaining
why the silver republicans are hostile
says that while it is true that the com
bined votes OF the democrats and the pop
uiists make m,jority of the senate, aud
were in themselves sufficient to defeat the
bill, this fact does not lessen the import.
ance or the significance ofthe hostility OF
the silver republicans. They would have
voted in the negative, even ii upon their
votes rested the sole responsibility for
the adverse result. They have taken
this action after due elaboration and
with full knowledge OF the consequent
ces. The reasons which influenced
them in their position have been stated
before, but are worth repeating. They
believed, and whether with foundation
or not does not signify, that if the
emergency bill had passed both houses.
the president would have allowed it to
become a law. 1t contained, according
to thsir notion, everything for the east
and nothing for the west. The eastern
manufacturer was given Is per cent.
Increase, which in some instances
brought the duty to higher rate than
the Mckinley law. The western wool
grower was scan iy remembered, and
lead ore and other products of tie far
western states were completely ignored.
They believed, therefore, that when the
new republican administration came in
the present tariff law, with its repubIi
can amendments, would be allowed to
stand on the statute books, and all hope
OF linking silver with protection would
be gone.
Their purpose, therefore, is to demon
strate that during the present congress
there can be no tariff legislation. When
the republican administration comes in
to power, it will find democratic tariff
in force. This, of necessity, will have to
be remodelled. and then the silver men
will step in with their club-the balanc,
OF power in the senate. No tariff bill |
shall! pass they will say, unless it i. |
coupled with the free coinage of silver
1t is iongheaded game which they are |
playing, but they are in deadly earnest.
Senator Dubois, OF Idaho, said yesterday
that they would, ii need Be, prevent any |
tariff revision for twenty-five years. |
rather than yield one point of the ad !
vantage which they now seem TO DOS.
cess. EItravagant language this may
seem, it is true, bat it is the position OF |
the silver men. 1t is not likely to be
modified, either, when, as in the case OF
Senator Dubois, every Newspaper in his
state, republican, democrat, and popliist,
Ipholds Him for his action"