The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-02-15

POpul1StS ana Free S1lVer1beS IOr
the reorganization Republicans
Seriously Embarrassed BY the
Free Silver Substitutes for their
Financial Measures = Democrats
Enjoying the Situation-Will Pre-
sent a Solid Front in Defence OF
the Existing Tariff Law 81 Against
an Increase of Duties Senator
Germans Leadership.
From our Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON, February u, 1896.
The situation at Washington at the present
time is unique The Republicans having,
through bargain with the Populists, reorgan-
lied the Senate, taking control of the com
mittees and with it the responsibility for legis-
lation. find themselves utterly impotent in the
matter of passing laws. Part of the bargain
which led up to the reorganization was the
surrender of the balance of power in the
Committee on Finance to the free-silver men.
Senator Teller, of Colorado, free-silver Re-
publican, openly announced on the floor OF
the Senate on The day the reorganization res
olution was put through that the concession
of the Finance Committee to the free silverites
was a necessary condition of Republican re-
organization, without which they could not
have carried through the scheme. This bar
gain and concession on the part of Republican
Senators appears to be responsible for all the
vexation of spirit which the dominant party
in Congress is now experiencing.
The President, in his special message to
Congress on the eve of the usual holiday
recess. urged upon the law-making branch
the critical condition of the Treasury and the
necessity Of foregoing the holiday recess IN
order 70 come to the aid Of the Treasury with
proper measures of relief. Attributing the
precarious condition of our financial system
and the depletion of the Treasury of lis gold
reserve to an ''endless chain in the machin-
cry of the Government constructed out of the
irredeemable greenbacks, the President indi-
Gated the nature of the relief he sought to be
authority to issue gold bonds for the procure
ment Of gold with which to finally redeem and
retire the $780, 900, 600 of greenbacks- This
proposed plan involved the contraction of the
currency to the above large amount and the
enlargement of interest bearing obligations of
the Government 10 the same extent. 1t was
rather heroic measure. bat in the Judgment
of the President was warranted by existing
conditions.
The holiday recess was accordingly ahan-
doued and the Ways and Means Committee
of the House set to work TO formulate proper
measures OF relief. They did not agree with
the President and Secretary of the Treasury
in regard to the operation of their .'endleSs
chain as the agency Of depicting the Treasury
of its gold reserve, maintaining. rightly per-
haps that the whole trouble was due to the
uadcguacy OF current revenues to defray
current expenses, thereby necessitatiug the
paying out Of the gEeeHbacks rs fast as re-
deemed for current expenses, and thus Great
ing aud keeping in motion this formidable aud
dangerous endless chain.
However, m order TO Fehabilitate the gold
reserve, they authorized the issue of com
bonds in the necessary amount This was one
OF their proposed measures OF relief.
The other was addressed to what the Re-
publicans in Congress regard as the real cause
of the embarrassment OF the Treasury de-
fciency of current reyenues-and proposed a
horizontal increase Of - per centum OF the
rates of duty contained in the tariff bill passed
By the last Congress, excepting on a few
schedules in which the increase was GO per
centum.
Both Of these measures were promptly nut
through the House in manner becoming
emergency legislation, but, alas for the in
firmly Of human calculations, they were
destined to encounter rough weather iii the
upper house of the national legislature.
Referred in the regular order TO the Senate
Finance Committee, both Of these emergency
measures, IN whose behalf Congress had fore
gone the customary holiday sociabiity, have
undergone Il most remarkable metamorphosis.
First. the bond bill came back with free
coinage of silver substitute, which was IN due
time adopted by the Senate aud is now under
consideration in the House. This was Il sore
trial 10 the dominant party, demonstrating, as
it did, their weakness to the country; but they
were not so much cast down by that. They
did moi care so much for the fate of the bond
bill, since they were quite willing that the
President should take the responsibility of
protecting the credit OF the country by an
exercise Of the doubtful authority contained
in pre-eXisting bond legislation.
But when. to their utter amazemeHt, their
free-silver allies in the scheme of reorganiza-
ton persisted in reporting another iree-silver
substitute for their pet scheme of horizontal
increase Of tariff duties, then their cup of
sorrow seemed to be full indeed. 1t was with
undisgused sorrow and vexation of spirit that
Mr.. Morrill,, the venerable chairman Of the
Finance Committee, made this report to the
Senate last week.
The Democrats are thoroughly enjoying the
remarkable situation. Under the leadership
Of Senator German they will solidIy oppose
all efforts to resurrect this apparently defunct
party measure. which has suffered premature
DEATH died bornin', so to speak, in the
house Of its friends.
The Republicans affect to be surprised at
the position assumed by Mr.. German in an
tagonizing their proposed increase of tariff
rates and taking the leadership in keeping
them into the cavity where they have so i'm
providently put themselves. They profess to
see in the present condition of the Treasury
such Il splendid vindication of Mr.. Germans
Judgment when tariff legislation was under
fla lost fbnt thatf
think he ought not TO make serious fight
against horizontal increase of duties over
the rates at which they were fixed in Difference
to his Judgment in the last Congress, since the
present condition of the Treasury demon
strates an nsutlieiency of revenues.
Ii is a fact uncommonly well known that in
the last Congress Mr.. German, with his usual
foresight in national affairs, did impress upon
his Democratic associates of the Senate the
necessity of SO amending the Wilson tariff
bill as 10 make it yield a very considerable
increase of revenue, and that in Difference to
his Judgment an increase Of customs revenues
of nearly $50, DOC, 600 per annum was engrafted
on the crude and ill-eonsidered bill of Mr..
Wilson in the Senate. 1t is fact, too, that
Mr.. German was apprehensive lest there might
be during the first year of its operation, not
withstanding the increase OF rates, some de-
fieiency Of revenue, and TO that end and TO
guard against such contingency he proposed
an amendment to an appropriation bill giving
10 the Secretary of the Treasury authority to
negotiate popular loans by means of short
time certificates of Indebtedness.
The manner in which the Secretary of the
Treasury so lightly rejected the proffered aid,
ON the ground that there was no possible
necessity for it. and the impolitic course Of
the Administration in seeking to impress upon
the country the idea that a great surplus of
revenue had already been provided in the
interest OF protection, are well remembered.
The amount of misrepresentation and abuse
to which Mr.. German was subjected in this
connection is still fresh in the minds of his