Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-18
REPUBLICAN, PRO MISES Will Not Be Fulfilled, Says MT
 Bankhead. WILL REST THEIR CASE On the Maintenance of the Gold Standard and the Tariff Bill They
 Passed.

tereSting review of the situation in Wash ington from Congressman Bankhead rel alive to the position assumed by the democrats in congress and possible re- suits of republican Legislation:
 After the tariff bill had passed ths
 house of representatives the republican majority determined that they would at tempt no legislation of gensTal import ance at the extra session, and in pursu- ance of that determination they would adjourn for three days at a time, which, under the constitution. is as long as either house can adjourn while the other is in session. This left two courses open to the democratic minority We were compelled to vote for or vote against thes4 three day adjournments. If we voted against them we put ourselves in the attitude of insisting that the repub- Hcan party proceed with legislation. If we voted in favor of adjournm=n we put ourselves in the attitude of preferring that the republican party should not pro- ceed with legislation. There is absolutely no difference whatever among the demo- crats as to the desira bility of forcing the republican party to legislate. We all agree that republican legislation is in- Variably bad legislation, and that the country is better off when republican congress is not making laws. The differ tnce among us is as to whether we will denounce them for not 1egislating. Some democrats think we ought to do so; but majority of the democrats feel that 1t would be an inexcusable p=ce of hypoc- risy for us to denounce the republicans for not doing the very thing which we think it best for the country that they should not do
 If the com mttess were appointed there would be elevem republicans and six democrats on each of the most important committees. This, of course, would rem der it impossible for the democrats to bring any matter of general importance before the house and at the same time would enable the republicans to bring up and consider whatever they may de- sire. This being true a majority of the democrats feel that it would be ineX cusabl@ folly for us to insist that the leg islative machinery shall be set in mo- tion when it was absolutely certain that we can do nothing which we want done, and that we cannot prevent the republi- cans from doing anything which they may want to do. No reasonable man ex- poets that the republican party Is go- ing to attempt any legislation on the sil- yer question, for they have pledged them selves in their platform, and in their pub lie speeches to maintain the single gold standard until they can reach an inter- national agreement for the establishment of the bim talic standard, and the presl- dent has appointed commission, whose duty 1t is to confer with the representa- tives of foreign governments With view of securing an international agreement. No democrat expects that commission 10 accomplish anything, even after it has had ample time, and no reasonable man of any party expects the republicans to propose any legislation on the silver question until after that commission makes it's report, which will not be until long after this session of congress has adjourned With absolutely no eXpecta- hat nf lepiSlatiOn of tfle coinage question, we are reduced to the certainty that if the republican party legislates at all on the financial ques- tion, 1t will be in reference to our curren- cy and banking system; and 1t is equally certain that if there is any legislation upon the subject of our currency and banking 1t will be to retire the green backs and other government notes ana to perpetuate the present national bank ing system Believing that this would be an ircalculable misfortune to the country we are not willing to urge the republican party to proceed with it.
 During the last campaign the republl- can party promised the people of thls country that if it was entrusted with the administration of the government 1t would reritore pr,sperity, and asserted that 1t could restore prosperity by maln- ta ming The gold standard and increas- ing th,a tariff duties. We eontended that the republican party could not bring
 
 try by increasing the taxes and maintain- ing the gold standard, and asserted that there could be no general and real pros perity until binsstalhsm had been re- stored.
 Had we been given the power last fall we would have applied cur policies and trus ed to their results to vindicate our wisdom. But as we were not given the power, and cannot therefore demonstrate the correctness of our principles by their II t1x.t to demons lrale that we are right |! ta let the republicans apply their policies and let the country witness their un- successful operation. The republican leaders appear to be confident that tthsy can redeem their promise of prosperity by the maintenance eff the gold standard and by the tariff bill which they have passed, and thiEy s:eln willing to have the country judge them upon these two propositi-i-s. Are he democratic lead CTS less courageous? Are we less confi- dent now than we were before the cleo tion that prosperity cannot come to this country under the gold standard and a high tariff? If we sincerely believe what we have said we ough, to welcome the test which the republican party has pro- rl1ed, because that test will demonstraite which party Is in error If we are wrong ard the republican policies can make this country prosperous. every democrat in the land will rejoice in he prosperity which they bring; while if after fair trial, the republican, party fails to pro- duce the prosperity which they have promised, every fair-minded man in this country will vote with us 10 dismiss them from power. We know 10 an absolute verity that the republican party will fail to bring the good times which they have promised, and as partisan democrat ts we desire that failure made under circum- stances that will leave lhe republican panty with no excuse of explanation for it's failure.
 Tnose democrats who feel that the re- puolicans may be right, end that high tariff may improve the times, may have