The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-10
WOLCGTT BILL DENOUNCED,
Bitterly Arraigned by u Repu biican
Member Of Congress-


WASHINGTON, Feb. 9.-The interest
in congress in the question of an inter
national monetary congress was shown
today by the presence before the house
committee on coinage Of many members
to listen to the discussion of the reso-
lutiOnS before the committee Several
members Of the committee on banking
and currency, took part in the debate
The first speaker was Representative
Hill, (Rep-, Comm, who spoke from a
political standpoint, bitterly denounc-
ing the senate for attempting to lay a
trap to ensnare the Republican party.
1t WAS an attempt, he said, to bring
about the things which the Republican
party voted down in the last election,
the free coinage Of silver and a double
standard Of value. Referring to Sen
ator Chandler, he said the proposition
was thrust upon the incoming president
by a senator who had bitterly and
Virulently opposed his nomination, and
that that senator had been sustained
and seconded by the chairman of the
National Democratic committee.
The proposition is born of mother
who loves it not" he said. more than
one-half Of it's opponents in the senate"
he added, had bc-S Republicans, while
free silver men, who would work to
bring it to naught, voted for it." He
continued: THE Stilted phrases Of a
platform dictated by half-mature
| thought in June should be read in the
| blazing light of the November victory
The responsibility rested on this con-
gress in the matter, nor should a Demo-
| cratic president be called upon to sign
! the resolution. The wishes of gold
! Democrats who had been the allies of
the Republicans, and who had declared
| for the single gold standard, Mr.. Hill
! said, should be consulted. Other planks
| % &Io 7 10 H.
| to Cuba, to immigration, and others
! had been disregarded, why, he asked,
! should congress rush to fulfill this sin
! gle plank? This was not the time; these
not the men, and these not the propo-
sitions which the st. Louis platform
! had contemplated. The utterance of the
platform on the money question had
been modified by the subsequent Chi
! cagO platform, and alliance of Repub-
licans and gold Democrats.
Representative Hartman, Of Mon
| tana, and TOwne, of Minnesota. two
boilers from the ST. Louis convention,
asked Mr.. Hill several questions Mr.
! Hill said this government should not
subject itself again to chagrin by call
ing another conference which foreign
delegations would attend merely as a
matter Of courtesy. Any accomplish
ment must be by diplomatic neeoti-
ations, with Great Britain.
My understanding of THE ST. Louis
PLATFORM" he continued, sis that ii
pledged the party first to the mainte-
nance Of the gold standard, and that
all other pledges are subsidiary" This
was in answer to question from Mr.
Hartman as to whether the platform
had not meant the gold standard Will.
endeavoring to deceive voters into the
understanding that it meant bimetal-
ism.
Representative Brewster Rep., N
" remarked that the bill was a tran
by the enemy to put the next president
in a hole. Representative Fairchild
(Rep., N. y said that he understood
the senate bill had been drafted nv
Senator Wolcott after conference with
Mr.. Mckinley. Let Mr.. Mckinley give
his opinion In his inaugural address >
said Mr.. Brewster. The committee ad
journed until Monday.