The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-20

Washington, December Ex-senator
Chandler of New Hampshire, has written
q letter to the Washington Post, in which
he says:
IF the Secretary of the Treasury and
his single standard associates will cease
their demand for impossible currency
legislation, Congress will pass the neces-
sary appropriation bills and probably take
care OF Hawaii and Cuba. There will not
be serious party division during the
session, and there will be adjournment in
May. business will revive, the treasury
receipts will equal the expenditures, the
balance of trade will continue in our
favor and the Republican party will in
November, 1898, eleot a majority of the
House in the Fifty-flfth Congress.
ION the other hand If Secretary Gage
continues to press on Congress bill, the
object of which he says is first to commit
the country more thoroughly to the gold
standard and the immediate effect of
which is to throw doubts upon the sin
certify of the Presidents declaration in
favor Of continued efforts to secure BIZ
metallism, political turmoil will arise
in Congress which will split the now
united Republicans into fragments, while
1t will unite and consolidate the now in
cJngruous opposition. 1t is not feasible
to retire the greenbacks; there is more
proba bility that bill will be sent to the
President to increase their amount. 1t
is not possible to secure the passage
through either house of bill making the
a<,r.t nalre .t~< u L -
bonds payable in gold. Tho efforts to do
either thing will probably result in the
passage Of u bill for the redemption of the
greenbacks in silver dollars and for the
payment of all United States bonds in
gold or silver coin in the discretion of the
President, who will be commanded to ex-
ercise his option for the advantage of the
governments and not for the advantage
of The creditor.
"With such an uproar in Congr SIS as
these proceedings will create, with West
ern Congressman embroiled therein with
Presidential vetos, as threatened by Secre-
Jary Gage under angry discussion, it will
happen that all business enterprises and
funds and stocks will be disturbed and
prices will fall, insolvencies will increase
and the Republican lose tie Congressional
elections in 1898, as disastrously as they
did in 1870, and beyond the hope of a
favorable reaction in 1900, at which time
therefore Bryan Democratic President
and Congress will be chosen.
whether we are to have one of these
results-political safety-or the other
political ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS entirely up
on the course to be pursued by Secretary
Gage and those who are pressing him
forward, namely, the Gold Standard
League of New York and the self-consti-
tuted National Monetary conference.
How much Secretary Gage cares for the
Republican party is not known. Whether
President Mckinley, whose good fatthato-
wards bimetallism is coming to the
test, will stop his secretary in his insane
career, is not known. 1t is to be hoped
he will. But no political situation as
been clearer than the present to sound
eyes since the Republican party began its
marvellous career forty-tWo years ago.
There are times for all things. There is
time to move and time to eep still
and now is the time to SO keep.
''It is simply political suicide for the
Republican party in this Congress to
open the discussion Of the
money question and to bring on yea and
nay votes upon the currency legislation.
We ought to await the progress Of inter-
national bi metallism, the advent of bust
ne prosperity and the filling Of tie treas
ury by the normal workings soon to be
seen of the new traiff law. Shall we wait
for these things or rush on to self de-
struction9 President Mckinley must de-
eide. Will he act for his people or for his
plutocrats? Upon his answer will de-
pend the events of 1898.
(Signed) w. e. CHANDLER.
December IS, 1897.