The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-12-27
SOUNDS OF BATTLE.

Tt is not improbable that shortly af-
ter the re-assembling of the United
States senate. the country will be
treated to an incident, rivaling in SEN
sationalism the dramatic performance
of Senator Teller and those who stood
with him in his renunciation of the Re
publican party at St. Louis in 1896
Colorado's other senator, Edward o.
Wolcott, is said to have a speech al
ready prepared in which he also will
announce that he and the party with
which he has been allied many years,
have come to the parting of the
ways
It is also asserted by a number of
special Washington correspondents of
prominent newspapers that Senator
Wolcott, like his colleague, will not go
alone. but viii take with him nearly all
remaining senators of the mining
states, who remained loyal after the
Teller bolt. The list includes Carter
Warren, ShOup and Wilson.
The revolt has grown out of the at
titude assumed by Secretary Gage in
urging upon congress legislation calcu-
lated to fix the gold standard more
firmly upon the currency system of the
country. 1t is generally conceded that
there is only one circumstance which
can prevent the bolt of the Republican
senators from the silver mining states,
and that is the dismissal from the cab
met Of Secretary Gage by the presi-
dent.
If the views of William E. Curtis.
Washington correspondent of the Chi
cago Record, who is reckoned among
the best informed men on national pol
itics at the capital, are correct, there is
little likelihood of ny e7r1F, aoffor7 ~,
the part of President Mckinley.
Mr. Curtis writes;
The president understands that he is
committed to a single gold standard.
Mr. Bryan was the presidential candi-
date who was not The president is al
so committed to the principle that the
bonds of the United States and
its circulating notes and all it's obliga-
tons are payable in gold, except where
1t is distinctly stated otherwise He
considers that question settled by his
election and is very much surprised
that it should be revived at this day.
Nor is there the slightest misunder-
standing between the president and
Mr.. Gage. 1t was decided by the pres
ident and his constitutional advisers
that the secretary of the treasury
should submit to congress a plan for
the reorganization of our national cur
rency system. The cabinet was not en-
ttrely unanimous upon all the points
and principles involved in the scheme
presented It is also true that the pres
ident did not give the plan his unqual-
fled Endorsement. He did, however,
commend it Ito the earnest consider
alton OF congress-" not with the expec-
tation that it would be adopted entire,
but as a starting point in the campaign
for currency reform. The plan of Mr..
Gage was presented to draw fire, to be
the text Of discussion not only in con-
gress, but in the press and wherever
financial problems are considered. AS
a plafn-spoken gentleman expressed it,
the president thought it good policy to
give the country something to chaw
on"
Assuming that the foregoing outline
of the presidents position is correct, it
seems to be a part of the programme to
force the fighting on the silver question
next year in the congressional elections
and not wait until 1900. The western
senators are evincing a considerable
degree of alacrity in accepting the issue
thus made.