The San Francisco call., 1897-12-20
Political Turmoil Will Follow if
the Secretary's Measure
Is Pressed.
DANGER TO ALL BUSINESS.
Strife in Congress and Presidential
Vetoes Would Cause the Defeat
Of the Republicans.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
Call Office. Riggs House

Washington. Dec. 19.
Senator Chandler of New Hamp-
shire has written a letter to the
Washington Post in which he says:
If the Secretary of the Treasury and
his single gold standard associates will
cease their demand for impossible cur
TenCy legislation Congress will pass the
necessary appropriation bills, probably
take care of Hawaii and Cuba, there will
be no serious party division during the
session, and there will be an adjournment
in May. Business will revive, the balance
of trade will continue in our favor and
the Republican party will in November
1898, elect q majority of the House in the
F1fty-fifth Congress.
On the other hand, if Secretary Gage
IContinueS to press upon Congress a bill
commit the country more thoroughly to
the gold standard, and the immediate
result of which is to throw doubts upon
the sincerity of the Presidents declara- =
tions in favor of continued efforts to
secure bimetallism a political turmoil
will arise in Congress which will split
the now united Republican party into
fragments, while 1t will unite and CONSOLE
date the now incongruous opposition. It
is not feasible to retire the greenbackS,
and there is more probability that bill
Will be sent to the President to increase
their amount. 1t is not possible to secure
the passage through either House of ?
Dill making the greenbacks into, gold
notes or authorizing bonds payable in
gold. The effort to do either thing will
probably result in the passage of a bill
for the redemption of the greenbacks in
United States bonds in gold or silver
coin, in the discretion of the President
VINO VIII be commanded to exercise his
option for the advantage of the Govern
ment and not for the advantage of the
creditors.
With such an uproar in Congress as
these proceedings will create, with GER
tain Congressman embroiled therein, with
Fresldential vetoes, as threatened by
secretary Gage, under angry discussion.
1t Will happen that business enterprises
and funds and stocks will be disturbed,
prices will fall, inSolvencieS will increase
and the Republicans will lose the Con-
gressional elections in 1898 as disastrously
as they did in 1896, and beyond the hope
OF favorable reaction in 1900, at which
time, therefore, a Bryan Democratic
whether. we are to have one of these
results, political safety, or the other DO
ntical destruction, depends entirely upon
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 monetary conference. How much
secretary Gage cares for the Republican
party is not known. Whether President
Mckinley, whose. good faith toward hi
metallism is coming TO a test, will stop
his Secretary is not known. 1t is to be
hoped he will But no political situation
has been clearer than the present one is.
to sound eyes, since the Republican party
began its marvellous career forty-two
years ago. There are times for all
things. There is a time to move and \
time TO keep still, and now is the time
&c SO keep.
1t is simply political suicide for tie
Republican party in this Congress to af-
f1rmatively open the discussion of the
questkn and the bringing of yea and
nay. vNtes on currency legislation We
ought No await the progress of interna-
uonal bimetallism, the advent of busi-
ness prosperity and the filing of the
treasury by the normal workings, soon
to be seen, of the new tariff law. Shall
We wait for these things or rush on to
self-destruction? President Mckinley
must decide. Will he act for his people
or his -pllA0crats? Upon his answer will
depend tle & &eYents Of 1898.