Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-03-25
4 BAD BEGINNING.
The New Administration IgnerHDa
the Currency Question.

/ The New Administration IgnGrHnE
the Currency Question.
1t is to be noted that the proposition
to eonfine the extra session of congress
/ wholly to consideration of the proposed
| tariff hill is not received with the salts
| faction the republican leaders at Wash
| ington seem to think it deserves. The
New York chamber of commerce has
| thought it necessary to send an ur-
gent memorial to President Mckinley,
requesting him to impress upon the
minds of the lawmakers in extraordi-
| nary session assembled, that there is
pressing need for prompt and decisive
action on the currency question, and
it is quite likely that other bodies of
this character, as well as vast hosts
of individual citizens, are of the same
mind regarding the really serious mat
ter demanding congressional attention
just now. The interests that are ask
ing for protective legislation can well
afford to wait; the interests that hope
for relief through currency reform are
not so favorably situated.
1t is simple nonsense to assert that
early and exclusive consideration of
the tariff question is due to the people
because of the verdict of last Novem-
Der. No man of intelligence and fair
ness can honestly assert that the tariff
reached the dignity of an issue in last
wears campaign. It is true, of course,
that the platforms of the parties out
lined the parties different policies on
that question, but the electoral conten-
tion was based wholly on the currency
question, for information on which the
public clamored, and upon which, both
in the press and upon the stump, the
contest was fought. The voice of the
people clearly was for currency re-
form, and as President Mckinley said
in his inaugural address, the voice of
the people is "a power vastly more POI
tential than the expression of any po-
litical platform"
Speaking in respect to this matter,
the Washington Times says: THE
president might assume that the pro-
tective tariff plank in the republican
platform was the vital point in his
candidacy and election, and therefore
justified strictly tariff session; but
nobody would be convinced by such
assumption. 1t is too notorious that
quired in some way on the sole issue
of the currency. A currency extra
session then would have been the log
zeal thing, but we shall be satisfied to
see one open to all the questions that
ayitate and embarrass the nation, and
which ought to be discussed and set
tied, If that be possible"
This is the proper course to pursue.
If the republican leaders think that
the tariff ought to be changed, well
and good, but the currency should also
have every attentions; the earliest at
tention, in fact, because it was on the
currency issue the verdict of 1896 was
rendered. If prosperity shall fail to
materialize, the republican party can,
with better grace, hold itself excus-
able for such failure, if it shall pro-
coed to act in accordance with the I'M
mistakable mandate of the country.
To postpone consideration of question |
whose settlement was most emphat-
ically demanded by the people is to go
wrong at the very outset.-Bingham- |
ION IN w Taador