The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-08-05
HANNA,s RAGE.


first intimation of friction between
Marcus AUrelius Hanna and his man |
Friday, otherwise known as VIM.
figure head upon the i
throne, behind which Marcus was
won't to pull the strings.
The disturbance of the heretofore
placid situation is attributable to
that currency message, which McKin-
ley thought was the proper caPer to
cut, but which Hanna persisted was
poor policy. For once, Mckinley
went contrary to the advice of his
master and now there is trouble in
the household, and they really say
that Marcus is enrsged. He has
been having things pretty much his
own way for the past year or two
and doubtless feels his oats to such a
degree that he cannot view with
complacency any opposition to his
will, which has been regarded as law
in the g. o. p. inner circle.
Whether the wounded feelings of
the autocrat will be speedily healed
by a conciliatory and beg-pardon
spirit on the part of the Executive,
or whether the breach will widen and
this incident shall prove but an inti-
nation of Mckinley that he is going
to be President in fact, as well as
name, must be determined by future
events.
1t seems, however, that Republi-
can Senators credit Hanna with
being the shrewder politician of the
two. He took the position that
currency message at the tail-end of
the special session would place the
Republican party in an awkward
light and that no good result could
be expected from such course.
While it is true that the House
rushed through a bill embodying the
suggestions of the message, in the
Senate, as is told by Washington
dispatch, 1.-The Democrats promptly
proceeded to put the Republicans in
the hole by Offering to remain and
discuss the question of a currency
commission, thereby forcing the Re
publicans to acknowledge that they
did not intend to act upon the mat
ter this session." 1t is said that the
Republican Senators confess that the
President has gravely embarrassed
the party by his course.
All this may be true, but, on the
other hand, the President may argue
that he has simply shifted RESPONSE
bility for non-action from his own
shoulders to those of the aforesaid
Republican Senators.
However this may be, it is evident
that the Republican party does not
intend to do anything to promote
the cause of free coinage and that it's
platform utterances in reference to
fayoring bimetallism is all clap trap
and bosh. That party is the servant
of the avaricious moneycrats, and
it's masters are in favor of the gold
standard. A dillydallying policy to
hoodwink the people, while serving
it's masters, will become apparent
and will be rebuked.
We have taken no stock in the
appointment of a currency commits
sion, because while it's ostensible pur-
pose was to arrive at non-partisaI
| conclusions, we felt assured that the
real purpose was to fasten the gold
standard upon this country. More
over, if there was sincerity behind
the matter, we agree with the Wash
ington Post in it's position that the
subject should be dealt with by the
peoples representatives in Congress
and not by an outside commission
That paper, among other things
along the same line, says:
"But we are quite sure that the
Senate las acted for the best, anG
has expressed public sentiment in its
highest and most substantial torn
| by Ignoring Mr.. Mckinney 8 PROPOSE
ton to set Congress aside and seek
the aid of private citizens in formu
lating a scheme of currency reform
| We see no occasion for these irregu-
lar and extraordinary methods.
the Secretary of the Treasury, iT
! consultation with Congress, is not
able to deal successfully with this
problem, then our whole theory o
government is illusory and it's opera
ton a wretched blunder. If the
American people cannot govern
themselves through the agencies
provided by the Constitution, they
had better abandon the vain at
/ tempt and employ on autocrat al
once. Anything is preferable tc
] government by bureaus. commits
sions, lotteries, cabals, and oligar-
chies."
1