Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-12-22
POLITICAL WISDOM.



ter from Sepat0r Chandler.
We take pleasure in copying the fol-
lowing letter from United States
Senator William E. Chandler, of N. II.
who is one of the brainest and far seeing
statesmen in the Republican party. 1t
is exactly the position The PRESS has
taken upon thecurrency question, and it
is the only one upon which the Republi-
cans can hope to win any future elec-
tiOns.
WASHINGTON, Dec. Senator Chand-
Ter, of New Hampshire, has written a
letter to the Washington Post, in which
he says -
iii the Secretary Of the Treasury and
his single gold standard associates will
cease their demand for impossible cur
rency legislation, Congress will pass the
necessary appropriation bills, probably
take care of Hawaii and Cuba, there
will not be serious party division
during the session, and there will be an
adjournment in May. Business will
revive, the Treasury receipts will equal
the expenditures, the balance of trade
will continue in our favor, and the Re-
publican party will in November, 1898,
elect majority of the House in the
Fifty-fifth Congress.
''On the other hand, if Secretary Gage
continues to press upon Congress a 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 sincerity of the Presidents declara-
tions in favor of continued efforts to
secure bimetaIlism, q political turmoil
will arise in Congress which will split
the now United Republicans into frag-
ments, while it will unite and consoii-
date the now incongrOus opposition, 1t
is not feasible to retire the greenbacks
there is more probability that q bill will
be sent to the President to increase their
amount. 1t is not possible to secure
the passage through either House of q
bill 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 q 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 exercise his
opinion for the advantage of the Gov
ernment and not for the advantage of
the creditor.
with such an uproar in Congress as
these proceedings will create, with
Western congressman embrOiled therein,
with Presidential yetoes as threatened
by Secretary Gage under angry dis
4 rr,;v hav
enterprises and funds and stocks will be
disturbed, prices will fall, insolvencies
will increase, and the Republicans will
lose the Congressional elections in 1898
as disastrously as they did in 1890, and
beyond the hope of favorable reaction
in 1900, at which time, therefore, q
Bryan Democratic President and Con-
gress will be chosen.
whether we are to have one of these
results-political safety-or the other
political Acknowledgements entirely
upon the course to be pursued by Secre-
tary Gage and those who are pressing
him forward, namely. the Gold Standard
League, of New York, and the self
constituted National Monetary Confer
ence. How much Secretary Gage cares
for the Republican party is not known.
Whether President Mckinley, whose
good faith toward 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 situ-
alton has been clearer than the present
to sound eyes since the Republican party
began it's marvellous career forty-two
years ago. There are times for all
things. There is time to move and q
time to keep still, and now is the time to
SO keep.
1T is simply political suicide for the
Republican party in this Congress to
afirmatively open the discussion OF the
money question and to bring on yea and
nay votes on currency legislation. We
ought to await the progress of inter-
national bimetallism, the advent of
business 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 for his plutocrats Upon his answer
will depend the events of 1898.
WILLIAM r. CHANDLER"
''Dec. IS, 1897.