The Indianapolis journal., 1898-12-19
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND
CURRENCY REFORM.

More than two years have elapsed since
! the people, by the election of Mr. Mckinley
declared in favor of protection and sound
money. The St. Louis platform was as dis
tinct in its declaration for one policy as for
the other, and both contributed materially
to the success of the Republican party. 1t is
probably no exaggeration to say that Mr..
Mckinley could not have been elected on
either issue alone without the aid of the
other. 1t was a double-track campaign,
with protection and sound money paralleling
| each other one as the recognized tradi-
tional policy of the Republican party and
the other as a new policy made necessary
| by the exigencies of the times. The sound
money issue appealed to a very large num-
ber of voters who not only were not at
tracted by the protection policy, but were
really opposed to it. Thousands of inde-
pendent Republicans and sound-money Dem
ocrats voted for Mckinley with a mental
| reservation against the protection prin-
ciple of which he was the embodi-
ment and of which the mass of Republicans
were earnest advocates. 1t was generally
conceded at the time, and there is no reason
have been elected without the votes of those
who supported him on the money question
alone. Under these circumstances it would
be the height of folly to deny that the Re
publican party owes a debt to the sound
money sentiment of the country which it is
bound by every consideration of political
honor and duty to pay. Putting aside for the
moment the higher consideration of doing
the best thing for the country, it may be
said that judged by the lower standard of
political expediency and the duty of recog-
nizing and rewarding campaign services, the
party owes a debt to the sound-money men
of the country which it cannot repudate or
ignore without dishonor.
More than tVenty-one months, nearly two
years have elapsed since Mr.. Mckinley was
inaugurated without anything having been
done by the administration Or by Congress
towards the redemption of Republican
pledges, express and implied, on the money
question 1t is true that Immediately after
the passage of the Dingley tariff bill at the
special session of Congress in 1897 the Pres
ident sent a message to Congress recon-
men6ing that special commission be APP
pointed, nonpartisan in its character, to be
composed of well-informed citizens of diff
ferent parties, who will command the con-
fidence of Congress and of the country,
because of their special fitness for the work,
whose duty it shall be to make recommenda-
tions of whatever changes in. our banking
and currency laws may be found necessary
and expedient," and to report before the
next ensuing session of Congress. A bill au-
thorizing the President to appoint such
commission was passed by the House and
was killed in the Senate, and there the mat
ter ended. That is, it ended there with
Congress, but not with the people. The lat
ter have been doing a great deal of thinking
and talking, and all the more because Con-
gress has done nothing. The sound money
and currency reform movement which be-
gan with the convention held in this city in
January, 1897, has made a deep impression
on the people, especially on the business
men of the country, and they are waiting
and wondering what the administration in
tends TO do about it, They know that moth
ing definite or final can be accomplished by
the present Congress- on account of the
Senate but they remember that special
session of Congress was called to iegislate
on the tariff question. and they are waiting
to see if equal consideration will be extended
to the money question. After the 4th of
March next Congress will be Republican.
With a majority in both branches of Con-
gress and Republican President who owes
his election in large measure to the sound
money vote, can the Republican party hon
orably or safely delay positive action on the
money question a single month after 1t has
power to act? If not, as the Journal be-
lieves, then the President should call a spe-
cial session of the Fifty-sixth Congress to
deal with this question as soon as possible
after the 4th of March, as he did of the
Fifty-fifth Congress to deal with the tariff
question