The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-01-17
WAR ON GAGE.
Continued from FIRST Page.I


| director of the mint. a hOld-over from
/ the last administration, the late con-
| troller of the currency, an equally prec-
! 1OuS legacy, now out or the public SerV-
/ ice and translated to a Chicago bank;
! and pretended statements in letters
/ and interviews from the secretary of
! the treasury to the effect that there
| was no chance for International or 9TH
er bimetallism and favOring the per-
/ manent adoption OF the gold standard.
( Nobody in Europe cared a rap what the
two minor prophets thought or said, as
/ nobody in this country cares, but the
alleged statements of the secretary of
| the treasury were a different matter.
/ We insisted that the letters must be
/ forgeries and the interviews fictitious,
/ and I trust they were, for it was in
( conceivable that a member of the cab
1 met would seek to undermine the eff
| forts of a mission appointed by the
! president and whose efforts he was
/ cordially and zeaIously seconding"
'AIl of these occurrences, however
disturbing as they Were he said, did
not probably affect the outcome so far
as there has been up to this time an
outcome of the negotiations"
Mr.. WOlcOtt summarized the present
situation by saying that it is apparent
that for the time being 1t is useless to
count on any cooperation from Great
Britain towards a bimetallic agree
ment, and that while France actively
desires to see silver restored to its old
position as a standard of value equally
with gold, she insists that the problem
is one which demands international ac-
ton and the cooperation to some ade-
quate extent of other leading CONNER
cial nations of the world.
Here Mr.. WOlcOtt announced his in
tention to retire from the commission.
He said:
international bimetallic agreement is
still feasible, by the terms of which GER
tain countries will join us and open
their minis to the unlimited coinage OF
silver and others will contribute to the
plan an enlarged use of that metal as
money; and 1 say this the more freely
because 1 shall give way upon the com
mission to somebody more fitted for
such negotiations and better able to
give them his constant time. This re-
suit cannot be brought about without
the expenditure OF both time and pa
thence and the persons entrusted with
the duty of negotiation must have back
of them the hearty support of the pres
ident and of congress-
He thought it might be necessary to
change the ratio to something like 20
to 1.
At this point he referred to the atti-
tude of Secretary Gage on the financial
question, contrasting it with the presi-
dents position, his words on this point
being as follows:
when congress convened on the 9TH
of last month the president in his ref
erences to the subject of international
bimetallism, spoke earnestly and anx-
iOusly of his desire to see an interna-
mated. His assurances gave renewed
hope to bimetallists all over the coun-
try and seemed final and conclusive an
swer to those who had claimed that the
president was not in earnest in his eff
forts towards international bimetallisn.
For myself, needed no such proof. 1
had again and again been made to
know how genuine was the presidents
devotion to this settlement of the VeXed
question. Within a fortnight after this,
with no event meanwhile which would
-
, tary of the treasury in support of a bill
which he had prepared respecting the
currency, said as follows to a commit
tee of congress:
(Here he quoted the remarks of the
secretary of the treasury.
THE two statements are utterly at
variance" he continued, land contra
dictory to each other. They cannot be
| recOnciled. This is not the proper oc-
casion to analyze the bill of the secre-
tary. It will reach Limbo long before
it reaches the senate. He proposes to
capitalize the premium on our bonds
sold recently and to make them, with
others to be issued, a security refinite-
Iy payable in gold. He forgets that only
a few months ago when the country
was in dire distress we were compelled
to pay nine millions of dollars for the
privilege of keeping the word gold out
of some of these very bonds. He ought
not to forget, for the bank of which he
was president got, it is said, some of
the bonds and received some of the pro-
ceeds of that dep1Orable transaction.
But do not intend to discuss the bill
which the presidents message Speci-
6ically does not indOrse; and it is pre-
mature to criticise the Secretary'S Re
publicanism, for his advent into the
party and the cabinet were practically
cOntempOraneOus. We must accept the
situation. In my opinion the great ma
JOrity of the members of the Republi-
can party are bimetallists and the fact
| that they are misrepresented by a cab
met officer is not pleasing, but it is en-
durable. The selection of the members
of his official household is the preSi-
dents own affair and so long as he
stands upon the question of bimetal-
lism where he has ever stood, there is
no serious ground for apprehension But
even in the incOnceiVable event that the
chief magistrate of this people should
in the exercise of his judgment determ-
inc to cOuntenance the final fastening
upon this country of the burdens of the
| gold standard, I trust we may still find
warrant for faith and hope in the
pledges of the party and the wisdom of
its councils. We will cross our bridges
when we come to them. The time when
| this country will submit to the final
imposition of gold monometallism is far
away"
Continuing his presentation Of the de-
| STABILITY of an international agreement
which has been depressed from to refer
| to the secretary of the treasury, Mr..
| WOlcott said: Whatever differences Of
| opinion may exist as to the ability OF
| this country alone to maintain the par
! ity between silver and gold, there is no
1 question that the concurrence of other
nations would help and not hinder the
cause of bimetallism in the United
| States, and efforts to secure it ought to
! receive the cordial support of every
| citizen who is opposed to gold mono
/ metallism. International bimetallism
| is not a myth, a chimera. The people
| of Europe are, even as we are, strug-
| Cling to keep their heads above water
| and seeking blindly for that which may
make for pros erity and for progress. -
Pope on Department Stores.
| New York, Jan. 17.-Col Albert A
| Pope paid a hurried visit to the city
yesterday. Asked for his opinion on
| the bicYcle industry Col Pnna said .