The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-30
A BIT OLE EOOIING

The vote in the senate, on Friday. on
the Teller resolution, declaring the OBJ
legations Of the United States PAYABLE
specifically in silver, marks the end
OF Dit OF fooling whose only practi-
cal effect could be to disturb the credit
and retard the prosperity of the coun-
try. 1t exhibits the animus of the men
VINO supported it and so insisted l1pon
placing the senate on record on this
resolution that they gave it prece-
oence over other topics, although they
knew that it could not, by any posi-
plllty, acquire the force of law. They
exhibited, in their argument, an incon-
sistency that would be notable in anv
other quarter than among the advo-
Gates of the free coinage of silver. They
all declare that the law, as it stands
admits Of the payment of bonds in sill
YER They urged that, all bonds be-
ing open to payment in COIN" the op-
ton rests with the government alone.
and that it is entirely free at the pres
ent moment, without laying itself open
to the charge of reputation, to use
the less valuable metal for redemption
purposes. If they sincerely believe
TINS, why was their resolution neces-
sary? Why should they repeat at this
date declaration made twenty wears
ago, and one which they insist is still
Of binding fOrce?! They know that
what they have done will proceed no
further. They know that the consent
or even the consideration, of the house
IS not to be secured They know that,
even If they were in the right. the
further agitation, of impractfcable cur
rency legislation is detrimental to ev-
cry interest in the country. They know
that what business asks most of all
is stability, peace, freedom from dis
turbance and uncertainty. The pro-
ceedings of the senate during the last
week, therefore, can be regarded only
as malevolent attack upon the bust
ness and the finances of the people.
1t was the amendment offered by
senator from Minnesota that disclosed
the real animus Of Mr. Teller
and his associates. They all said
that they We're ''bimetallists;" that
they were seeking only to reafirm
the principles Of "bimetallism," and
that their opposition was directed to
the idea that the bonds should be paid
in gold. It was a test of this when
Senator Nelson proposed to amend
their resolution by a simple reaffirma-
ton of the intention of the government
to maintain the parity Of it's gold and
silver money. This declaration is al
ready incorporated in the various acts
OF recent congresses. It is in the Sher-
man act, it is in the law repeating the
Sherman act, and it has been stated
over and over again to be the DoIicv
Of both gold men and silver men TO
keep all our money of equal value and
to prevent any part of it from depre-
citation. This is necessarily implied in
'bimetallism," and the denial of it
constitutes monometal1ism No man
who sincerely, believes OF holds that hi
metallism is desirable can deny that
the parity between gold and silver
what the silver party in the senate
openly denied when, under the lead
of Mr. Teller, forty-two of them voted
to lay the Nelson amendment on the
table. This explains and settles abso-
lutely their attitude and their intent
The record of the senate on the vari-
Gus amendments that were offered
upon the resolution itself affords a
curious study in politics. After the
Nelson amendment was defeated there
could be no possible room for doubt as
to the meaning Of the original resoIu-
ton or the purpose of those who ad-
vanced it. Yet we find one senator af-
ter another lodging about, changing
his vote from yea to nay and back
again on different amendments, in Or
der that he might make friends of the
mammon of unrighteousness in both
parties. Most despicable of all are the
gentlemen who follow the example of