The St. Johns herald., 1898-02-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Old Republican Game to
 Be Played Again.

| From Our Regular Correspondent.
 WASHINGTON, February 4, 1898
 Playing the voters for suckers is very old republican game, but it is to be played again this year, and, if it's wins, in 1900. It is the regular three card monte political trick. The republican administration. through its president and secretary of the treasury, is manip- nlating the cards so that in sections where some silver votes are necessary to win. the cards will show the republican party to be great friend of bimetallism and many fairy stories will be told about what Mr. Mckinley expects to accom- plish for silver through international bi- metallism. and in sections where the gold standard sentiment is leld by q majority, the cards Wiii show the repuh- licans in their true cOlOrs-supporters Oi the single gold standard To be fore warned is to be forearmed, and if any real friend of silver gets caught in this game, he wi., deserve to be caught.
 Czsr Reed cracked fhe party whip and compelled ths rrpuo.icau majority oi the house LU stand up anu Uo voun.eu against the Teller resolution, declaring bonds to he payable in silver, at the op- ton of the government. Reed is no dodger, whatever else he may be. He is for the gold standard and for gold bonds, and he simply compelled the house to endorse the payment of bonds in gold by defeating the Teller resolu- tion, although there are lots of republi- caaswhO would rather that he had killed the resolution by the pigeon-hole meth Od. If many of the republicans of the house lad dared to vote as they thought. there would have been enough of them, with the solid democratic vote, to have overthrown Reeds plan and adopted the Teller resolution.
 Senator Chandler. who has been con spicuous in his championship of Mir. McKinley's bimetallism. has this to say of the latest attempt of the latter to carry gold on one shoulder and silver on the other: "The president is trying to satisfy the gold people and also pros- ecute international bimetallsm, which is very difficult thing for him to do. becanse the former are not in favor of any kind of bimetallism. So he declares in favor of paying the national debt III the best money in the world, in defer ence to the gold people, and refrains from saying that the best money in the world is gold, in order to avoid disturb ing the bimetallists. It may be saga cions policy, hut it will be difficult to pursue ii much longer, If Secre arv Gage and his assistants are to continue to de- clare, on every possible occasion, that international hiurtaIlisn r. iur, s.'fr. while the president maintains that he is prosecuting negotiations SiIir other ua- lions. The time will soon come for .he explicit declaration as to whether MT. Gage or the president represents the re- publican party " Senator Chandler was the only eastern republican who voted for the Teller resolution, which was adopted hy vote of AZ to 32.
 Those who have been blackguarding Spain for trying to hny the friendship of the United States through trade con- cessioms offered in the negotiations for reciprocity treaty between the United States and Spain, to include the pro- ducts of Cuba and Porto Rico, which are now under way, will doubtless be surprised to learn that the first ep iH these negotiations was taken by the United States minister to Spain, under instructions from the department of state. but such is the fact. Just why this administration should have gone ont of Its way to make such a practical demonstration of it's friendliness tow ards Spain, each individual must deter mine for hi nself; but it seems to be all a pat of the same deal with Spain which pac1fed congress and the people for time by sending 8 United States war ship to Havana.
 The house, by vote of 1S8 to 67, passed the bill to pay $288, ,000 to the Southern Methodist Book Publishing