Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-01-20
Washington Letter

How can a president who is an
honest and conscientious bimetal-
list keep a secretary of the t1ea-
sury in his cabinet who is so
welded to the gold standard as to
endorse the statement that bime-
tallis-s double standards an
impossibility? That was the
question asked in the minds of
many when Secretary Gage, sit
ting beside the chairman of the
house committee on banking and
currency, endorsed that statement
made by ex-senator Ednonds,
president of the so-called none
tsry conference, and belived to
to be the paid attorney of the
gold ring, who appeared before
that committee in behalf of the
gold standard bill prepared by the
commission. The question would
probably not have been asked had
not Senator Chandler just prev
iously stated that he hadMcKinlsy
own word for it that he was in
favor of bimetallism, and to clinch
his statement added: mckinley
is as good a bimetallist, as I
am" IT that is true, Senator
Chandler can hardly be good
bime tallist, Notwithstanding his
constan; claims to be such. Sena-
tor Chandler at the same time
said that Mckinley told him that
the international bimetallism fake
was not dead, and that he intended
to send the commission to Europe
again. A considerable number of
of voters were probably fooled in
the presidential campaign by that
international bimetallism plank of
the republican platform but Nc
kinley must have lost much Of
the political shrewdness with
which he has been credited if he
. believes it can be used to fool
them again.
So far as they can be seen, the
results of the first weeks con-
, sideration of the Hawaiian treaty
by the senate are not satisfactory
to the advocates OF annexation.
Last week when notice was given
that the treaty would be taken up
Monday and considered daily I'M
til disposed of, it's friends were
very confident that votes enough
were in sight to furnish the two
thirds needed for ratification, and
5 it looked as though their confd-
5 ence was justified. Presto, change!
And ratification is again in doubt,
owing to the detection of senators
5 who had been counted for it.
Among those who have changed
, aud come squarely out against
2 ratification are Senators Thnrston
t Nebr., and Gear of Iowa, both OF
j. whom claim to have been in.
auenced by the sugar beet industry
3 of their states; and Senators Well.
r ington, of Nd, Spooner, of Wis,
and Mason, of ILL.,, are now placed
!. in the doubtful column. Unless
t Mckinley can whip these senators
: back into line, or bride them with
: patronage. into voting for anneza
y ton, there isn't much probability
o of the treaty being ratified.
y The boss of the big boss is wha
they are calling Senator Joseph
. Firealarm Foraker just now. There
4 isn't the slightest doubt that Boss
= Hanna owes his election to the
4 Senate to Foraker, nor that he
y would rather have owed it to any
= other man in the world. Foraker
4 was in Washington waiting fol
Hanna, through Mckinley, to gel
=, down ask for help and agree to his
4 terms. Hanna thought he coulc
u buy his way through without re-
: gard to Foraker. At the las
minute he got ratified and notified
Mckinley to get Foraker's helr
n on the best terms he could, but te
e get it. It took Mckinley anc
, Sopofor Eoro1 yor +,ro ~. Ill.,.