The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-01-27
TELLER RESOLUTION SCORED
OLD AND MOLDY SAYS SENATOR
PLATT OF CONNECTICUT.
Does Not Believe That Any Measure for
Can Pass Sepate-Deolares the Country
Now Has BIN etaIlism and Defines Mean
Ing of the Word.

Washington, Jan. 2S.-For more than
six hours to-day the senate had under
discussion the Teller resolution provid-
ing that the government may pay the
principal and interest of the bonds of
the United States in silver. BY agree
ment the resolution and pending
amendment are to be voted upon before
adjournment tomorrow. The debate
to-day was devoid of the sensational in
cidents and acrimonious colloquies
which characterized that of yesterday,
but it was replete with argument and
oratory. The time was consumed by
Mr.. Teller, the author of the resolution,
and Mr.. Daniel, who supported the reso-
luton and by Mr.. Hoar and Mr.. Platt
of Connecticut in opposition to it.
Mr.. Plat said that he had been una
BILE to ascertain what the purpose of the
advocates of the pending resolution was
in pressing it, "unless it means some
thing more now,' said he, ''than it
meant twenty years ago. There is alb
solutely no reason for it's passage. 1t
is old and moldy. 1t had no force or
effect in law in 1878 and it would have
no force or effect now. If this resolu-
tion means anything 1t means the free
and unlimited coinage of silver. If
that is so without $45O,OOo,OoO already
coined, it's friends ought to present a
resolution declaring it to be the cor
rect policy of this government that 1T
should embark upon the free and unlim-
tied coinage of silver | do not believe
that such a resolution could pass this
body" Mr.. Platt declared that it was
the purpose of the advocates of the res
olution to override the solemn declara-
tion of congress that the parity Of gold
and silver coins should be maintained.
He continued: THE senator from
Nevada (StewarD talks about trouble
and misery among the people, but when
this government has, according to the
advocates of the pending resolution
been giving two measures of value,
measures that mean two things-the
misery and trouble we now have will
be as nothing compared with what they
will then be. Such conditions Would be
worse than pestilence and famine COM
bined."
In the course of colloquy between
Mr.. Platt on the one side and Mr.. Al
len and Mr. Tillman on the other, Mr..
Platt stated that this country now had
bimetallism. To this Mr.. Chandler took
exception. saying that any definition of
bimetallism which omitted the free
coinage Of both metals, at ratio fixed
by law, was not only incorrect, but OBJ
solete. Mr.. Platt thought Mr.. Chandler
was endeavoring to amend a definition
which had stood for a hundred wears
Bimetallism, he held, meant simply the
use of two metals at a fixed ratio as
money and did not contemplate the free
and unlimited coinage of both. He
challenged Mr.. Chandler to produce any
recognized authority which included
free coinage in the definition of bimetal-
ilsn Mr.. Platt maintained that ii
might not in the estimation Of silver
advocates make much difference wheth-
er the millionaire were paid debt owed
him or not but he wanted to call at
tention to the fact that every pensioner
was the great bondholder, the great
creditor of the country: every pension
was bond and the annual interest on
that bond was the amount annually
paid upon it, Whatever was meted out
to the bondholder would also be meted
out to the soldier Mr.. Platt closed
with an appeal for the maintenance OF
a sound financial system.