Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-02-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 81, 1898

Playing the voters for suckers is very
old Republican game, but it is to be played
again this year, and, if it wins, in 1900. 1t
is the regulation three card monte pOliti-
cal trick. The Republican administration,
through its President and Secretary of the
Treasury, is manipulating 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
accomplish for silver through international
bimetailsm, and in sections where the
gold standard sentiment is held by ma
iority, the cards will show the Republicans
IN their true colors-supporters of the
single gold standard. To be forewarned is
to be forearmed, and if any real friend of
silver gets caught in this game. he will
deserve to o. caught.
Gear Reed cracked the party whip and
compelled the Republican majority of the
House to stand up and be counted against
the Teller resolution, declaring bonds to be
payable in silver at the option of the gov
ernment. Reed il no dodger. whatever
else he may be. He is for the gold stand
ard and for gold bonds, and he simply COM
pelled the House to endorse the payment
OF bonds in gold by defeating the Teller
resolution, although there are lots of Re-
publicans who would rather that he had
killed the resolution by the pigeon hole
method. If many of the Republicans
of the House had dared to vote
as they thought, there would have
been enough of them with the solid Demo-
cratic vote to have overthrown Reeds plan
aud adopted the Teller resolution.
Senator Chandler, who has been con
spicious in his championship of Mr.. Nc
KinIey's bimetallism, has this to say of the
latest attempt of the latter to carry gold Oh
one shoulder and silver on the other: "The
President is trying to satisfy the gold peo-
pie and also prosecute international bimet-
allism, which is a very difficult thing for
him to do, because the former are not ID
favor of any kind of bimetallism. So he
declares in favor of paying the national
debt in the best money in the world, in
difference to the gold people, and refrains
from saying that the best money in the
world is gold. in order to avoid disturbing
the himetallists 1t may be sagacious
policy, but it will be difficult to pursue it
much longer, if Secretary Gage and his as
Sicld4bc dAC W COntluuO " QCldtC, Ou CtCIY
possible occasion, that international bimet-
allism is impossible, while the President
maintains that he is prosecuting negotia-
tions with other nations. The time will
soon come for the explicit declaration as to
whether Mr.. Gage or the President repre-
sents the Republican party" Senator
Chandler was the only Eastern Republican
who voted for the Teller resolution, which
was adopted by vote of AZ to 80,
Those who have been Safeguarding
Spain for trying TO buy the friendship of
the United States through trade concessions
offered in the negotiations for reciprosity
treaty between the United States and
Spain, to include the products of Cuba and
Porto Rico, which are now under way will
doubtless be surprised to learn that the
first step in 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 out of its
way to make such practical demonstra-
on of its friendliness towards Spain, each
individual must determine for himself but
it seems to be all part of the same deal
with Spain which pacifed Congress and
the people for a time, by sending a United
States warship to Havana
The House by vote of 1873 to 81 passed
the bill to pay $2S3,0O0 to the Southern
Methodist Book Publishing Company, for
damages sustained by the Company during
the war.
No Senator presents more unique ar
gume is than Senator Tillman, S. c., and
his latest, on the silver question, was one of
his best. He said, as he walked down the
aisle: Before 1873, we used to go on two
legs. One leg was gold and the other leg
was silver. Then we cut one leg off, but
not content with that, we placed the cut
off leg on our shoulder, and now we go
hopping along on one leg with the other
leg on our shoulder The Senator illus
trated his remarks by action and when he
ended by hopping around on one leg, bend
ing over with the imaginary burden on his
shoulder, there was such burst of laugh
ter and applause that the Vice President
had to sharply demand order.
The only Democrat who voted against
the Teller resolution. declaring U. S. bonds
payable in silver at the Governments op-
ton, was Senator Caffery, of La
The Lodge gold bond resolution having
been defeated by vote of So to "a in the
Senate. the gentlemen who have been pay
ing board bills in Washington with the
idea that legislation for gold bonds could
be secure from this Congress have at last
got their eyes open to facts known to most
people from the first day of the session
the absolute impossibility of gold bond
legislation.