The Van Buren press., 1898-01-01
STOP SECRETARY GAGE.
Senator Chandler,s Advice to the Ad.
ministrati0n-Greatest Danger
to the Party.


What of the Republican party and
its prospects in 1882 was the question
propounded by representative of The
Post to Hon. William E. Chandler as
he was about to start to New Hampshire
to stay during the recess of congress.
The Senator said that this was too
important question to answer orally
and off hand. and that he would give
reply in writing, which he did, subse
quently, as follows;
THE Republican party. as a whole,
has gone on very well during the year
1897. Having carried the congressional
and presidential elections of 1895, 1t
went to work at once to perform its
promises.
First. during the ensuing winter 1t
passed. with the consent, almost unani-
nous, of congress, bill for reopening
conferences with other nations tending
to secure the free coinage of silver
equally with gold as standard money.
Immediately after the 4th of March
President Mckinley sent ENJOYS to open
negotiations in Europe, which are still
pending, with fair prospect of success,
and meantime the agitation of the
proposition that the United States
should proceed alone to free coinage has
been substantially suspended. 1t en-
tered very slightly into the few
elections which took place in November,
1897.
Second It passed without serious
opposition at an extra session of
congress, and made law by the
signature of President Mckinley, a
protective tariff measure admirably
conceived in its general scope and fairly
we'll framed in its details, thus fulfilling
the most important pledge of the party
by reason of which it obtained its over
whelming national victory.
Concerning the future of the party,
either of two results may happen.
LET THE aREENBACKs ALONE.
IF the secretary of the treasury and
his single gold standard associates will
cease their demand for impossible
currency legislation, congress will pass
the necessary appropriation bills,
probably take care of Hawaii and Cuba,
there will not be serious party division
during the session, and there will be an
adjournment in May. Business will
revive, the treasury receipts will equal
the expenditures. the balance of trade
will continue in our favor, and the
Republican party will in November,
1898. elect majority of the house in
the Fifty fifth Congress.
s.On the other hand, if Secretary
Gage continues to press upon congress
bill, the object of which, he says, is,
First, to commit the country more
thoroughly to the gold standard, and
the immediate effect of which is to
throw doubts upon the sincerity of the
Presidents declarations in favor of CON
tinued efforts to secure bimetallism. a
political turmoil will arise in congress
which will split the now united Repub-
licans into fragments, while 1t will
unite and consolidate the now in
congruous opposition. II is not feasible
to retire the greenbacks there is more
probability that bill will be sent to
the president to increase their amount.
1t is not possible to secure the passage
through either house of bill making
the greenbacks into gold notes or
authorizing bonds payable in gold.
The effort to do either thing will
probably result in the passage of bill
for the redemption of the greenbacks in
silver dollars and for the payment of all
United States bonds in gold or silver
coin, in the discretion of the president,
who will be commanded to exercise his
option for the advantage of the govern
ment and not for the advantage of the
creditor.
with such an uproar in congress as
these proceedings will create, with
Western congressman embroiled there
in, with presidential vetoes, as threat
ened by Secretary Gage, under angry
discussion, 1t will happen that all bust
ness enterprises and funds and stocks
will be disturbed, prices will fall,
insolvencies will increase, and the
Republicans will lose the congressional
elections In 1898 as disastrously as they
did in 1890, and beyond the hope of
favorable reaction in 1900, at which
time, therefore, a Bryan Democratic
president and congress will be chosen.
SAFETY OR which,
Whether we are to have one of
these results-political safety-or the
other-political destruction - depends
entirely upon the course to be pursued
by Secretary Gage and those who are
pressing him forward, namely, the
Gold Standard League of New York,
and the self constituted National
Monetary Conference. How much
Secretary Gage cares for the Repub-
licans is not known. Whether President
Mckinley. whose good faith toward
bimetallism is coming to the test, will
stop his secretary in his insane career,
is not known. 1t is to be hoped he
will. But no political situation has
been clearer than the present to sound