Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-02-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.
silver Leaders Not Happy-Operation of
Dingiey Law-Division I'm Demo
cratic Party.

The silver leaders are not altogether
happy over the result of their expert
ment with the resolution declaring
bonds OF the United States payable il
silver coin. They were numericall J
strong enough to pass it through the
Senate, but the fact that the Republi
can House promptly rejected it by q
majority of fifty, after consideration oI
but single day, and that the Presi
dent took occasion TO express himself
in clear and unmistakable terms on
This subject, shows that they are ac'
complisbing no headway in attempting
to make inroads upon the Republican
party. Not only is it apparent from
the developments following the intro.
duction of the resolution that the Re-
publicans as party will continue TO
stand against any proposition to dis
honor the currency of the country, but
it is also evident that the proposition
of the Democrats and silver men to pay
the bonds in silver has driven still fur.
ther away from them that influential
element of the Democratic party which
hesitated to support their candidate in
1896 Every business man of the coun-
try, no matter where his political
training or association has been in the
past, views with alarm the proposition
which Senator Teller and his associates
brought TO the front and succeeded in
passing through the Senate, and the
effect OF it is already being felt in
Strengthening the Republican sound
money sentiment throughout the
country.
The first six months of the operations
of the Dingley law show that the pre-
dictions OF its trainers that it is per-
fectly ample as a revenue producer
and satisfactory in its effect upon in
dustries OF the country were we'll
founded. The law went into effect in
the closing days of July, and the close
of the month OF January thus COM
pletes six months record. While it
began, of course, under extremely ad-
verse circumstances by reason of the
large importations of foreign goods
during the three months preceding its
enactment, the record which it has
made under those eiroamstanoes 10
sufficient TO justify its friends in their
belief that it will furnish ample reve-
nue.. The receipts during that time
are over Sl3, 900, 600 in excess of those
of the Wilson law during the cores
ponding period of its history, and
when it is considered that the Wilson
law during its first few months had
the advantage Of extremely heavy i'm
portations which had been held back
to obtain the lower rates which 1t al
forded, while the exact reverse was
true with reference TO the Dingley law,
it is apparent that the new measure is
a vast improvement, to say the least,
upon its predecessor. The growth In
receipts under the new law has been
steady and rapid. Beginning in its
first month. August, with $4,000 900,
it increased to nearly $40, 900, 600 in
September; to over S24 600, 600 in Octo-
ber, $25, 100000 in November, more
than S27 900, 600 in December, ,and near
ly $40, ,000,O 900 in January; while the
customs receipts in January were near
ly % per cent. greater than those
under the Wilson law in the January
of the preceding year.
The hopeless division of the Demo
cratic party upon the great issues
which those now in control of that or
ganization are pressing to the front il
illustrated by the development IN
Washington during the past few weeks
in which the chairman OF its Nationa
Committee is seriously considering The
proposition TO remove from member
ship in the committee a man who a
the head of that committee led th'
Democratic party to success in 1882
Chairman Jones has been urged dur
ing the past few months to remov'
from the National Democratic Com
mittee the Pennsylvania member, Hon
VIM. II. Harrity. Mr.. Harrity, it viii
be remembered, was the chairman, o
the national organization in 1892 an,
under his leadership the party was sue
cessful in that campaign. That tn
present chairman, who failed In th
campaign of 1896 through the part
advocacy OF proposition which an in
portant element OF that party coul
not endorse, should now be conten
plating the removal from the con
mittee of the man who brought
success only four years earlier show
the hopeless division which exists
the ranks of the party.
A merchant in Frankfort dipped
n - - col1 si,;nu and ha al N