The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-09
What Was Done on Teller Day.

What Was Done on Teller Day.
The defence of Senator MURPHY's vote
for the Teller resolution, put forward by so
called honest money Democrats" allied
with Tammany Hall, c%ollapses when the
complete record of TKLLKR's day is shown.
Six resolutions were voted down by the
Democratic forces before the Teller resolu-
tion came up. Read them and wonder that
any politician pretending to be other than
q confessed Bryanite could venture to Justify
Senator MURPHY's vote.
The ante-Teller resolutions originated
with the friends of the st. Louis platform,
and were designed to make the line between
honest money and Reputation visible to
any eye, however dull, and through any veil
Of sophistry. Tho Hon. howard MURPHY
lodged none of them and left his party on
none of them. Possibly the first was the
most decisive. It was offered by NELSON Of
Minnesota:
"That IL 10 the duty OF the Government Of the
United States under existing laws to maintain the
parity in value OF its gold and silver money. so
that Q dollar of the one metal shall for all monetary
purposes always DO equal in value to . dollar Of the
other metal"
The opposite of this was Reputation
so bare that CLARK, P~RrToHARD, and
WARREN, silver Republicans; LINDSAY.
Palmer and Bucknerite, and GRAY, Cuckoo,
voted with the Republicans. MURPHY
voted against maintaining the parity in
value Of gold and silver money"
The attack was resumed by Loper of
Massachusetts, in this form:
"That all tho bonds of the United States Issued or
authorized to be issued under said acts OF Congress
arc payable in gold ooin or its equivalent, and that
any other payment without the consent Of the cred.
itor would be in violation of the public faith and in
derogation Of his rights"
Murphy wal one Of 50 to sent this to the
Congressional waste basket.
QUAY of Pennsylvania next advanced:
"That all bonds and other obligations of the United
States issued or authorized to DO issued under said
acts Of Congress hereinbefore recited should DO paid
principal and interest IN the money that 10 the highest
money of the world"
MURPHY's was one of the AZ votes that
brought this to naught.
This proposition then came from HoAR
Of Massachusetts:
"Under NO circumstances shall the principal or in.
Et8 " IL pupliC 10 pAiu II ocpECCihtSuC cur.
rency. or In any money other than the best money of
the world"
Through pairs the vote against this reso.
luton sank to AZ; MURPHY's was one.
Next FORAKER of Ohio tried his hand:
at is declared to be the financial policy of the
United States that, until there shall have been OBJ.
tanned an international agreement. the faith. honor
and credit Of the United States are solemnly pledged
to preserve the existing gold standard. and all obliga.
lions OF the United States shall DO maintained in.
violable at the present standard"
MURPHY's was included in the vote of
A. which squelched FORAKER.
Forty-four votes again defeated HoAR's
effort to have the Quay amendment adopt
ed in a somewhat different form, and
MURPHY was steadfast.
The last effort in behalf of honest.money
was led by CAFFERY of Louisiana:
"If at the time Of payment the principal and in.
terest on the bonds herein mentioned the market
value of silver is not on q par with gold at the ratio
OF 10 to /. the principal OF said bonds shall be paid in
gold or silver ut the option OF the creditor"
This was laid on the table without the
yeas and nays. Doubtless MURPHY's aye
swelled the successful chorus.
Standing alone, the Teller resolution is,
to any dispassionate judgment, a declara-
tion of friendliness to free silver coinage.
Put with it the six other resolutions which
went to make up the memorable transac-
ions of the Senate on Jan. %, and the
men who took part in defeating every one
of these, as did Senator MURPHY, will be
seen to nave voted as Enthusiastically for free
silver coinage as though they had reafirmed
the Chicago plank, declaring for free silver
coinage at 16 to l, without the aid or con-
sent Of any other nation.
The fact about Senator MURPHY is that
he is a member Of the Democratic party.
He stands by isparty every time. He must
cherish a rather c~ontemptuous opinion of
any so-called Democrat who in New York
undertakes to misrepresent his recent ac-
tion, or to palliate it as of uncertain par.
tisanship toward the Chicago platform.