The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-01-20
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14th, 1893.

How can a President who is an
honest and conscientious bimetallis,
keep a Secretary of the Treasury in
his Cabinet who is so welded to the
gold standard as to endorse the state.
ment that bimetallism-a double
Standards an lmpossibility ? That
was the question asked in the minds
of many when Secretary Gage, sitting
beside the chairman of the House
Committee on Banking and Currency,
endorsed that statement made by ex-
Senator Edmonds, president of the
so-called monetary conference, and
believed to be the paid attorney OF
the gold ring, who appeared before
that committee in behalf of the gold
standard bil prepared by the Com
mission. The question would proba-
bly, not have been asked had not
Senator Chandler just previously stat
ed that he had Mr.. McKinley's own
word for it that he was In favor of
bimetallism, and to clinch his State
ment added "Mr. Mckinley is as
good bimetallist as l am" If that
is true, Senator Chandler can hardly
be good bimetallst, notwithstand-
ing his constant claims to be such.
Senator Chandler at the same time
said that Mr.. Mckinley told him that
the international blmetallism fake was
not dead, aud that he intended to
send the commission to Europe again.
A considerable number of voters were
probably fooled in the Presidential
campaign by that international bime-
tallism plank of the republican plat
form, but Mr. Mckinley must have
lost much of the political shrewdness
with which he has been credited If he
believes it can be used to fool them
again.
So far as they can be seen, the re-
suits of the first weeks consideration
of the Hawaiian treaty by the Senate
are not satisfactory to the advocates
of annexation. Last week when
notice was given that the treaty would
be taken up Monday and considered
daily until disposed OF, its friends
were very confident that votes enough
were in sight to furnish the two-thirds
needed for ratification, and it looked
as though their confidence was justi-
fed. Presto, change: And ratfica.
ton is again in doubt, owing to the
detection of Senators who had been
counted for it. Among those who
have changed and come squarely out
against ratification are Senators
Thurston, of Nebr., and Gear of
Iowa, both of whom claim to have
been influenced by the sugar beet
industry of their states and Senators
Wellington, of Md, Spooner OF Wis,
aud Mason of ILL.,, are now placed in
the doubtful column. Unless Mr..
Mckinley can whip these Senators
back into line, or bribe them with
patronage, into voting for annexation,
there iso't much probability of the
treaty beng ratified.
The boss of the big boss is what |
they are calling Senator Joseph
Firealarm Foraker just now. There
isn't the slightest doubt that Boss
Hanna owes his election to the Sen
ate to Foraker, nor that he would
rather have owed it to any other man
in the word. Foraker was In Wash. |
ington waiting for Hanna, through
MIR. Mckinley, to get down and ask
for his help and agree to his terms.
Hanna thought he could buy his way
through without regard to Foraker.
At the last minute he got ratified and
notified Mr.. Mckinley to get
Foraker's help on the best terms he
could, but to get it. 1t took Mr.. Nc
Kinley and Senator Foraker two or
three hours to come to terms, but in
the end Foraker had his way and had
sent the telegram to Columbus that
ensured Hanna's election to the Sem
ate. The terms upon which Mr..
Mckinley secured Foraker's assist
ance for Hanna were, of course,
secret, but they probably include
much that would interest Ohio repub-
licans and were certainly advantage
Gus personally to Foraker.
The lrrepresslble Jerry Simpson in
jected a little amusement into the
close of the civil service debate in the
House by telling the anti's that
whether they would be allowed to
consider bill for the modification or
repeal of the civil service law, later
on, would depend entirely on the
Speaker, of whom he added "He is
the whole thing and runs the House" "
Amid the laughter which followed
Lemuel Eli Quigg, Boss Platt's ulan.
tried TO get funny by turning to Jerry
and ackipn ,IIova vo,, concultaI