The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-05
JONES SUMS Up
THE j. S. SENATE
Republican Claim That the Body
is Against Silver
IS NOT WELL FOUNDED
An Unusual Number of Bimetallists
Have Their Terms Expire This
Year-All This Will Be
Evened Up in 1900.

Chicago, February 4.-(special)-Senator
James K. Jones, chairman of the democrat
ic national committee, has written letter
to Hon. George s. Bowen, of this city, Sec
rotary of the American Bimetallic Union,
in which he sums up present and prospec-
tive conditions in the United States senate.
Here is what he says:
The claim of the republican papers that
the senate is already irrevocably against
silver, and will so stand until 1903 at the
earliest, is like many of their extreme
claims, in my opinion-not well founded.
Upon the passage of what is known as
the Teller resolution, of January 2S 1898,
which declared that the bonds of the gov
eminent are paying principal and interest
in silver dollars, coins of the United States,
containing 412la grains of standard silverJ'
and that Ito restore to its coinage such sill
yer coins as legal tender in the payment
of such bonds, principal and interest, is not
in violation of the public faith, nor in dero-
cation of the rights of the public creditors"
there was majority of fifteen votes in the
senate in It's favor. This may be reasona-
bly, accepted as a test vote on the silver
question. A gold man has since been elect
reduces our majority to fourteen. OF those
that time, seven senators will probably be
succeeded ON the 4th of March next by SEN
ators opposed to the unlimited coinage of
silver, namely: Senators Allen of Nebras-
ka, Mitchell of Wisconsin, Murphy of New
York, Roach of North Dakota, Smith of
New Jersey, Turpie of Indiana, and White
of California.
MI
the deciding vote will be in the hands of
the vice president. This condition of things
hardly warrants the triumphant claim of
the gold men that they have captured the
senate and will hold it for many years to
comS.
This year an unusual proportion of BIZ
metallsts who come from close states,
have had their terms to expire In 1900,
however, all this will be evened up by a
larger proportion of gold men retiring who
come from close states. What is likely to
be the condition of the senate in 1901 can
be easily seen.
The terms of thirty senators expire at
that time. OF these thirty, eleven who are
now friendly to silver may safely be count
ed as absolutely certain to be succeeded
by silver men. These senators come from
the following states: Alabama, Arkansas,
Colorado, Georgia, idaho, Mississippi, North
Carolina South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas
and Virginia. The following states may be
expected to elect gold men at that time:
Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
New Hampshire is now represented by
silver man, whose term will expire in 1901.
Much will depend in that state upon the
personal popularity of the present senator,
Mr. Chandler, but if he should be succeeded
by gold man. Louisiana and Kentucky,
now represented by gold men, are certain
to send two bimetallists in their stead,
leaving the advantage so far with the silver
men.
In two states-South Dakota and Della
ware-where we now have silver senators,