Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-09-13
BABC0CK ON IMPENDING ISSUES.

The Milwaukee Evening Wisconsin
recently interviewed Congressman Bah
cock on matters political, and we find
the following as given out:
IF the democrats insist upon repeat
ing the Chicago platform we are bound
to win without anything of a fight, "
said Congressman BabcoclK, chairman of
the National Republican congressional
committee, who was in the city this
morning.
They are evidently determined, he
continued, ''to make free silver the issue
again, Notwithstanding that the people
are tired of the subject. | am glad they
are going to do it, for it will enable us
TO win without the shadow of a doubt.
We will pass a currency bill before the
present congress adjourns, and when
we have enacted sound financial legis-
lation, neither Mr.. Bryan nor anybody
else can defeat us. | have no doubt
that the currency bill will be passed be-
fore the final adjournment. The house
will take it up at once and will dispose
of it before the Christmas holidays. The
senate will need a little more time, bat
1t will act upon it before the adjourn
ment.
Some if the senators conservative?
oh, yes, a few of them. There are
some who seem to be h~esitating about
coming out fatfooted for the gold stan
dard, but when it comes to a vote they
will be on the right side. Most of the
talk about the attitude of the senators
is nothing but talk. There is not the
slightest doubt that the senate will be
III RIGHT md thn low, I'LL - .~Nl
one. 1t will leave no loopholes for any
body. 1t will be mandatory and will
have to be obeyed by everybody from
the president down"
Asked how antitrust and ~anti-expan-
sion planks would help the democratic
platform, MI. Babcock said:
THE antitrust cry may help the
democrats some, but l do not think they
can gain anything by opposing the pres
idents policy. The trust problem is
one of the hardest that we have had to
solve. | am not wise enough to offer a
solution and do not think anybody else is
at the present time. 1t will have to solve
itself. 1t is not the legitimate consolida-
ton of capital that we have to fear but the
initiation of capital, like that Washington
street car consolidation where the inter
est charges are $500 a day on a road that
never has peer able to earn 800 a day
That, by the way, is a democratic
scheme, some of the most prominent men
in the party, like German. of Maryland,
and Murphy, of New York, being inter
ested in it. There is one comfort about
1.-THE fake concerns will go to pieces of
themselves and when only the legitimate
concerns remain there will not be much
complaint. The trusts might not have
grown so rapidly under democratic rule,
but it would have been only because
capital would have had no confidence
in the stability of things under demo-
cratic rule, which is a reason of which
the party cannot be proud.
so far as an~ti-expansiOn goes, every
loyal American will endorse the stand
taken by President Mckinley. 1t is not
now a question of what we shall do with
the Philippines, nor whether it was right
TO take them, but a question of the SUI
premacy of American arms on islands
which came to us as the fortune of war.
The thing for us to do now is to establish
and maintain our supremacy there, and
when we have done that it will be time
to talk about annexation and the form
of government, etc. l believe that every
patriotic American who has thought
about the matter feels that way about
it, and | do not believe the democrats
can make any Roadway by criticising the
President on his policy. 1t seems to me
that our success is as sure as anything
in the future can be-"