The Washington weekly post., 1899-05-16
SILVER As A SIDE lsSls
senator HaBsbrougb Says EXpausip.s " vi
Come to- the Frunt.

senator HaBsbrsugb says ENpausia.. Uin
Come to the Frsns.
Senator Hausbrough. OF North DakotS.
spent a few hours In Washington yestsr-
day. leaving In the afternoon sor New
York. and viii soon go West for The puT-
pose Of addressing a convention OF stock
raisers in his State. His text xiL be
EXPANSION"
In my Judgment" he said yesterday
the financial question VIII be Of sec
ondary importance in the next campaign,
think the new national policy OF ex-
tending our influence and our trade vii
be the great issue and I do not think ny
minority party can stand against it, IA
pansion is abroad in the land The people
are favorable 20 H. Edward Atkinsouism
is not very popular with them
Then you would not be afraid 10 go
before the country on that issUeT
Not in the least The Republican
Party is a growing party. We have al
ways led in the progress Of the country.
while our political opponents have been
the drag-weights on the wheels There
is not one man in j thousand to-day Who
would be willing to give up Hawaii and
Porto Rico, and II viii not be long be-
fore the policy Of holding the philippines
Will be As universally indoTsed. How can
We retrace our steps and hold up our
heads in the eyes Of the nations or the
earth? There are no insuperSble obstacles
to the solution OF the Philippine problem
We have never failed 10 solve any queS-
;ion yet. If We only went about It in
vigorous and determined fashion. We nave
always been equal to the emergency anu to
say that We have a problem now which
is beyond US is 10 disCTedit the wisdom
and the capacity Of the American people.
/, for one, am not willing TO make such
a confession. because l DO not believe 1t
TO be true"
DO you see any clouds in the sky for
the Republican Party?'
THE success of our party in the next
Presidential election Is, to my mind. pTac-
tically assured There is no reason why
the people should desire any change We
certainly are enjoying a season OF pros
perity as marked as any within the MEM
ory Of this generation. and the admins
tration has not only the confidence of the
people, but of an nations, excepting, per
haps," added Mr. Hansbrough. with
smile, "the government of spain. l DO not
believe the people of this country viii
care to enter upon any new and untried
policies that would be mere experiments.
We cannot be charged with having fallen
short in any of our party pledges. We
promised at st. Louis 10 aid in establish
ing bimetallism, and the efforts Of the
President in that direction were :'incere
and honorable If they failed, it vas be-
cause other nations were not ready to
join US This question of bimefllism VIII
adjust itself If the condition of things
becomes such as to necessitate the rehabil-
itation of silver in the worlds financial
system. it will be done regardless OF leg
islatiOn."
''Will the next Congress pass any finan-
cial measure?"
81 do not believe it will, and, speaking
frankly, l do not see the reason for such
action. To tinker with the currency
would be to create unnecessary trouble
and uncertainty. To my mind, the cur
rency does not need reforming. No. said
the Senator, the next Congress ought
not TO waste any time in discussing alb
stract questions out of which no good can
arise and from which no result is likely.
l would have the session short and COM
pact; all work and no talk. The time for
oratory has long since passed, both in
this country and throughout the world.
Newspapers are doing the talking and are
informing the public, until the people are
as well posted in national affairs as the
legislators. There will be enough business
70 keep Congress steadily at work until
II is time to adjourn, and we ought to
adjourn early. We will. in all probability,
pass laws for Hawaii and Porto Rico, al
though the conditions in the latter island
may demand a continuation OF the pres
ent administration without further legis-
latiOn for the present"
Are you in favor of an extra session
early in the fall?''
Il am not" was the emphatic reply.
at would be neither wise nor necessary.
1t would disturb business all over the
country, and little or nothing would be
gained. We should find that the time be
tween the assembling of Congress and
the holidays would be frittered away in
preliminary debate and the real work
would not commence until after the new
year. Even if the Philippine question
should be settled by early fall-which 1
very much doubt, as | believe ii will con-
tinue 10 exist in a more or less aggra-
waited form for some time to cOme-I
should not consider an extra session as
wise. l have not yet talked with the
President upon the subject, but / know
that the Cabinet officers with whom I
have conversed are opposed to an extra
session."
Senator HansbrOugh says that there
will undoubtedly be a declaration against
trusts in the Republican national plat
form, but that in the opinion of the best
constitutional lawyers, the management
and control of trusts is a matter which
is very largely in the hands of the various
States. The Federal Congress, he says, is
not as potent factor i'm the breaking up
of trusts as State Legislatures. At the
same time. he wants the party TO strike
a keynote in its platform which will have
-