The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-07-25
BRYAN'S ELECTION AND THE
SENATE

Now and then a man who was a gold
finds an excuse for voting for Mr.. Bryan
in the declaration that the gold standard
Is safe for four or six years because of
the present makeup OF the Senate. The
pretext Is as absurd on it's face as IL
would be TO put a cashier who had once
because he could never learn the combina-
ton of the new safe and another man
would be selected to take charge of the
funds 1t is not here intimated that Mr..
Bryan would do anything dishonest in re-
gard to the finances, but he forced into his
party platform declaration I'm favor of
free and Independent coinage of silver at
the ratio of 16 TO /. We are bound to
believe that Mr.. Bryan sincerely enter
tains the view that such coinage would
be for the best interest of the country.
Being elected on that issue, he would do
a 16-to-1 House and he would devote his
energies TO securing a Senate.
How does the matter stand? When the
gold standard bill passed the Senate
eighty-fve senator's voted or were paired.
There were vacancies I'm four States, and
one senator, Mr.. Kyle, of South Dakota,
did not vote. 1t is probable that States
in which there were vacancies will have
two Republican and two Bryan senators in
the next Senate. OF the eighty-fve SEN
ators voting paired fifty-one are on
record in favor of the gold standard law.
OF the senators who voted for the measure
the terms of eight will expire March 4.
1901. They are Baker of Kansas, Caffery of
Louisiana, Carter of Montana, Lindsay of
Kentucky. Shoup of Idaho, Thurston of
Nebraska, Warren of Wyoming and VOL
colt of Colorado. The legislatures of all
of the States above noted, with the ex-
ception of Kansas. are anti-Republican.
Should Mr.. Bryan be elected the legisla-
| lures OF all those States will be anti-Re-
publican and will elect 16-to-1 senator's
Louisiana and Kentucky have already done
so. Thirty-four senators voted OF were
| paired against the gold standard law. Take
eight senator's from the ffty-one for the
measure in the present Senate and add
| them to the thirty-four against the BILL
and there will be forty-three in favor of
| the measure and forty-two against. Della
ware has but one senator now, but If Mr.
| Bryan shall be elected Delaware will have
| Democratic Legislature which will fill
| the vacancy, causing the Senate to stand
forty-three to forty-three. With Mr.. Stew
enson Ia the chair as Vice President to give
the casting vote,4 the 16-to-1 bill could
be passed by both branches of the next
Congress. If the Bryan silver bill should
fail during the next Congress, Mr.. Bryan
being President, Deboe of Kentucky,
Pritchard of North Carolina, Wellington of
Maryland, whose terms expire March A.
1903, would surely be succeeded by Demo-
Gratis and silverites, so that the Senate
/ Of 1908 would stand forty-six silverites
to forty gold standard men, to say moth
ing of other losses the Republican side
that would probably follow Mr. Bryan's
/ election.
These figures show that the gold starfl-
| ard is not safe for four years, even if Mr.
Bryan were elected. and that those news
papers and politicians that have urged
| gold Democrats and others to support Mr..
| Bryan on the ground that he is hand
cuffed so that he cannot overthrow the
| sound-money system are either ignorant
about the matter or are untruthful