St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-10-20

other republican, to criticise Mr.. Bry-
an for seeking to prevent the loading
upon the country of the gold bonds
that were finally agreed to under the
Mckinley whip and spur in connection
with the recent infamous currency bill
Secretary Cages interview par
porting to show that if democratic
president were elected he could put the,
country on a silver basis is intended to
help Mr.. Hanna in forcing the bank
ers and capitalists of the country to
pony up in the shape of campaign
funds for the republican party. The
bankers, understanding that they got
all they paid for in the last campaign
when they put up for the expenses of
the first election of Mckinley, have re-
fused to be again bled by Hanna.
Some thing had to be done to compel
these moneyed men tosupply the sinews
of war, ancl Hanna bethought himself
Of this interview with Gage. Secretary
Gage was instructed what to do and
his now famous interview was the re-
suit. But the bankers knew exactly
how far the law went and what could
and what could not be done under it's
provisions. They refused to be bled
and Hanna is now bewailing the fate
that has overtaken him. He is short of
funds and is now concocting some
other scheme whereby he can force the
trusts and other protected industries
to come to the party's relief.
Secretary Gage, writing his inter-
view under orders. forgot the state
ments he had previously made in rela-
ton to the effect of the currency bill
enacted into law by the republicans
during the last session of congress.
July 16 of this year he had an interview
in the New York journal of Commerce,
newspaper devoted to financial mat
ters. The last interview was a scare
crow; the Journal of Commerce inter
view was the real opinion of the sec
retary of the treasury. Here is what
he said at that time and when put
alongside Of his latest freak statement
the contrast is interesting:
II an satisfied that the new law es-
| tablishes the gold standard beyond as
sault, unless it is deliberately violated.
1t is quite true that the legal ten
der quality has not been taken away
from the silver and paper money of the
United States. It would have been a re-
markable and disquieting thing to do.
What difference would it make to
me if | held some bonds and Mr.. Bryan
should direct his secretary of the treas
ury to sort out some of his limited stock
of silver dollars for the purpose of re-
deaming the bonds? Would l not imme-
dately deposit the silver in my bank and
draw my checks against it just as l would
if the secretary had exercised the more
rational policy of paying me with sub
treasury check? I believe that silver will
never drop below par in gold. The crux
of the proposition is that adequate meas
ures have been taken by the new law to
prevent such a contingency.
1T is wholly immateria1 whether some
secretary of the treasury pursues the in
fantile policy of paying silver dollars
upon these bonds instead of checks, when,
as l have shown, all money of the United
States is convertible into gold. These are
the distinct provisions of the new law,
and they cannot fail to maintain the
gold standard, except by rAe deliberate
violation of the duty imposed by the law
upon the secretary OF the treasury. In
the event of the election of Mr.. Bryan
l think the gold standard would be reso-
lutely maintained so long as the law re-
manned on the statute books"
With this interview staring him in
the face Secretary Gage is convicted of
Istultifying himself as the convenient
friend of Mr.. Hanna for no other pur-
pose than to frighten the moneyed
men who are to be bled for the benefit
of the republican campaign managers.
Secretary Gage gave his honest senti-
ments when he was interviewed in July
last. Hestated what he was tod to state
when he attempted to frighten the
people and mislead them into think
ing that the laws of the United States
Ecould be arbitrarily changed by the.
viii of one man if that man should
happen to be elected president of the
United States.
T, ArI,r,rr