The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-02-20
Senator Wolcott's Speech.

address in the United States senate
On Monday last which was well
worth reading. 1t represented the
deliberate and matured conclusions
OF the most able exponent of the
principle of international bimet-
allism in this country and who is,
above all others, competent to out
line what ought to be the proper
attitude of the genuine birnetallist
under present conditions. In adj
dition the speech is important be-
cause it reflects the sentiments of
large number of people, especially
here in the west, who cannot agree
either with the frantic and insin-
cere utterances of the Bryan Dem
ocrats on the one side, or the stand
of the ultra gold standard Repub-
licans on the other After reading
his speech it is plainly y evident that
the Senator is just as certain now,
as at any previous time, that BIZ
metallism is right and necessary:
but it is patent that he has come
to the belief that bimetallism is
impossible at the present time, and
that it will never become possible
through the false pretenses and
and glaring incompetencies of the
Democratic party. In 1886 the
Bryan Democracy declared with
all possible form and solemnity,
that prosperity was impossible
without free silver. The course of
events demonstrated the falsity of
that argument irrevocably and con-
clusively. Prosperity is possible
without free silver because pros
perity now abounds, and the one
who denies it simply closes his
eyes to fact. The fundamental
basis of the cause Of bimetallism
is the declaration that there is not
Ienough gold in the world to serve
as a money metal alone. The
demonstration of this argument, if
it be true, must be left to the course
of events. However true it may
be, it will not be accepted by the
people because of its declaration
by any party, and least of all by
that party whose egregious blum
ders and reckless follies are still
fresh in the memories of ell. If
bimetallism comes at all, it will
come only after the gold standard
has proven itself to be insufficient.
1t is the part Of wisdom to recog-
nize and act accordingly. Senator
Wolcott does this, the people out
side of the silver states are doing
it, and in Colorado the pretense
that anything can be accomplished
at the present time towards the
restoration of silver is only main
tanned for selfish purpose by the
unprincipled politicians of a mi
nority party, who are anxious to
reap the rewards of deceit and
reckless sacrifice Of the reputation
and interests of the state, before
the finale comes that they all ex-
pect and dread. If there is a man
in the United States today who
deserves the reward that comes to
the statesman who maintains q
truth unruffled by the storm of
popular censure, who has serenely
| followed the course he believed to
be right in spite of factious clamor
and the risking of personal inter
ests, who has been unmoved by
calumny and misrepresentation,
and who now sees himself about to
be vindicated before the world and
approved by many who have been
foremost among his enemies, that
man is Senator Edward 0. Wolcott.
He has been right, and his enemies
have been wrong. 1t is possible
that another vindication will come
to him in the future, when the
single gold standard advocates will
have to acknowledge they were in
the wrong as now do the radical
champions of free coinage by the