Mexico Missouri message., 1900-01-25


M. THURsToN, Republican Senator
national bimetallism held enough
Silver Republicans in line to give the
election to Mr.. Mckinley.
REPUBLICAN DECEPTION IN 1896.
Indeed, all over the Western country
we declared what we believed then to
be true, and what we know now, that
If the Republicans carried the country
they would establish the gold standard
by law. They denied the charge with
indignation and boldly and falsely as
severated that they were better silver
men than we were--that they were ad-
vocating a practicable and we an i'm
practicable theory of restoring silver
to it's ancient place of honor in the
coinage system of the world. Marvel
Gus to tell, multiplied thousands be-
lieved them, swallowed the bait, and
voted with them--which 10 proof posi-
tive that all the fools are not dead yet,
or at any rate were not dead in 1896.
1t will not do for Western Republi-
can gold-standard advocates to say now
that they are occupying in 1899 the
same position they held in 1896, for by
SO doing they give the lie direct to
nearly every Republican speaker who
appeared upon the stump west of the
Alleghanies in the Presidential cam
paign and to every Republican editor
who supported Mr.. Mckinley through
out all that vast region.
Furthermore, they are sstopped by
their multifarious declarations in
public speech and in the public press
from now denying that the plank in
favor of bimetallism by international
agreement was placed in the platform
In good faith, or that they then be-
lieved bimetallism to be correct in
principle or that they intended to
honestly endeavor to secure IL in the
manner therein proposed.
Should they enter such denial now,
they would write themselves down as
the most constituencies set of trick
sters and jugglers that ever played
upon the credulity of confid;ng.
people. Itwould be decidedly interest
ing to know precisely what Senator
WoLcoTr, of Colorado, and the other
American International Biinetallic
Commissioners think of the sincerity
Of purpose of this Administration in
the turtle endeavor to secure bimetal-
lism by international agreement.
Their candid opinion of the interview
Of Hon. Lyman ]. Gage, with which
he hamstrung them just as they were
about to succeed in securing bimetal-
lism by international agreement and
brought all their labors to an inglori-
Gus conclusion, would contribute
largely to the gayety of nations, If not
to the gayety of the Secretary of the
Treasury. I have often imagined the
junior Senator from the Centennial
State chewing the bitter cud of disap-
pointment and repeating Tennyson' IS
apostrophe to the ocean:
Break, break, break,
On thy cold gray stones, seal
And would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise In me.
Perhaps in the fullness of time he
may unbosom himself, and if he ever
does my prediction is that "WoLcoTT
on Lyman" will rank with Demos
themes on the Crown" or with Cicero
when he Numbered against Catiline.
There is one great advantage grow
ing out of the present situation. The
atmosphere is clear. Hereafter, so far
as gold and silver are concerned. it is
the single gold standard in it's bald
ness and badness against bimetallism.
Certainly there can be no subterfuge,
after. The Republican who next year
goes yawping about the country claim
ing to be in favor of international
bimetallism is likely to be hooted from
the hustings.
If obtaining Offices by false pre-.
lenses were felony, as is obtaining
money or property, the entire Repub-
lican party could be sent to the peni-
tertiary for their conduct in carrying
the election of 1896, thereby gobbling
up the Presidency and something like
100000 fat appointve offices; for it is
patent fact that they carried the
election by advocating one proposition
and are now enacting another and an
entirely different proposition into law.
In 1896 both Democrats and Repub-
licans declared for bimetallism--De
mocrats by independent American
action, Republicans through interna-
tional agreement. The Palmer Buck.
ner contingent, mere bagatelle
were the only avowed single gold
standard advocates that year. They
were the vanguard of the Republican
army. The numerous and gorgeous
bouquets which Republicans are throw