The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-06-16
ANOTHER SET BACK.

' I which the, sepubIiean. ma jcrity in con.
 gress is pledged by it's partys 1ates
 national platform, has received anothe
 setback, and worse yet, one whicl
 seems to mean something very like in-
 definite postponement. At a conference
 of the republican members of the house 1 this week it has been decided to defer | further consideration of the Fowler bill l until conference to be held after the | reassembling of congress next Decen-
 Der. To be sure, there has been no ex-
 pectation that the measure would get a
 caucus indorsement this season, but
 there was strong hope among it's SUD- porters both in and out of congress that
 a definite programme would be agreed
 upon before adjournment this summer,
 whereby the bill would be placed in a
 commanding position for immediate &C.,
 tion at the opening of the next sesson.
 MT. FoWler's motion to that end, how
 ever, encountered so much opposition | that it could not be passed.
 Technically, of course, the postpone
 ment IS not indefinite, but it amounts | nearly to that; for no one can now say | when he bill will come before the house for positive actian; indeed, the Wash | ington correspondent of the New York | Journal of Commerce, who is usually exceptionally well informed in matters | of financial legislation, reports that "it is unlikely even that anything will be done next winter" He adds: Lead ing republicans, both those who are fa- vorable to action and those who believe It IS not necessary, are thoroughly pes- slmistic regarding the prospects for ac- tion. Such a state of affairs is ex- tremely discreditable to the republi- cans; 1t amounts to the breaking of one of the most important pledges given by the party to the young people when last it asked at the polls to be entrusted with power. When the promise was given not only to furnish better protec- tion against the danger of free silver coinage, but also to overhaul the whole monetary system and reconstruct it scientifically, the warranted under standing of the voters was that these things would be done as soon as the re- publicans had full power to do them. On that understanding the executive and both branches of the legislative au- thority were put in their hands That they have not made use of their power but, on the contrary, are postponing ac- tion in way that may result in no &C., hnincr a lost control of the house, constitutes a serious indictment against the party.
 It is true that one forward step has been taken in the provision of an ede- quate gold reserve, that the possibility of dropping to silver basis is now too remote to cause even uneasiness and that there is no immediate probability that general currency conditions, under existing laws, will become worse than they now are But these facts do not release the republicans from their re- sponsibility nor make less discreditable to them their failure to act. The cur rency laws need revision for perma- nent future safety; the republicans have pledged themselves to effect the revision; they have had the very best of
  have not done so is a question that calls for an answer.
 But what answer can be given that will satisfy all those hundreds of thou sands of voters who long ago became convinced of the need of better currency system and who thought they had assured it by the way they cast their votes In November, 1900? Republicans may say, as some of those in congress are saying, that as long as business conditions are as gene rally satisfactory as they are now, and | while the country's prosperity is well 1 maintained, there is no pressing need of l action, and that it is better to leave | well enough alone. Such argument is | utterly unworthy of an intelligent pub | lie man. The time for any kind of pro- | tective legislation is when the dangers 1 to be averted are not immediately upon | us, and when the safety of the moment l gives opportunity for the deliberate and | passionless formulation of the best pro- tection. To trust to luck, to assume that temporary immunity may last in- have too long been the char lcteristics of our national financial pol cy; that policy has brought us to grief and if pursued will bring us Q grief again. The republican party itself by adhering to it.
 The blunt truth of the matter proba- ply is that many republicans are think ng more of their personal political exi- yencies than of the welfare of the coun- ry and believe that the currency issue an be made to yield too much useful political capital for them and their par y to make it advisable to take it out of politics by settling it on a permanent ,asis This is, perhaps, as shaming an of their conduct in the natter as any that can be conceived.- Journal. . "REMINISCENCES OF BEECHER. John Bradshaw, an aid resident of | in an interview gives