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Show ail.VEK AND FOMTICS. The status of tho silver question is not changed by the action of the sou ate in adopting Stewart's amendment by a majority of twelve. The strugglo for free coinage is still to como, and it will not be ended in a hurry. It certainly will not be ended during the present session of congress, partly because the majority leaders in the house of representatives, repre-sentatives, including the speaker and the chairman of tho coinage committee, being opposed to the measure, will delay de-lay action thereon if they can, and partly because the president, however anxious he may be for the passage of n moderate silver bill, is not willing to go to tho extent of signing a free coinage bill just at prescut, Wo wish it were otherwise, but unfortunately it isn't. Dealing therefore with facts rather than fancy we believe that, contrary to general expectation three months ago. silver and not the tariir will form the main issue of tho general election next year. This naturally will knock tho last prop from under Cleveland who is a gold bug pure and simple. Hill, on tho other hand, who is not committed on the question, or in fact on any question not purely partisan, may bo domagogiiu enough to train with the majority, not from priciplo but from policy. Tho republican party from which, as usual, the next president will be chosen will nioet tho issue fairly, Mr. Harrison Harri-son is not committed against free silver. Ho is simply opposed to "impulsive legislation' that is a sudden loap. Ho prefers to gain tho object by gradual approaches. Mr. Maine is said to favor silver, and there are other conspicuous leaders of the party, not only in the west, whose hoads are level on the money question. As there is no possibility of a free coinage bill passing this sossiou of congress, con-gress, or indeed before the presidential election, we still believe the compromise compro-mise bill voted down yesterday in the senate will be the basis of negotiation between the two branches of congress, and with some modification of the platform plat-form of 18112. At any rate it changes tho phase of politics, and as a result Mr. Cleveland for one is not in it. |