OCR Text |
Show WOLCOTT'S ATTACK, He Chargas the Administration with Being Be-ing Responsible for the Failure of the Free Silver Bill in the House. BUT THERE WILL BE A TOMORROW. And the Fiery Young; Coloradoan Says that the Administration will Yet Find That the Party Latah will Prove of No Avail in tlie Final Test. Washington-, April 7. Wolcott of Colorado Col-orado yesterday addressed the senate on the subject of silver, beginning with the blunt statement that the silver bill had been put to sleep in the house aud the senate might as well get the truth on the silver question. Apparently the subject has lost interest for the public; for, although the senators present pres-ent listened with some degree of attention. - v.a g'ieiitfs contained only the usuai uuui-ber uuui-ber of scattered spectators. Senator Wolcott soon launched into an attack upon the administration. He admitted ad-mitted that the silvei men had suffered defeat de-feat in both houses, and charged that it had been compassed by the administration, the first great force, which had left no stone unturned un-turned in its efforts to defeat the silver nill. It appeared to desire to avoid embarrass-iueut embarrass-iueut of action upon the question, before the national convention was held. He as- serted that the republican part-, with negative neg-ative unanimity, would renominate the present executive, because no other man of greater stature could be found to stand, because of the blow that struck silver aside. It became equally manifest that the democratic dem-ocratic party would present the apostle of tariff reform whose vision saw no other issue and who was wiliing to be consecrated again to public ulfairs; so that the greater part of the people were unrepresented by any party. He ( Wolcott charged that the administration had cracked the party lash and had succeeded, but there would be a tomorrow. It was a humiliating spectacle, and the administration should at least have allowed congress to express its opinion without duress. The necessity of a vote bud to be prevented, prevent-ed, if possible, and so the miserable work begun. Offices had to be parceled out; the party whip was cracked, aud wavering members mem-bers were gained. The work apparently h 'l been effectively done, and yet there was always a tomorrow. Nobody was deceived, de-ceived, but that wDuld be a graceful act in the outgoing president to have permitted the two houses of congress to have voted accordiug to their owu inclination on a measure of natioual importance. The spectacle, humiliating as it was, showed that it Was but an amazing change of fronts iiy a great section of the democratic demo-cratic party. During the last session that party stood manfully to its party traditions in opposition to hard money. A clear majority ma-jority ot its members had taken the stump before election and pledged its members to vote for free and unlimited coinage. A sudden sud-den change would be ridiculous, if its results re-sults were not tragic. Oue prophet of the democracy announced that tariff reform wss the slogan; snother insisted tnat being a democrat was the test. Senator Wolcott wound up his speech with an eloquent peroration which was applauded by the senators and spectators. Great at tentiou was paid to his eloquent speech, which was delivered with great force, although al-though mostly from manuscript. The senate sen-ate chamber was much fuller than usual and every senator gave, a most unusual ting, his undivided attention to the speech. At its close. Senator Morgan's resolutions went over without action. They are still on the calendar. |