New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-01-30

Nation, and filing the columns of Ihe Recor@
with his beautiful thoughts. This partly De-
cause of his exceeding mOdesty, and partly De-
cause of the demands of the iron trade upon
his time and talents. He has sometimes gone
West and failed to fall in with shorthand
man, but upon those occasions ne has devoted
his entire energies to the purchase of mules. IL
was during one Of his excursions West
the one, we believe, upon which the short
hand man extracted views from him be-
tween Chicago and Oshkosh-that his colleague,
the venerable Mr.. Eaton, proposed, in mo-
ment of enthusiasm, to begin introducing
! a series of resolutions declaring various
| seats in the Senate vacant. Warned
| nv THE TRIBUNE that his seat was in
DANGER Senator Barnum fastened back to
| Washington, and his constituents have OBJ
served with wonder and amazement his name
recorded upon several votes in the Senate since
| that time. 1t is believed in Connecticut that
he. has taken alarm at the revolutionary propo-
sition of his colleague, and that he now
occpies his seat constantly; holding on tOt with
both hands, He is the only man in the public
eryice who was ever paired off for eleven con-
secutye years. It is to the fact that he has taken
= new dcparture in this regard-Or, rather, has
decided not to depart at all-that we owe the
anpearance of the last great interview with
him in q Washington instead of a Keokuk news
paper.
Mr.. Barnum is represented by the prevalent
short hand man as saying that the vote on the
Matthews resolution shows two-thirds major
, ty for the Silver Bill. "Oh," he says in his
easy conversational style, it's fOregOne
conclusion that the bill will become law,
"evcn over the veto if it comes to
"that.n But" queried the shorthand
man, who knew that the senior Con-
necticnt Senator. Mr.. Eaton, had carried
his hostility to the silver scheme so far as to
refuse to listen to an Grafton on Jefferson from
one of its loudcst advocates, and who cOnse-
quently suspected that Mr.. Barnum might be
similarly Affected" will it not disrupt the
Democratic party'" "No sir" very
promptly answered the Senator, cit vii! not
disturb the party at ALL" Then, III
fervid ouburst, which was Immediately
recorded, he added "The Democrats who
"oppose the Silver Bill will acquiesce and
stand to their principles just az truly as II
"their policy had been adopted" To the sug-
eestion of the short hand man, that General
Ewing and some others differed with him
upon that point, he said, They'll find
themselves mistaken. The passage OF
"the Silver Bill will settle the whole
"qucstion, and the party will take its course
"as united and solid as ever We do not be-
"licye that il is the best financial policy, but
" the difference does not involve an abandon
"ment of our principles Then, with a smile,
he continued: "No, sir, the party will not
" get rid of us so easily. We will stand
'by it, He secuted the idea that
the party would split on this isoue
in 1850. The whole question. he said will
he settled before that time aud then if New
York i, found not to be necessary for party
success. Western man will he nominated, ana
the Eastern Democrats will support the candi-
date, rs they always have done. we favored
"'Tilden last year. he said, "because'-
because hye-could You guess, oh
noble reformcr that howled tho campaign
through for Tildcn and Reform 7" because
she was clearly the strongest man." with
some further remarks about the President,
whom he thinks his party il trying to drive
over TO the Democrats, where there Is really
| no room for him, the Connecticut Senator
closed the interview, and dismissed the man
with the pencil over his ear.
Mr.. Barnum is a practical man. He leaks
practical politics, philosophy and wisdom.
The one great fact that stands out conspicu-
Gus in the remarks above quoted is, that he
| believes in the party, and i'll standing by the
marty: in nominating the strongest man. and
| giving him United, solid support. As for al
! lowing the party to be disturbed by little
thing like tho financial question, he can't
| think of ii for moment. DISRUPT
| Never while there il dollar in the Treasury
! ar nm Office to be had He smiles scorniully
at the idea that the party can get rid of the
| Nrw-England Democrats who oppose rcpudla-
ton. "Thcy will not get rid of us 30 easily
he saws. And he speaks with authority. No
one more than he For he has behind him not
only nil the traditions of the ewEngland
Democracy, which the South never could kick
int, an attitude of hostility or the disposition
Of resentment, but he has also his own politi
cal career TO back him up in his assertion.
| Whether he votes against his party for pro-
lection or for subsidies, or does not vote
at ALL he Islands by the party" and
never "disrupts.r Bland III or Mat
tbews resolution makes no difference with
him they may he voted up or do vi, and the
party may take what position it pie iscs on
| creenbacks or silver he does not care so
long as they are solid and united in elections.
He nnows tho party through and through;
has bought and sold its mules; and he
| knows that to talk about disruptlng
it upon any question. except the distribution of
offices, is nonsense He Goes say something in
this interview. however, about not abandoning
| principles. This exct our curiosity. Would
Mr. Barnum be SC kind as to get another
| short hand man, and through him convey to II