Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-05-25
THURSDAY. MAY %. 1903
The Question Of a Compromise.

We said yesterday judging from hrs re-
cord. that il was not 10 be assumed for one
moment that Mr.. CLEVELAND would allow
bill 10 repeal the law taxing the issues OF
State banks TO become q law-we would
add, except as o compromise measure. lie
is believer in "BxSToS mint-drops." He
has no wish 10 debase the nations cur
rencv, and cannot be expected TO be
party 10 any monetary schemes or new
systems Of banking which do not strike
bim as promising TO supply the people
with as safe "a circulating medium az they
now have. HIS State-bank issues would
be very different from the issues OF ante
bellum State banks.
But there are persons who claim that
though Mr.. CLEVELAND holds Just the
theories which the community have credit
al him with entertaining, yet. As init
mated above. he would be willing 10 agree
30 a compromise embracing within IFS
ourview most If the questions which
night. in the absence Of such comprO-
Mise. produce division in the Democratic
ranks. This compromise story. however,
is 50 inconsistent with the popular notion
as 20 what sort Of man the President IL.
and leaves 50 entirely out of sight the
Jacksonian iron will with which he is
credited by the people and has so little IN
its history 10 give even a color Of truth 10
It. that Mr. CLEvELAND's best friends would
be excusable if they were 70 refuse to be
love that he will be a party TO the COM
promise under consideration. But when
an "irre,istible force" comes in contact
with an "immovable object" what must
result
What is the compromise? What is there
TO compromise; The Georgia Democrats
Of the HOWELL persuasion hold that there
l. nothing to compromise that Mr.. CLKvE-
LAND and the whole Democratic party are
pledged 20 carry out the Chicago platform
aud must not hesitate one moment to do
whatever that platform pledges them TO
do: that tariff to be levied for revenue
only" must become a law Of the land by
action 10 be taken at an early extra ses-
sion of Congress; that the sugar bounties
ought to be abolished: that an in
come-tax must be levied upon in
comes exceeding $1,000 year; that
the tax upon the issues of State
banks must be abolished: and that a law
must bc passed providing for the free com
age Of silver. These requirements point
to the measures which may be made the
subject of % compromise between the Pre-
sident and the Democratic Congress. He
must desire above all other things that his
administration shall be successful one.
and he must know that II cannot be a sue
cess unless he and the Democrats in Con-
cress shall agree TO disagree upon at least
some of the measures which he IS repre-
scented as favOring. And as we have here
tOfOre said. the time for a compromise IS
when the advocates of schemes differing
in their nature find themselves looking at
every new proposition from points of view
widely apart.
We repeat the interrogatOry. What Is the
proposed compromise and what is thore to
COMPROMISED And we answer in the
words of the Washington star that the
Democratic leaders" whoever these are.
desire TO dispose of as early as possible
the five measures we are about to name
to wit First. the repeal OF the Federal
election laws; second. the levyIng of an
income-tax; third, the repeal of the SHER-
MAN silver law; fourth. tie abolition of
the tax on State-bank currency, and fifth,
the enactment of a new tariff. That is to
say, the President IL expected to favor all
these measures. 1t speaks we'll for Mr.
CLKyELAND's willingness to save the Demo.
cratic party from disruption that he
should DO willing 10 go more than half
way towards the adoption of the party
policy to which he is represented as having
given his consent. II is signifcant--we
will not say of what-that there has not
appeared in the papers any authentic
statement from himself as to these mat
tiers. Perhaps the unwillingness of the
HOWELL Democrats of Georgia and the
Wattersonians in Kentucky to agree to
compromise such as is referred to above
has influenced the Presidents action, or
rather nOn-action.