Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-04
Policy of the Party Will Be Con-
servative.
FOR PROTECTION AND SOUND MONEY
The West Losing Its Chances for
the Nomination.
SILVER AND BIMETALLISM

At this time. when the boundary lines of
the two great political parties of the coun-
try are uncertain and shifting thinking
men or both factions are puZzling them.
selves over the prospects of the future,
Ihe immineney of radical change from a
basis OF long standing is believed to con-
front both democrats and republicans
II Is the opinion of some republicans at
TINS capital, an opinion freely and frequent
ly expressed in the political gossip of the
hour, that the tendency of the times clear
ly points out the policy of the republican
party for the future. 1t is said that with
the wiping out of old boundary lines by
the growing tendency in many sections, to-
ward free trade. free silver, fiat money.
socialism, populism and un-American doc
trines of all kinds. it behooves the republi-
can party more than ever to tend to con-
servatism and stand on the uneuuivocal
OASIS Oh protection to American industries
sound money, good government, sound
financial credit, and a vigorous American
policy.
1t Is the belief of these people that the
republican party should draw the line
closer than ever before on the conservative
pfan upon which it was organized, vigor-
ously excluding ideas foreign to that policy
and affording opportunity to those who do
not want to stand on this basis to cast
their lot with the adhereEts of whatever
ism they may choose
LesseninS of Western Chances,
The natural consequences of following
this policy, it is claimed, would be the les.
sening of the chances of presidential can
didates from the west for securing the re-
publican nomination. To the eastern and
central states republican there is some-
thing specious in the cry of bimetaIlism.
especially when it is uttered by a western
man. Politicians of the capital have come
TO regard this word bimetallsm as an
exceedingly elastic term, capable of en-
bracing a wide range of meaning from al
most absolute silver monometallism to the
practical gold standard. Bimetallism is re-
garded by many politicians a very con-
venient political fence upon which the
wary statesman can sit while he shakes
with equal heartiness the hand of the sill
yer man on one side and the gold man on
the other. man can profess the strong
est bimetallic sentiments and yet excuse
his vote In Congress for a gold measure
upon the ground that independent bimetal-
lism by this country is inexpedient at this
time. Or, on the other hand, 1t is but an
easy step from the bimetallic fence to the
silver mans side. upon the excuse that
the only way to force bimetallism is
through the constant advocacy of silver's
cause.
Qualifications of "A Candidate.
Thus arises the suspicion in many minds
against the bimetallic candidate from the
far west. He is recognized to be on the
financial fence. but is exposed to greater
temptation and greater pressure to alight
on the silver side than on the sound money
side, because his affiliations surroundings
and influences are all that way. The argu-
ment is made that If the republican party
of the future is to stand for good money,
sound credit, good government and pretec-
tion of all things American. the head of the
Iarty, recognized as such in the President
must be a man of no uncertain caliber;
there must be no trace or suspicion of alloy
in the ring of his metal.
Opposed to this view of the future are
those politicians who profess to see the
only salvation of the republican party TO
lie in a middle course, a compromise and
recognition of the rights and wishes of a
weighty and influential branch of the party
in the west. They are met, however, with
the claim that in this case the people will
come with the party and not the party go
to the people. 1t is argued that when the
western brethren who in the majority OF
cases are western only by recent residence
and not by birth or instinct, the stand
taken by the conservative element of the
party, and are brought face to face with
the alternative, their hearts will warm with
the tradition and history of the republican
party, and they will not leave its broad
and tried track to follow the unknown and
experimental paths of new financial and in
duStrial schemes,