The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-02-14
MAY GO HAND IN HAND.
A Combination Between the T4r-
if and Silver.
EACH . FORM OF PROTECTION.
Prophecy That . Rearrangement OF Par
ties IL Near st Hsnd-Probabie Course
Of the Two Great Political Organizations.
Personal Gossip.

Personai Gossip.
WASHINGTON. Feb. IS. Especial. u
Sometimes the sensational news of con-
gress Is under the surface, and so It is to-
day. The most Important thing gong on
In legislative and political circles is the
attempt 20 form combination between
tariff and silver. 1t Is now known 20 DO
the attitude OF the Populist members of
the senate, and of at least a few Of the sill
yer Republicans from tho far west. that
the free coinage of silver il only another
form OF protection TO American industries,
and that there shall not DO any other pro-
lection measure passed until silver is rco-
ognized A great many Republican sena-
tors believe In this as matter of princl-
pie, and 10 of them have signed their
names to q card, expressing the view that
silver and protection should go hand In
hand. The most interesting point Is as TO
how far these men are willing 60 go In en-
forcing that doctrine. That some of them
are willing to cut loose from party disci-
pline, now or at. any other time, for the
purpose Of carrying out this coalition is
certain. Their number may not be great,
but only handful Of Republican votes
will carry the day, for all Of tho Demo-
Gratis and, under the new arrangement, all
Of the Populists will stand against protoc-
tion legislation.
Political Leaders Agitated.
This movement has agitated the political
leaders not a little. In an interview today
Senator Lindsay Of Kentucky, one of the
ablest of the so called sound money leaders,
said IL looked to him us II the rearrange-
ment Of parties was near at hand. He ex-
nv kA ko&
could speedily be found to kill off the sill
YER movement It would be necessary for
the Republicans to abandon for few years
all thought Of securing more protection
legislation ind combine with tho Demo-
Gratis In crusade against silver. Senator
Lindsay added thought which I have
found In may quarters, and this Is that the
men who believe free silver would be ruin
GUS to the country should drop every other
Issue and make common cause, and that
II this Is not done silver may win. AS
long as the Republican party stands for
high protection the Democrats must fight
1t. But II the Republicans were TO aban-
don this and make an out and out opposi-
ton to silver, with tho determination of
killing 1t once for all, they could count
upon the assistance Of all eastern Demo-
Gratis.
Demands OF the Silver Advocates.
Another senator told mo that as matters
stand today 1t would not do the Republic
ans much good, so far as the tariff is con-
oerned, to gain possession of both branches
OF congress and the presidency. 1t Is
thought by most politicians that this Il
just what the Republican party will do at
the coming elections, but If the leaders
come into power with an expectation Of
revising the tariff they may find them
selves confronted by an insurmountable
obstacle in the shape of tho silver vote in
the senate. Evidently the Republicans are
willing to risk 1t. Their motto appears
to be first catch your hare-that is to say,
carry the country first and fight It out
with the silver men afterward. So far as
this congress is concerned, 1t Is impossible
to do anything with the currency or with
the tariff on account of the silver blockade
In the senate. Some of the shrewdest OBJ
servers and best informed men say a con-
splracy has been formed, TO which ma
jority Of the senate during the next four
years is pledged to kill, all tariff and cur
rency legislation unless free coinage Is
first made the law Of the land.
One of the leaders of this combination
of silver and tariff is Wharton Barker of
Philadelphia. Mr.. Barker is in many re-
spects remarkable man. He is Quaker,
q banker, a rich man, and yet he is a con-
spicuous and able advocate of free silver.
In times past he had good deal to do
with politics. He claims to have set up
the pins for the nomination Of General
Garfield in 1880 and has letters to show
that he secured the election Of delegates
who, In the convention, voted from first
to last for Garfield, thus keeping the name
OF the Ohioan constantly before the gath
ering and preparing the way for the land
slide which afterward followed. Mr..
Barker also claims to have arranged the
deal which led to the nomination of Cen
eral Harrison in the Chicago convention
Of 1888. He 1t was who made flying trip
to indianapolis, and In midnight inter-
view prepared General Harrison for the
coming of Stephen b. Elkins the next
When Mr.. Elkins arrived, with
a certain important proposal to make Mr..
thoroughly understood tho stu
alton and gave his assent so promptly as TO
surprise his second visitor. That assent led
to Harrison's nomination that very day.
Personal Gossip.
Senator Faulkner Of West Virginia, one
Of the most original men in tho upper
branch, Is working on plan which, IL IL
can be seriously taken up, will attract a
vast amount of attention. Mr.. Faulkner
thinks it possible for the United States to
buy Cuba from Spain and to make the
payment In silver, the silver thus used to
be taken out of the treasury. OF course
this would make room for hundreds of
millions moro silver in our currency and
would solve the silver problem for long
time to come. Mr.. Faulkner has not yet
arranged the details, but will give the
matter close study, and no one would be
surprised to SEQ him spring some such
at an early day. He has al
ready conferred with President Cleveland
about IL.
Senator Hill has tho reputation OF being
the hardest working man in Washington.
He lives all alone In big house on La
fayette square, where he neither entertains
nor has time for idling. Ho literally lives
In his library. He rises early ana spends
several hours reading and studying before
going to the senate. AT the capitol he is
always busy. Even while sitting at his
desk, listening TO or participating In de-
bate, he continues to read. But IL any
senator supposes the New Yorker is not
to every word that is uttered let
him say something that touches one of
MIR. Hills tender toes-and he has good |
many Of them-and then IL will he discov-
,red whether or not tho New York states |
nan Is alert. Every night Mr.. Hill works |