Evening star., 1896-04-04
DEMOCRATS ANXIOUS
The Apparent Popular Demand for
Protection the Cause.
CLEVELAND WOULD ACCEPT THE issue
Most of His Party Want to Avoid
Talking Tariff.
L II E o My HOP

Many democrats find reason for anxiety
i'm the boom that Mckinley is receiving
ard the apparently popular demand for
return to protection. Democrats, as a rule
are not desirous of facing their tariff rec
ord IN the coming campaign, and would
prefer the contest to be on some other
issue III the hard times are to be attributed
10 democratic tariff legislation, and tariff
is going to be the issue. il is believed that
the result of the Greeley campaign may be
repeated.
Cleveland Would Take n TariH Issue.
1t Is thought that very few democrats
besides Mr.. Cleveland would be willing to
have tariff the chief issue. Many, even,
who are not friendly to silver would pre-
Ter 10 have the money question to the front
Mr.. Cleveland is almost alone in wishing to
be confronted with the question of Mck.n-
leylsm The tariff reform cry has hereto
fore carried him TO victory; he wants to
avoid the money issue with the democrats
on the silver side, and he has no sensitive
ness about the unpopularity of the Cor
man-Wilson tariff act, having himself been
the first to denounce it.
A lew men in Congress who sympathi-ed
with his denunciation of this measure
would he willing to have a repetition of the
tariff fight, feeling that if the party suf-
Tered defeat, the condemnation would fall
upon the legislation which Mr. Cleveland
disapproNed, and not upon tariff reform
itself, nor on Mr.. Cleveland 1t is believed,
further, that Mr.. Cleveland would seize
with great satisfaction an opportunity to
accept the democratic nomination if he
could have Mckinley for an opponent and
Mckinley protection the issue Demo-
Gratis generally entertain no doubt what
the result of such contest would be hut
several things MIR. Cleveland has said on
The subject indicate strongly that he thinks
true tariff reform champion" could win.
II Mchinleyism We're the issue. He would
like the democratic party TO come out for
a single gold standard, but he could toler-
ate silence on that question, letting his
record speak, if tariff could be forced 10 the
front
He Stands Nearly Alone.
But Mr.. Cleveland stands pretty nearly
alone III this opinion. The danger which
practical legislators see in trying TO stand
up II tha: issue is that the party has pass
ed the point when they can so to the coun-
try with promises on this old subject IL
tariff is the issue the party record. not The
party promises, will be passed upon by the
people The party has already performed
They cannot hope to appeal successfully for
another chance, on the same issue, unless
they are prepared to defend what they
nave done and can get a popular indorse-
nient of that
All politicians who are in the habit of
watching public sentiment are satisfied
hat people are trying to make up their
minus NteTc lIe responsibility lies Tor the
business depression which the county has
been suffering. On this conclusion Will de-
pend The issue
lf tariff is accepted the issue 1t will
necessarily be because the public hold the
Gorman-WilSon tariff legislation responsible
for the hard times. What this would lead
to is obvious. The voters are looking for
some one 10 hit.
Only Democratic Hope.
1t is regarded as the only hope of the
democrats that some other explanation OF
the hard times be accepted, and that they
have an issue which will enable them TO
distract attention from their tariff record
and from the record of the administration
for the most part. This consideration
makes some who do not really believe in
silver willing that the party should be
committed for this campaign to the sixteen
to one platform. They are convinced that
disastrous defeat will follow any other
course, and that it may be better to chance
1t on silver, with the prospect of the sup
port of many western republicans, populista
and Independent silver men.