Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-01
THE TARIFF QUESTION
Its Possible Treatment at the Chi
eago Convention.
IDEAS OF The SILVER MEN
The Monetary Plank Will Over
shadow Everything Else.
M A Y B E A S P L I T

With the prospect that the silver men
will control and run the Chicago convention
arises the interesting question, What will
be the deliverance of the convention on the
tariff question, In addition to the free silver
platform? Naturally, 1t Is assumed that
the long-standing tariff views of the demo-
cratic party will not be materially or radi-
cally changed, but efforts will be made to
bring about some changes. The present
tariff laws do not meet the ideas of many
democrats, and they want to see a change
of some kind. As these changes are more
a matter of detail than of principle, the
convention may, it is said, not adopt any
plank looking to a revision of the tariff
laws of the party, leaving the questions
to Congress, If 1t should be democratic, to
deal with On the other hand, it is said
that with change in the financial system
of the country, in the event Of the demo-
cratic ticket triumphing in November,
would have to come 4 change In the tariff
sentiments of the silver people. A change
in one necessitates it is argued by some a
change in the other
What the West Wants.
The control of the Chicago convention by
the silver men and the .omination of sill
yer candidates bring the expectation that
the west Will support the ticket In addi-
ton to silver, will the west want tariff
changes in the democratic PLATFORM or will
It be content TO trust to the wisdom of the
silver men, if they should be in a majority
IN the next Congress, to legislate for them :?
DO they care enough about the tariff at this
time 10 demand that revision of the pres
ent laws be coupled with declaration for
silver? All these and a great many more
questions are being talked of by the silver
hau
ability that they will have a good working
majority at Chicago.
The matter was preached to several sill
Yer dc mocrats recently by Star reporter
one of them was Representative McMillin
OF Tennessee, who would be conspicuous in
the next House if the democrats were to
have majority in that body He said he
d!d not contemplate any change in the ia riff
IDEAS OF the party by the Chicago conven-
ton He did not discuss the other phases,
especially that as to what the western re-
pubiicanS will want in return for their SUP
port OF the democratic ticket Another man
talked to was Senator Tillnan. He said
that the tariff question was not in the back
part OF the heads of the western paople :"
They believed, he said. like the southern
people, that the financial troubles are the
cause OF the unrest in this country, and not
the tariff. The money question was para
II oLnt with them, and would continue TO
De. Few men in the west were giving any
thought to the tariff, and 1t would hardly
Willing to Trust Their Friends,
Other silver men talked to said that the
west would be willing to trust their silver
friends from the south and other sections
on the tariff, no matter what the deliver
ance at Chicago. They were willing to let
the tariff be adjusted after a change was
brought atcut in the MOI etary laws of the
country One prominent democrat said
that the Celtverances of the Chicago con-
vention on the tariff vould be merely for
NAL, as the great question of money would
Cause the other TO be lost sight of before
the c9mPaign was over. Notwithstanding
this view, there is authority for saying
that when the gold stGLGard men see they
are beaten in the convention they will then
try TO have the money question side
tracked as much as possible and tariff
brought to the front. They do not want
democratic victory, they say, If it has 10
be obtail.ed by the sacrifice of tariff prin-
ciples. They might put up with the money
views of men opposed to them in their own
party, but when 1t got to the point of ca
tering to the tariff views of the west they
would rebel.
Much of 1t Conditional.
OF course, much of the speculation on
these alters is conditioral-first, on the
Chicago convention being for silver, and,
second, on there being no split at Chicago.
The belief is gaining ground, however, that
there will be a split, and that two
tickets will be n, minated. This would give
widely divergent platforms. 1t is an every
Gay occurrcrc e, when the likelihood of the
gold men leaving the Chicago convention
Is mentioned, to have a silver leader say:
Let IL EN- leave; We can do without
them" They go further anG say they are
not dependent on supposed gold states for
the election of their ticket. They have no
hope for New York, Pennsylvania or he
New England states, and aver that it mat
tiers little TO them whether their gold
friends get out, SO far as the actual loss
of electoral votes is concerned.