The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-06-03
talk OF COMPROMISE.
Hoped For at Both St. Louie
and Chicago.
EFFORTS TO BRING 1T ABOUT.
Argument ~. the silver Repubiicans--Sit-
uation In the Democratic Party-Chancss
That the Issues May he Clearly Defined.
A Formidable Combination.

sibly the issue between the political par
ties will not be sharply drawn this year
after all. Influences are at work In both
parties to modify the platforms on the
financial question so as to avert the threat
ened descriptions. 1t is still too early to say
what success the compromises are likely
to meet with, but IL is undeniable that at
this moment the idea of making some con-
cessions to the minority Is gaining ground
among the leaders of both parties. The
prevalent Republican notion Is TO link to-
gether in one platform the two principles.
protection and sound money" while the
faction of the Democratic party which
seems likely TO be in the ascendency at
Chicago has wanted to meet this with
free silver and a tariff for revenue only"
Most observers here had settled down TO
the conclusion that the campaign would
be fought out on these lines. The proba-
bilities still are that it will be.
Republican Argument.
But among the leaders In Washington
there Is good deal of talk about compro-
mise both at st. Louis and Chicago. On
the Republican side the argument runs in
this way While we want TO declare I'M
mistakably for sound money there Is no
reason why we should make our platform
unnecessarily offensive to the silver men.
We must admit there are many silver Re-
publicans, and they are in all parts of the
country, even in New England and the
middle states as we'll as In the west. We
do not want to drive these men out of the
party simply because they do not agree
with us on one question II we can help 1t.
Furthermore, Republicans everywhere
agree that if the attitude of the world on
the monetary standard question were to
change and bimetallism were to take the
plan of gold monometallism among the
great commercial nations we should want
the United States to change too.
Now. the facts are many of the strong
est sound money states in the country,
including Maine, Massachusetts, New York
and Pennsylvania, declared in their Re-
publican conventions for maintaining the
present standard until international action
should bring about the reconciliation of
silver. This, then, is good sound money"
and Republican doctrine. AT this point
the silver men step forward and say:
Instead of merely declaring that the
Republican party will maintain the gold
standard until the world goes to a double
standard, why not make a platform that
will contain promise TO do everything in
your power to bring about international
rehabilitation of silver If the Republican
party will do this, will pledge itself to take
up the definite policy of trying to secure
bimetallism in the world, but declaring its
purpose TO maintain the existing order of
things until such international action can
be had then the western Republicans may
prevail upon their constituents TO remain
within the party. This would give def
mite promise, a settled policy which might
in the near future be productive of great
results.
AT any rate, it would enable those of
us who represent silver states to go back
to our people and say the party Is not mimi
cal to silver. We agree that silver should
be remonetized but we differ as to the
method by which 1t Is safe TO attempt IL.
We certainly ought not to abandon the
party on difference of opinion as TO mere
methods, so long as we agree in principle. "
Votes of the Senate.
This is the argument of the silver Re-
pubicans, and good many people on the
other side have been impressed by it. An
other weapon which the friends Of COM
promise are making good use of is this II
the Republican party carries the election
it will come into power pledged TO revise
the tariff as quickly as possible. In order
to carry out this promise IL will need the
votes of all the Republicans in the senate
But If you drive those senators and the
people behind them out Of the party how
are you going to pass an act OF tariff re-
vision? And If you cannot revise the tariff
what sort of an administration will you
have in the public estimationy
For these reasons many senators and rep
resentatives say they believe the Republic
ans at st. Louis will throw some consola-
tion to the western silver men and endeavor
to keep them in the party.
Democrats Anxious to Avoid a Split.
On the Democratic side the situation Is
somewhat similar. Between the two CO.
teries of extremists, the one representing
President Cleveland and the administra-
tion people generally and the other such
men as Tilllman, Bland and Blackburn,
there is a great mass of Democrats who
are very anxious to avoid a split in the
party. The voice of Mr.. Cleveland Is
against compromise, of course. He Is not
one of the compromising sort. He wants
the battle fought to a finish. But such
Democrats as Brice, Whitney, Hill, Mat
thews, Campbell, Morrison, Stevenson and
others are consulting together with the
hope Of finding some way in which to
avert the threatened split In the party.
1t Is noticeable, too. that Governor Alt
geld of Illinois, who is the leader of the
victorious free silver forces in that state,
has apparently modified his views. In the
local conventions controlled by him, as,
for instance, at Chicago, he did not de-
mand the adoption of 10 to / platform,
but contented himself with bimetallic
declaration similar to that which the
Democrats adopted in their national plat
form four years ago. Like the conservative
Republicans, many Democrats think a
promise to so shape our national policy as
to bring about international bimetallism
might prove TO be the charm with which
the threatened bolt can be averted.
Notwithstanding this talk Of compro-
mise on both sides the chances are that the
issue will be defined with tolerable clear
ness between thigh tariff and the gold
standard" on the one side and "low tariff
and free silver on the other The prelim.
mary campaign has developed so much de-
termination and bitterness that the COM
promisers are not likely to allay them with
their pleadings. The controlling powers In
the Republican party appear to think that
n xyot,ld no dapuorOus N trina with tho