The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-02-08
HOPES OF SILVER MEN.
They viii Try to influence the
Conventions.
PROBABILITY OF THEIR SUCCESS.
They Are Playing Their Game With Match
less skiii-Opponsnts OF Free silver Sur
prissd at Their strsngth-rhs Great Bat
tie OF Finance.


WASHINGTON, Feb. 7-[Speciai. 1.-The
bond issue Is success, and the officials OF
the administration are satisfied with the
prices received. IL Is source of gratiflca.
ton In all official circles that the credit OF
the government Is mistaken. Though the
silver men In tho senate insisted upon
passing their free coinage measure last
Saturday, it came too late TO have any APP
probable effect upon the bids for bonds, as
the result shows. The silver men were
anxious to make demonstration OF their
strength. While they did not expect to
secure any legislative results, the house Of
representatives and president being known
to stand firmly against free silver, they
did hope to cheer their followers In all
parts OF tho country into renewed activity.
The Silver Hosts.
1t Is an open secret here that tho silver
men are preparing TO make a dead set
against both the Republican and Demo
cratic national conventions. In the Re
publican convention, at St. Louis they
hope to secure compromise platform and
the nomination OF compromise candi-
date. They claim To have 30 electoral
NOteS WHICH CuDnOb Dt WOD ONtf W Nuc
Republican party unless some concession
is made TO silver. 1t is true that the pol
Icy of the Republican party in building up
new states In the west has added to. the
electoral college so many votes in tho
mountain and Pacific coast region that IL
Is a serious question II the party dare ar
range plan of campaign which will Of
fend the silver leaders Many Of the far
western states are In such condition po-
litically that It would not take much
provocation to lead Thorn from one party
to another.
In the Democratic national convention,
at Chicago, the silver men have strong
hopes OF securing the adoption of straight
out silver plank. They believe they will
have a clear majority in the committee
on resolutions, which Is made up Of one
member from each state and territory, and
II they do this fact will give them a great
tactical advantage. They will thus be
able to go before the convention with an
affirmation report in favor of silver, and
the history of national conventions shows
that reports of the committee on platform
are rarely reversed by the delegates them
selves. Close examination of the consi-
tions prevailing in the Democratic party
shows that the claims Of the silver men
are not very extravagant
Tho Plan of Battle.
Tho silver leaders, chief among whom Is
Mr.. Teller of Colorado, are playing their
game with matchless skill. They propose
first to intimidate the Republican national
convention into making concessions to
silver. Then they intend TO use this as a
weapon In the Democratic national con-
vention, which meets three weeks later.
They will say to the Democrats: "See
what the Republicans have done. Your
only chance Is to go them one better. De-
clare openly for free silver, and our friends
will see that you get every electoral vote
Of tho south and west of the Missouri
river. You can carry Maryland and In
diana, too, and that will enable you to
win without New York"
For these and other reasons Il Ia ap-
parent a great effort Is to DO made to
change the tactics of the Democratic party.
| Heretofore the Democrats have always
made their campaigns on the notion that
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut
were the keystones of their arch. IL they
decide to go in for free silver this year,
they will have to abandon all idea of car
rying these three states and look for re-
| prisals elsewhere. 1t certainly would be
an odd thing II the south and west were
to combine.
The more the vote of the senate last Sat
urday Is analysed the more interesting II
appears. Even the opponents of free sill
yer are surprised ut the strength shown by
the friends of the white metal. Including
the pairs, the 80 members Of the senate,
representing 40 states Zone vacancy from
| Delaware), voted as follows: For free sill
| yer, As; against free silver, Al; number OF
states casting two votes each for silver, 20
| against silver, 16; one vote each for and
against silver, s; one vote against silver
| (Delaware), l.
| Currency and Tariff.
Observers OF politics here are settling
| down to the opinion that the great battles
of the future are to be fought on the silver
] question. There is no escape from this
conclusion. Two great forces, one deter
mined to maintain the present monetary
standard and the other equally determined
to effect revolution by substituting anoth
er standard, are now In collision. In pas
campaigns the politicians have been abb
to bring about compromises and postpone
ments. They have done this in order 4
save their parties and themselves. Nov
It looks as II they would have to face TIT
/ Issue, uuWllllnS Us thcy oEo. iho poeeh
Of the standards Is on.
The late ambassador at Berlin, Chancel
lor Runyon, was close student of eco
nomical topics. The writer remembers
very interesting talk had with Mr.. Run
yon In Berlin two years ago. The embas
sador talked Of the panic which his ooun
try was then In the midst of and said HI
did not believe IL was caused by tariff o
currency troubles, but by the tempera
ment Of the American people. 9Th
Americans, said he, 'are great optimists
When good times come, we go too far ant
too fast. We build railways at an amaz
ing rate, open mines, erect factories, pu
up new machines, install new processes
contract many debts, produce wonderful
quantity of all goods. Everything Is fe
verishly active and energetic. We are no
only supplying the wants of the present
| but the future. We soon discover that tn
| limit has been reached. We have overpro
duoed, and all markets are glutted. The
| the tendency Is to shut down and settl
| up. About the same time every one want
| pay for the goods he has put out. Every on
| wants to draw In his loans. Money Is tight
There is a panic. Then two or three year
| must pass while things are being evene
I'D and settled down-a period of stigma
ton and hard times. When the cquilit
rum has been restored again In thi
rather unpleasant way, another boom or
Is due. This has been the history OF th
United States, and as they are so they wi
continue. 1t Is temperamental with on
people, and no system Of currency or tarii
will change It," WALTER WELLMAN.
Origin Of Christmas Customs.
Many of our Christmas customs are
mixture of Druidical and pagan observ