The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-02-14
MAY GO HAND IN HAND.
A Combination Between the Tar
iff and Silver.
EACH A FORM OF PROTECTION.


EACH A FORM OF PROTECTION.
Prophecy That q Rearrangement Of Par
ties L. Near at Hand-rrobabie Course
OF the Two Great Political Organisations.
Personal Gossip.
WASHINGTON, Feb. "a Especial. -
Sometimes the sensational news OF CON
eress is under the surface, and so it Is TO.
day The most important thing going on
in legislative and political circles Is the
attempt TO form a combination between
tariff and silver. 1t is now known TO be
the attitude of the Populist members of
the senate and of at least few OF the sill
YER Republicans from the far west. that
the free coinage Of silver Is only another
form of protection TO American industries.
and that there shall not be any other pro
lection measure passed until silver is REQ
ognized A great many Republican sena'
tors believe in this as a matter of principle,
and rs of them have signed their names
TO 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 to go In enforc'
ing that doctrine That some of them are
willing to cut loose from party discipline.
now or at any other time for the purpose
of carrying out this coalition is certain.
Their number may not be great but only
a handful of Republican votes will carry
the day, for all of the Democrats and,
under the new arrangement all of the
Populists will stand against protection
legislation
Political Leaders Agitated.
This movement has agitated the polit
ical 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 as If the re-
arrangement of parties was near at hand
He expressed the belief that unless some
way could speedily be found TO kill of the
silver movement IL would be necessary for
the Republicans TO abandon for few years
all thought of securing more protection
legislation and combine with the Demo
Gratis In crusade against silver Senator
Lindsay added a thought which l have
found In many quarters, and this Is that
the men who believe free silver would be
ruinous TO the country should drop every
other issue and make common cause, and
that If this is not done silver may win AS
long as the Republican party stands for
high protection, the Democrats must fight
it. But if the Republicans were TO aban-
don this and make an out and out opposi-
ton TO silver with the determination OF
killing il once for ali they could count up
on the assistance of all eastern Democrats
Demands of the Silver Advocates.
Another senator told me that as matters
stand today il would not do the Republic
ans much good so far as the tariff is CON
cerned TO gain possession of both branches
of congress and the presidency 1t Is
thought by most politicians that this is
just what the Republican party will do at
the coming election, 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 the silver vote In
the senate Evidently the Republicans
are willing TO risk it. Their motto appears
TO be first catch your hare-that is TO say,
carry the country first and fight il out with
the silver men afterward so far as this
congress is concerned il 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 AMI best informed men say con-
spiracy 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 a remarkable man He is "a Quaker
h. bon ,ag.I, H.
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 Gen
eral Harrison in the Chicago conven tion
Of 1888. He 1t was who made flying trip
TO Indianapolis, and in a midnight inter
view prepared General Harrison for the
coming of Stephen b. Elkins the next
morning When Mr.. Elkins arrived with
certain important proposal TO make, Mr.
Harrison thoroughly understood the stu
alton and gave his assent SO promptly rs
to surprise his second visitor. That assent
led TO Harrison $ nomination that very
day
Personal Gossip.
Senator Faulkner of West Virginia, one
of the most original men in the upper
branch, is working on plan which, If 1t
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 more silver i'm 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 see him spring some such
proposition at an early day. He has al
ready conferred with President Cleveland
about it,
Senator Hill has the reputation of being
the hardest working man In Washington