The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-06-09
POLITICAL FORECAST.
Prospect of a Combination oil
Free Coinage Forces.
A RADICAL PLANK AT CHICAGO.
The St Louis Convention Will Declare
For the Gold Standard. but IL WIN Not
He acknowledgement Of Break In
Party Iiuea

Il
Party Lines
| WASHINGTON, June S. Special l-Th
political situation develops rapidly. Jus
as the advance guard of the Republican
hosts are leaving for 81. Louis Ia commend
their task OF naming ticket and adopting
platform the Democrats are making plan
for their seancc az Chicago. No one nov
| questions that the Chicago convention will
be controlled by the silver men, and Their
Is little less doubt that they will DECLINE
all offers of compromise and make "a radi
cal plank ON the silver question, naming
ticket Ia suit IL is argued that only il
this way can they attract all the various
elements which they rely upon for tn,
formation Of what will be practically 4
| new party. Their plan is % combine in
one great silver party all the men I'm In,
| country who believe the free coinage OF sill
| yer is the surest and quickest way To bring
about a return of good times. But the
Populist leaders and the chief men among
the silver Republicans who areexpected q
bolt the action of the ST Louis convention
say they will not join this proposed new
party unless the platform is unequivocally
for free coinage.
The Conservative Democrats.
ocratic party will try 10 secure the adop.
ton of platform which leaves out any
mention of the ratio, leaving that 10 be
fixed later on, according to the conditions
prevailing at the time, but this is not sat
isfactory To the extremists of the various
clements, and il does now appear likely
that the platform will omit declaration
In favor OF 10 To l free coinage of both
metals. Those who advocate this extreme
platform say nothing can be expected in
the way of electoral votes from the east or
middle states, and therefore there is no use
of weakening their cause by stradtlling or
compromising.
As the movement in the Democratic
party toward free silver becomes clearer
and stronger the Republicans are affected
in two ways One element in the latter
party has taken alarm at the growth of the
silver sentiment which appears To be
sweeping over the country and argues in
favor Of some sort of "a compromise at st.
Louis-the adoption of some artifce by
which at least part of the Republicans
who believe in silver may be held within
the party. The argument, further, is that
the Republicans must make protection the
leading issue and try To minimize the
financial question as much as possible In
order To do this they would not make the
silver plank strong or offensive, but de
pend upon the confidence which eastern
people are To feel in the Republican party
and it's policies and the general demand for
more protection in the tariff for the votes
which are TO bring success.
Rock of Safety.
The other tack is taken by perhaps a
majority of the influential men of the
party. They say the Republicans have
but one rock of safety, and that is to come
out boldly for the gold standard. make the
issue between the two parties direct and
absolute and fight out the battle of the
standards on that line depending upon
protection To strengthen them where they
are weak on the currency issue.
At ST Louis the makers of the platform
and trainers of the policy of the party will
find themselves between these two fires.
On the one side will be the extremists of
the east, such As the bankers of Boston
and New York, who want "A simple dccla-
ration that the party is pledged to the gold
standard, while on the other side are the
silver men Of the west who do not want
To he driven out of the party, appealing for
n compromise.
The result, in my judgment and i'm the
opinion of many leading men with whom
| have talked, will be a compromise be-
tween the two ideas. BY this mean that
the platform will declare for the gold
standard, plainly enough SO that there can
be no doubt about it, but not in offensive
terms and with n certain qualification
which will hold out little hope that sill
yer may yet triumph through the Repub-
lican party. This compromise will be
more in words than in substance Ii will
be on the line of the platforms adopted by
the state conventions in Maine in Massa
chusetts, i'm New York, in PENNSYLVANIA
and in other states which are not suspected
of unorthodoxy on the question of sound
money
A Red Rag of Danger.
The probable platform will not contain
the word gold" which operates as a red
rag of danger in the eyes of many Repub-
licans in the western states. In that respect
the eastern bankers and the other extrem-
lists Of their ilk are likely to be disappoint-
ed But they will have no good grounds
for complaint II the platform declares for
maintaining the existing standard"
which Is a gold standard, until such time
"a the chief commercial nations of the
world may choose to change their system
and rcmonctizc silver by an international
would not strengthen the declaration, il is
argued, but would simply give unneces-
sary offensc For this reason the word
81 gold, which means 50 much in the ewes
of all the extremists on both sides, is likely
To he omitted.
Where the fight will come - st Louis.
In all probability, Is on the adoption of the
plank which commits the Republican party
To opposition To the free coinage of silver
by this country alone until such time as
International action may bring about the
suggested change. The eastern men say
such declaration Is absolutely necessary
while the western men argue that II could
easily be dispensed with, as IL Is implied
by the statement that the party will main
tain the present standard. Judging from
the strength of the various forces at work
upon the problem, il is fair to predict that
the eastern wing of the party will carry the |
day and will secure the adoption of such |
declaration, making the plank in all re- |
spects similar 10 that of Maine, Massachu- |
sets, New York, Pennsylvania and other |
eastern states.
III the Republicans adept such platform |
ms this there will be no bolt at Chicago on |
the part Of the gold Democrats Their policy |
Will be To avoid "a split in the party, but tn |
leave each man free to act as hc plcascs. |
Many OF them will not vote next fall while |
others will quietly vote the Republican |
ticket, In the hope that the majority In IA
tor Of the Republicans will be 50 crushing |
ms to put AN end 10 the silver movement I'm |
this country and bring about peace on the |
currency question. WALTER WEILMAN.
OFFICE BUILDING JANlTORS.