Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-12-25
Problems Now Confronting the Dem
ocrats.
POLITICS MAYESfRANGE BEDrELLOWS
Significance of the Coming Speak
ership Nomination.
SILV AND TARIFF

1t is beginning to look as if the contest
over the democratic leadership in the next
House might assume an Importance not
ordinarily to be calculated on when but an
empty honor is involved. The matter is
likely to extend beyond the question of
individual rivalry and to involve a question
Of policy of national Importance. 1t ap-
pears that there is a difference of opinion
among democrats upon the question of
holding the allied silver forces together
for the congressional fight two years hence
and for the presidential fight to follow.
Some democrats who were not enough
opposed to silver to lead them to leave their
party in the last campaign are still anx-
ious to get rid of the silver issue, and
hope to shift the issue again to the tariff
on which the democrats have twice been
victorious This class is not numerous.
Want to Drop Their Allies.
Greater in numbers is the class of DEM
ocrats who, believing in the free coinage
of silver and confident that it will win in
the next two elections, are jealous of party
power and do not want to recognize any
republican or populist allies in the fight
These would serve notice on their allies
that they must come. boots and breech-
es, into the democratic party il they
would avoid being treated as enemies or as
servants.
This sentiment apparently does not exist
in the Senate or in the democratic national
executive committee, where there is per-
feet cooperation between the silver repLb-
ican and populist senators and the demo-
Gratis; but in the House it is not uncommon
For instance in the Senate German and
Faulkner. who have never been counted
among the silver men, are earnestly coop
Grating to hold al the silver forces together
and the radical silver senators are acting Oh
the assumption that all the silver forces
are hghtfng in accord for common cause
En- barrassmcnts In Congressional
Districts.
In the House the close prospect of an
election when a new House is to be chosen
calls up the idea of possible individual
rivalries between democrats, populists and
silver republicans in congressional districts
and suggests the Inconvenience of having a
common cause between them. Some demo.
cratic representatives who have made cam.
paign after campaign on tine tariff issue
alone feel that their individual interests
lie in the preservation of that issue These
men are therefore opposed to a close al
lance with the silver representatives who
are not elected as democrats.
Manifestations of HostfIitfes.
The first advance of this hostility was
given when it was proposed that a silver
man. who is not democrat, should be put
on the ways and means committee. as a
representative of the allied forces, in the
place of Mr.. Crisp.
A Fight i'm Caucus.
Ii has since developed that the fight is tc
| be made in the democratic caucus, called
| to nominate a candidate for Speaker at the
opening of the Fifty-ffth Congress, TO Sc.
cure the selection of a. man who, being
thus designated the democratic leader
VIII follow such a course as 10 ignore tn,
SILVER republicans and popnlists and t
| break up the alliance if possible.
This is the incipiency of fight to cir
| cumvent combination of the silver force
| or all parties for the nomination of Bryal
| TOUR years hence. From being an insignfi
| cant struggle for the important Leadership
| OF the minority party in the next House
| the contest promises to become one of vita
political consequence.