Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-27
THE FINANCIAL QUESTION
There Will Be Embarrassment Both at
St. Louis and Chicago
A New Den{erance a. to silver Be-
''e'ed to B, Absolutely Nece"-
sary By the Republican,.

Mr.. Carlisle III lis letter to the democra tic
members Of the Kentucky legislature prac-
tically justified HE sound money men in
revolt against Mr. Blackburn. on the
ground that Mrw Blackburn's free silver
views were not warranted by the Chicago
platform of 1892 Mr.. Carter in the Senate
yesterday justified the republican revolt
against the emergency tariff BILL on the
ground that free silver was a part of the
policy outlined and guaranteed at Mime
apolis that year.. And SO the two cases
stand. The division in the one party will
defeat Mr.. Blackburn for the Senate, and
send the silver men to Chicago next sum-
mer for redress, while the division In the
other defeats both tariff and currency leg
islation and throws everything into the
melting pot at st. Louis.
The Democratic Dfmculty.
Nothing at this time Is thought to be so
clear as that the work both at Chicago
and st. Louis will be the most difficult I'M
dertaken by party managers since the war.
Extreme action by either convention will
mean a hopeless split; successful COM
promise by either convention will deserve
to take rank among the party'S most not
able achievements.
Assuming the necessity and the desire for
a compromise. how, it is asked, shall the
democrats proceed? The financial plank Of
1892 was a compromise, and yet 1t Is that
that has brought the party to its present
plight. The eastern men went straight from
the convention to the stump. and con-
strued 1t to be friendly to sound money,
while the western and southern men were
quite as positive in their declarations that
1t meant free coinage. Mr.. Blackburn So
licited votes from a hundred stumps for
Mr.. Cleveland in 1892 on free silver in
depreciation Of the Chicago platform.
Republicans Equally Embarrnssed.
The republicans are equally embarrassed.
The Minneapolis platform was compro-
mise. And yet. as Is now confessed. two
radically different interpretations were put
upon 1t. Mr.. Sherman explained 1t in one
way, Mr.. Teller and Mr.. Carter In an
other. Mr.. TeEcr now says that no west
ern state could have been carried for the
republicans that year upon any such In
depreciation of the platform as that Mr..
Sherman gave and still gives. And yet
Mr.. Aldrich and Mr.. Platt-eastern men,
speaking for eastern interests-both an
nounce that the Minneapolis platform will
be re-enacted at ST. Louis. If 1t is. evil
IDENTIFY key this time must go with the
deliverance.
New Dellverance Necessary.
But the weight of opinion in republican
circles Seems to be that the Minneapolis
platform will not be re-enacted at st.
ILOulS-tndt IL cannot Ne, WIFI safe" "
either section. The whole financial ques-
ton, it is insisted, has undergone a very
material change since then. making a new
deiverance absolutely necessary. Silver
does not stand on the same footing low
that it did in 1872. At that time it had a
feeble prop in the Sherman law: row it has
no prop at all. The white metal as a
money metal is homeless wandercr on
the face of the earth. with a brand across
its brow. Itsufrtends are demanding that
it be taken In! out of the wet.
Probable Line of Compromise.
There is some regret felt that the in
quiry Of Mr.. Haker of Kansas about max
ing provision for the silver output Of the
American mines could no. have been pro-
pounded to Mr.. Teller or to Mr.. Carter
instead of toD.Mf. Allen. The Dop,llistic
reply is not important. but straightfor-
ward reply from any representative west
ern republican on the subject would convey
suggestions of moment. 1t Is along that
line the. republican compromise Is ex-
pected to be traced.