The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-05-13
GOLD, SILVER, TARIFF
THREE LEADING TOPICS UNDER
DISCUSSION.

Republican Senators Making 1oO0 rug
ress with Their Duties on the vari-
Gus Committees-Dissens In DEM
ocratic and Populist Ranks.
E. F. PARSONS, Special Correspondent.
Washington, D. Cur gold con.
tinues to increase. This is true both
as to the products of the mines and the
receipts in this country from other parts
of the world. Advices from the gold
mining regions of the United States just
received here show an enormous in
crease, the return at the Denver branch
mint alone showing gain OF nearly
100 per cent for the first quarter OF the
year over the return for the same
months of last year. Add to this the
fact that gold has been flowing into
this country during the part of the year
in which we are accustomed to send
gold out, and it shows that the stock OF
gold in the United States is now phe-
nominally large and seems likely to
continue to increase indefinitely.
Popocratic Alarm and It's Cause.
The popocrats are scared. There is
rebellion in the Democratic party
against further continuance of the al
lance between silver Democrats and
Populists and members Of both these
organizations are wild with alarm.
Mr.. Bryan's organ, the Omaha World
Herald is frantically appealing to the
old members of the political job lot
which failed in business last November
to still hang together. It says: ut
would be worse than folly at this time
for the Populists to refuse to fuse with
the Democrats and silver Republicans,
and adds that continued combination
of their forces "means solid phalanx
of silver forces in all campaigns from
now till 1900.
While things are moving on smoothly
with the Republicans here, there is
trouble among the Democrats. The
breach between the Bailey and the
Bryan faction in the house has been
widenend, and the Populist allies of
that party have been given the cold
shoulder. The sockless Simpson, find
ing himself fast losing the notoriety
which his eccentricities have awarded
him, developed new freak and at
tackled Speaker Reed because of his fail
ure to appoint committees when COM
mittees were not needed. The Bryan
wing of the Democracy being so accus-
toned to cooperating with the Popu-
lists, wanted to support Jerry, but the
Bailey wing opposed it. Mr.. Bailey,
who last fall opposed the consolidation
of the Populist and Democratic party
in the campaign, retains the same views
today and put them into practical
operation. AS the leader of the Demo-
cratic side of the house, he called a
caucus at once and, by vote of two to
one, adopted resolution declining
| cooperation with Simpson and his fol-
lowers, thus again defeating the Bryan
Democracy in the house.
! What the Week Has Accomplished.
Tariff and bimetallism, those two
great issues of the campaign, have been
prominently at the front during the
present week in Washington. And
those people who doubted or professed
to doubt the sincerity of the professions
of the Republican party on either of
these subjects have found that they
were mistaken.
A thoroughly protective tariff, one
which looks after the interests of the
farmer and the working man; that is
what the new Dingley act is to be when
it gets upon the statute books, what it
is in fact today, for the probabilities
are that it will be little changed by the
senate.
Earnest and intelligent efforts in be-
half of international bimetallism-tha
is what this weeks work means upon
the subject. The appointment Of the
commission whose names have already
been given the public, assures vigorous,
prompt, and it is hoped successful work.
The Bimetallic Commission.
The appointment of Senator Wolcott,
of Colorado; ex-Vice-President Steven
son, of Illinois, and Hon. G. j. Paine,
of Massachusetts, as commissioners to
pave the way for an international con-
ference has been cordially commended.
Until this week nobody knew definitely
what the presidents plans were in re-
gard to this question. It was known
that he was extremely anxious to take
the proper steps toward carrying out the
pledge of the party looking to interns-
tional consideration of the silver ques-
ton but just how he proposed to bring
this about or to take the initiative, no.
body was able to say. It now appears,
as usual, he has chosen a wise plan,
and one most likely to be successful.
Not only has he chosen the plan most
likely to be successful but the one like
ly to be most successful. BY this is
meant that if he is able to carry out the
! nlans thus inauourated the inflammation.