New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-26
AMERICAN PARTIES.
Trio Recent Contributions to the
Stu5y Of Pcrty History.

AZ ar
Relations % Political morality By James f.st6 a.
and politics in Indiana University tVo' p. x
81 g. y. PUtnam's Sons.
TIEF FOE or COMPROMISE AID oTHsE He
ESSAYS Wv william Gs-rott Brown. bNo
Nd 20 Tho Macmillan Company
Professor N-oodburn's hook is issued as a
companion volume 10 Tie American Ecpub-
lie" recently reviewed IN these columns. Il IS
not specifically desiEna:ad a textbook. but
IS published in :he hope that Il may aid IN
promoting IN school and home. the study OF
american politics" The author divides his
treatise into three sections. The first gives a
brief historical sketch 81 American parties, the
second Describes American party machinery ana
The third deals with ethical problems in patty
politics This work Ike its twin. The Amer
fcan Republic" is clearly and entertainingiy
written But 81 fails, the other failed, IN
accurate. first hand political knowledge.
Two instances viii suffice 10 show the care
lessness with which Professor Woodburn han
dee the plainest political facts. on pages lot
l57. discussing the constitution OF nationa! con-
ventions. he states:
Delaware has three electoral votes. one for
each Of its Senators and one for its Representa-
tive IN Congress New-Hork has thlrty-slN eIec-
toral votes two for it's Senators and thirty-four
for its Representatives. In the national con-
ventions Delaware has six delegates and New
York seventy-two.
p. 1903 There is nothing in it or n the book
itself 20 indicate that Professor Woodburn is
discussing conditions which may have existed
in 1900 but certainly ceased 70 exist In 1SOl
IN January, 1901 a Reapportionment act was
passed by Congress, which gave New-fork
th'rtv-seven Representatives instead OF thirty
four. New-York elected thirty-seven Represen-
tatives in November. 1902, and has now thirty
seven members IN the popular branch OF Cen
gress The State has therefore. thirty-nlne
,-otes-not thirty-sx votes-in the Electoral
College, and is entitled TO seventy-eight votes
not sevenry-tvo votes-in Republican and Dem
ocratic national conventions.
ON nare ~ the author says: The National
T2epublican Convention consists OF S94 State
delegates ltw-ice Az. the vote OF the Elec-
toral College, and thirty Territorial delegates
making a convention membership Of 924 IN
all" Tho last Republican National ConVen-
ton held at Philadelphia in 1900. had mem
he~ship Of 926. The next Republican National
Convention TO be held at Chicago next June
VIII have membership Of 9sS. BY the Reap
portionment act Of 1901 the membership OF the
Electoral College has been raised from 44I TO
47G. The four organized Tcrritories-Arizona,
Hawaii New-N,eXico and Oklahoma-and the
unorcantzcd Indian Territory are 70 have six
DELEGATES apiece. Alaska four delegates and the
District OF Columbia two delegates. But Pro-
fesgor WooGburn's calculations are not 20 be
disturbed by q little matter like Federal Re
apportl0umeut act
on mage 100 IN discussing the silver legisla-
tor which led UP 10 the free coinage struggle
o. 1896 the author says;
A hill rroviding for the free and unlimited coin
age Of silver had passed the House IN ;NoNeIIi-
her 1877. in answer TO a strong public demand.
When this Bland Free Coinage act came UP 70
the Senate Il was amended there, as a means or
preventing its passage, on report ortered 70 we
Senate hv Senator Allison. chairman Of the
Finance Committee Of the senate, by a provision
So GOO 600 70 81 o0oe50 worth of silver bullion
Cor coinage into dollars.
II the Bland-Allison act had merely author
tied the purchase Of from 100000 20 S4ooo,-
coo worth OF silver bullion" It would have been
forgotten six months after its passage. II. IN
fact. required the government 10 purchase from
100000 TO S4.000OeO worth OF bullion" month
". This compromise was not offered by Mr..
n Allison. as chairman Of the Senate Committee
u on Finance" Mr.. Allison was not then, and
7 never has been. chairman Of the Senate Finance
Committee. At the time Of the passage Of the
Biand-Alison act AIr. Morrill, OF Vermont. was
chairman.
Professor Woodburn continues:
This The Bland-Auison actl was not salts
factory 20 the free coinage sentiment. and IN
1890 they lsicl secured the passage OF another
came 10 the Senate. again as a means of pre-
venting SIS passage. another compromise and
substitute was proposed, this time by senator
sherman, q Ohio. This was the so-called Sher-
man act Of July a. 1890. which stopped the
coinage Of silver dollars as provided FOR ia the
Bland-Allison act. and provided for the pur-
chase OF silver bullion 70 the amount OF 4 800
600 ounces each month.
This extract completely misrepreseuts the
conditions under which the Sherman act was
passed. The House Of Representatives. in the
List CouCress-ISS9- 91-was controlled by an
arti-free coinage majority. II passed early in
the FIRST session "a liIl favored by the admnistra-
ton enlarging the monthly purchases OF silver
b2llion and deprlving the Treasury Department
% any discretion to vary the amount Of such
purchase. The Senate was controlled by free
coinage majority. and substituted for the House
measure an out-a,d-out free coinage bill The
House rejected this substitute and committee
of conference was appointed In this commit
tee the sc-caIed Sherman net was evolved. ana
Mr.. Sherman, as the ranking member on the
Senate side. reported the agreement % TIE Sen
etc re did not propose OF draw the com
prc-,lae. ard supported IL chiefly because II cen
tsf1ed a p.oviso 20 the eject that II WAS ''the
established policy Of the United States 10 main
tain the two metals on parity With each ether
TIE present legal rs:io. or such ratio as may
be provided by law"
Senator Eoar. IN his "Au;cslogTaphy &C sew
enty Years" disposes OF the U!sEppreEeass9r-
shared by Professor Woodhurn-that the Ohio
Senator originated fathered the silver com
promise CT 1890. NIr. Hear says:
Il II iitte singular that the two great meas
ures that are called by LIS tSherrnan'sD name
are measure one OF which he Gisapproved and
with the other q which he had nothing 70 do
I mean the bin for the purchase OF silver
known as the sherman law. and the blll in re-
Eafu 70 trusts known rs the Sherman Anti
Trust law. The former was adnpted agaInst lis