People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1896 — BEHIND THE SCENES. [ARTICLE]

BEHIND THE SCENES.

An Allfgorital Conference of the Old Forty Leaders. Sherman: The two living fundamental principles free trade and protection—have kept our two parties alternately in in power for the last twenty years. You gentlemen of the south have enjoyed the honors and emoluments of office on account of your devotion to free trade. We of the north have been especially aggrandized and enriched by our devotion to pft>tection. As long as we can make this the paramount issue our parties are safe. But these are perilous times. The passage of the tariff bill at the last session threatened the destruction of both otour parties by the loss of our main issue. The skill of Mr. Reed and his friends at the other end of the Capitol have furnished a way out. They have sent us two bills—a bond bill and a tariff bill. The bond bill is not of the slightest consequence. Nobody wants it, the Rothchilds are opposed to it, and why should we be for it? But is will serve a good purpose. We are on the finance committee. Let the bond bill be reported, and you put your free coinage amendment on that. When it comes into the senate all free coinage men can vote for it and make free coinage speeches on it for home consumption, because it will do no harm and aid them at home. When it is passed through the senate that is the end of it. In that way our friends both in the west and south who must be for free coinage to come here, will have given evidence of the faith that is in them and will have made themselves solid with their constituents. The tariff is the important question to keep before the people, because onehalf of them are educated to free trade and the other half to high protection, and it is very easy to make them fight on that issue, and when they get to fighting on on that issue they will forget all others as they have for the last twenty years. The silver men of the west can very well vote against putting silver on the tariff bill, because that bill gives them protection on wool, lead, lumber and coal, which the peo j pie of the west attach much importance to, and with their votes we can keep the tariff clean from any amendment, and then there will be a fair issue on the tariff between you of the south and us of the north, as it has been from the beginning, and it is easy to fire the American heart on that issue. Without that issue the populists would take the country, and consequently I have called this caucus for the purpose of deteripining a policy for the committee. Harris: You have spoken wisely. We must use both silver and the tariff in my country or the “Populi” will snow us under. ’ The people are in earnest about silver, but they are getting a little of the tariff which has done them no good, and we have got to be vociferous for silver. We will vote for silver on all the bills and denounce any man that votes against it, and we are forced to be particularly severe on alt of you good standard men, which you always pard?on on account of our common motive to keep our parties in-line. Aldrich: I fully concur with all that is said by my brother from Ohio and rfiy dear friend from Tennessee. We must keep the tariff issue alive or both of our parties will die. There is no other issue upon which we can divide the people and prevent them from joining the populists and overthrowing our friends in Wall and Lombard streets. Everything is at stake in raising the war cry of freedom over the tariff. On that the north and south have always come together with a great crash that attracted the attention of the whole country. Let us strip the tariff bill of all embarressment by the plan suggested in the wise remarks of the senator from Ohio I agree. Jones (of Arkansas:) I am surprised to find my sentiments echoed and re echoed by each one of you. Arkansas is in a perilous condition. The populists are in earnest for silver, and our people are in earnest, and the only way we can get their votes and keep the democratic party alive, is to make them think we are really for silver, which we cando on the plan suggested by Mr. Sherman. The plan suits me exactly. CarIry out that program. Voorhees: I have always been profoundly impressed with the wisdom and patriotism which has developed in these joint cau-

cuses. They reflect the essence of good sense and statesmanship of both of our parties. And theirs combined is the highest wisdom which the republic or any other country on earth can produce. I am so thoroughly convinced that the senator from Ohio is sincere in all he says, and that he speaks the truth on all occasions, that I can without hesitation indorse anything he may say, in advance. I have equal confidence in my associates on the committee, and I am delighted that they follow the wise counsel of the great senator from the state adjoining my own. I have found it during my entire political life to be advantageous proper, and wise to be for every sound principle. I am for the | single gold standard and I am for the free coinage of silver. I am for a high tariff and I am for a low tariff. lam for free trade and I am for protection but I only use one of these principles at a time.

Allison: I would have made some suggestions earlier in the debate, but my sentiments were so well expressed by all of you that it seemed unnecessary to say anything. I am a bimetallist and. x am for the free coinage of silver whenever Great Britain says the word. I am apprehensive, however, that it would be unpleasant to Wall street for me under the present circumstances to vote for free coinage or any bill presented; but I can see the great propriety in having a bill upon which afree coinage amendment can be placed voted for and against without offending anybody, that is, those who have been in the habit of voting that way. As for the tariff issue, I have always been in favor of that issue, and I have judiciously balanced on that issue to the entire satisfaction of the people of lowa. I and x no difficulty is adapting my course to what fren traders there are in my state and those who are protectionists. They understand me. I harmoize these matters and that is the way to do. Now with the tariff issue in the next campaign as the paramount issue, we can sort of harmonize all our silver friends and protection friends in our party, and you can harmonize all your free trade men and all your free silver men in your party, and we will continue to remain in power and see to it that the conservative, liberty-loving sentiments of Walland Lombard streets are not outraged.—Progressive Farmer.