New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-19
THE PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRACY.


|
| THE PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRACY.
GATHERING IN WHICH SENATOR WALLACE AND
| SPEAKER RANDALL CHOSE NOT TO APPEAR-THE
GREAT REFoRNERs INTERESTS WELL LOOKED
| AFTER-FINANCJiL wANDERISGs OF THE KEY
| STONE DEMOCRATS.
IFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRrBuSR.l
| HARRISBURG Penn, July III feel like apollo
giving in advance for referring again to 80 stupid
an affair as yesterdays Democratic State Conven-
tom but, lileless and wearsome as the gathering
was, there were some things IN its proceedings, or
rather in the influences which controlled its pro-
oeedings. that have bearing on the politics Of the
| next Presidential year, and may be probably ex-
am ned n little more closely. The convention, as
said by telegraph was allowed 70 run itself by the
rival party leaders, Wallace aud Randall Wallace's
term In the Senate is drawing to a close and he saw
no points which could be made in the game he has
! already begun to play for a reelection by taking
part in the convention, he remained at home and
| gave ont report Of illness which those believed
| who chose. He is known TO be opposed to Tilden,
but he is much too sagaciOus politician not to
| that open opposition to the claimant might react
dIsastrousy upon his only chances for another term
in the Senate. tie is not that he could con-
/ troll Pennsylvania against Tilden next year If he
were to try and while unsuccessful attempt
would he to ruin him, a successful one would
create anmosles that would be scarcely less fatal
| 10 his prospects for reelection. His determination
to keep out OF state politics this year does credit to
! his Scotch shrewdness.
MIR. Randall intended fortnight since TO 20 TO
the convention. If / were to hazard guess rs to
why he changed his plans, should say that IT was
because of two points he had thought Of trying TO
make, one looked impractcable if not undesirable,
and the other assured without effort on his
! part. The first pont-the adoption of a financial
| plank that would furnish a compromise ground on
which the Western and Eastern Democrats could
meet next year-dd not look feasible. because the
proposed plank was to consist of an attack on the
National banks, not square and direct ike Thur
mans assault of last year, not proposition to abo
ish their circulation but only to take away the in
! terest on their bonds. To adopt such plank and
put astrdc OF it as the candidate bank cashier
| would have been groteslue. Mr.. Barr has his
! dilacy thoroughly worked up and could not DO
! pushed aside without an angry struggle, If at all
Furthermore, 1t is quite possible that since his recent
consultations with Mr. Tilden, the Speaker may
have modified his and concluded that il just
as well not to offer any terms to the Western Demo-
cra.s on the money question. Ewing's defeat looks
inevitable. The Greenback fever is abatng through
out the West resumption is justifying itself every
day in the revival of business and the recuperatiop
of industry. 1t may he that'AIr Tlden has quite
recently taken n fresh survey of the field and in>
formed Mr.. Randall that the best plan for 1880 is
to hold the party down to its platform of 1876 and
| let the soft-money fools go their own way. This
explanation Is strengthened by the fact that the
Bars. who undoubtedly shaped the platform, were
universally understood TO be ntrusted with SIR.
! TIldens interests in the convention.
Mr.. Randaps second point was TO secure the lay
ing of wires to help Tilden get the Pennsylvania
delegation 10 the National Convention. and this was
done just as as well by the Bars as 1t could have
been by the Speaker himself The PiHsburg Post,
owned and edited by tho Barr family, came out
openly for Tilden some time ago. and there is no
doubt that he count on the zeal and fidelity of
all the members Of the family, including the nomi
nee for State Treasurer. The extraordinary action
of the convention in declining to choose chairman
for tho State Committee and placing the selection
I'm the hands Of Mr.. ID. o. Barr and Congressman
Coffroth, was an evident move In 1ildens interest.
In vain did one of the Lancaster delegates protest
that the craftsmanship was a more important
Office than the Treasurership and that
the convention would better select the
committees chairman and let him name
the candidate than take the course proposed the
business was set up in advance and pushed through
| without difficulty against an unorgsnized opposi-
ton. With an active 1ilden man at the head of the
|
tagonized in positive way by Wallace, it will be
strange If the Pennsy vania delegation Is not 80
| cured for the Great Clpherer.
| Iiden rs not as strong throughout the state as
had been lod TO suppose 0y talk last week Win
| number OF his friends Ia Philadelphia. There Is
| nretty strong antagonism to him even in Eastern
Pennsylyania and IN the West, where the influence
of Ohio soft-moGey MOTTO 8 Is still felt the opposi-
lion /, quite prominent. The Eastern Democrats
are very fond of Bayard. and the western men lean
toward Thurman. should Judge. from the talk OF
delegates To Yesterdays convention, that majority
of the Pennsylvania Democrats would prefer some
other candidate than Tilden: Nevertheless. all
the cool-headed leaders admit that he has
| a twist Oh tho party which makes ms
nomination almost unavoidable, One OF them
nut the case concisely IL the following words
-Four party believes that Mr.. Tilden was elected in
1870. and we think many Republicans are of tho
same opinion. This belief Is positive force IN our
| favor OF great importance If we Tonominate MN.
ourselves open to the charge of hypocrisy Tor our
adyersares viii say that we bad no faith ID our
claim that he was nghtiuiiy elected before. nus,
YOU see the logic of the position we have been taxing
since 1877 requires us TO give Dir. Illden another
chance to be President IT,. :. -
voI, have seeu for hard money sans phrase. There
IA no double meaning to be read III the hhes Oh ne
tween tine lines. Ii declares for currency or g9d
aud ,ilyer and paper convertible into coin. mat
smob a plank should emanate from aconyention con-
rolled by the Bars 10 curious ILLUSTRATION % inc
mutations of politics. Fur many years the Bars,
through their newspaper. 1he Fost he'd The Green,
baoI movement inside the Democratic party, and
when. in 1878, the overflow of soft-money opinion
| s,nm Ohio saturated Western Pennsylvania, they
! anneared I'm the State Convention at Erie rs the
ekSmpions Of a rag-money platform, They carried
tie day. too, with the help of the delegates from
the coal and lumber regions east OF the mountain!
to the National Greenback party. The Erie con-
yention demanded " that all National bank eircu;
Iation be promptly and permanently retired anu
mi issued In their place, spoke out
for the extinction Of the National banks" and the
establishments Of State banks Of discount and de-
| T. II "A Government
Heanal TO the wants Of trade do not know that
D. .. Barr, himself banker, approved that plat