San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-06-07
THE NATIONAL DEMOCRACY.

dispatches convey but a faintidea ofthe
inner workings of the body. The two
points of interest, platform and vice.
presidency, are at this writing undis-
posed of. The German ring, by vote
of twenty-five to nineteen have car
ried their point and the tariff plank
will be the old plank of 1884 with an
adenda by the way of explanation,
which latter may not be altogether
acceptable to Barnum and GOrham
who are antagonizing any endorse
ment of the Mill's bill or of Cleveland's
tariff message. Advices received from
the White house may render it neces-
sary for the Gorham-Barnum majority
\ of the committee to yield their pref
erences and judgments to the wish of
Cleveland. All that was done yester-
| day was to nominate Cleveland, and
elect the permanent officers of the con-
ventiOn. The committee on platform
sent out of the convention at Up. m.
Tuesday had not completed their
work at midnight Wednesday night,
and even the tariff plank, upon which
an agreement was reached after
twenty-four hours hard fighting, is
not definitely settled. The commit
tee are very nearly evenly di-
vided, and Gorham is worrying the
Watterson crowd. When the COM
mittee voted upon chairman, Gorham
and Watterson not voting, the ballot
stood Gorham 20, WattersOn %; after
twenty-four hours wrestling on COM
mittee the Barnum-GOrham minority
had captured the committee and the
vote stood p for the principles advo-
Gated by GOrham and Barnum while
only 10 votes could be counted for the
WattersOn party. There does not
seem from present indications any de-
sire on the part of the eastern men to
make radical tariff platform. Free
trade extremes they will avoid as dam
gerous, and the policy of saying moth
ing and meaning less, or of saying
something and meaning anything,
will probably be adopted. Matters
are no nearer a conclusion in vice
presidential issues than in the other.
Thurman has the crowd with him,
but Gray's managers are very astute,
and Voorhees,, of Indiana, who is man
aging his canvass, is very old fox
and as cunning as old. The result
may be stampede either one way or
the other, or it may be a stubborn
fight to the finish. The last is not
considered probable by the Gray men
who are banking upon Thurman's as
sertion that he will withdraw from
the race if any considerable opposi-
ton manifests itselfto his nomination.
The "Old Roman will be nominated
on the first ballot or not at all.
This much is apparent. With the
exception of the nomination of Cleve-
land all is compromise. The conven-
ton in it's entirety stands for nothing.
1t has no well defined views on the
tariff question, such as are supposed
to dominate a great party undertake
ing control and direction of national
affairs, both legislative and executive.
All aimed at is to put such platform
before the country as will catch most
votes and leave the party leaders free
to work their own will in the carrying
out of convention promises, which,
having been made only as comprom-
ises, are not considered of any special
ly binding nature. The committee on
resolutions is hopelessly divided in
sentiment upon the pOlicyO of the party
in its most vital issues, but they will
smother their differences of opinion
and bring in compromise platform
which will mean nothing, please no
one, and 90 through with a whOOp
and hurrah, in order to make be-
lieve that it is genuinely acceptable.
Every effort will be made to prevent
any discussion of the platform in open
convention, for it is clearly seen that
if minority and majority report are
submitted, the convention will be
ripped from Dan to Beersheba. Very
crafty, polite, long-headed and tricky
politicians are managing the conven-
ton, and having no principles to fight
for, only success at the polls, will haz-