Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-21
COLONEL o'FERRALL EXPLAINS.
why Cleveland Would Run on a Free
Silver Platform,

SlFtF ldlibih'
The World representative called upon
Mr.. O'Ferrall to learn his views in regard
to Mr.. Clcvelands candidacy.
THE significance of the remarks that |
made Yesterday" said Mr. OEerrall, rs
simply this: am a Democrat and | think
Grover Cleveland Is a Democrat. l am IN
favor of the tree coinage OF silver and /
have been so ever since ] occupied a seat in
the House. Mr.. Cleveland is opposed TO tho
! free coinage of silver at present, and, so far
as know. ne has always been and perhaps
ALWAYS will be. But as an individual men,
| Der Of the Democratic party he has perfect
right TO hold and express his own opinion
| on any particular subject, just as | have.
| When said Yesterday that MIR. Cleveland,
| in NV opinion, would stand on whatever
platform the next Democratic National
Convention might construct, even though
| the free coinage of silver would he one Of
| its main planks. l simply meant that / be-
| lieyed Mr.. Cleveland was a Democrat and
would bow 10 the Democratic platform
and the Democratic party just as l would.
| ] am, as have already said in favor Of the
I free coinage of silver, but if the next
Democratic National Convention should
| ADOPT a platform containing a gold PLANK
| I am Democrat enough to stand on the
platform.
Il did not speak as the special repre-
sentative of Mr.. Cleveland IN any sense. /
spoke as one Democrat who thought he
( could answer for another Democrats de-
| votion to the principles and the platform
( Of the Democratic party. have no reason
/ on reflection 90 modify IN any way the
! statements that / made in the heat of de-
\ bate Yesterday. | feel perfectly certain
| that before Mr.. Cleveland wrote that anti
I silver letter he was practically the only
man thought of by the Democracy
| of the country as the next presi-
/ dental candidate OF the party. / be-
! lieye also that if the National Convention
! had been held before that letter had been
! written nine tentbs of all the votes would
/ have been cast for Grover Cleveland on
! the first ballot.
| CLEVELAND STILL HIS CHOICE.
! ~ AN perfectly free to admit that l
! don't know what may be the effect of that
/ letter. and therefore, as / said yesterday, /
! don't know who may be the Democratic
! candidate.
zone thing will say for myself II the
! next national convention of the Demo
] cratic party should insert in its platform a
| gold plank my preference for candidate
! would he Cleveland and, on the other
| hand, if the platform should contain a
| free-silyer plank, and if Mr.. Cleveland
I would undertake to stand on that plat
/ form, Mr.. Cleveland would still be my
! choice. While President Cleveland NAV
! have been al times open to the charge Of
mugwumpCry, ! cannot forget that he
/ was elected on Democratic plat
/ form which had ciyil-service reform
| for one Of its main planks. / must say,
! too, that within very short time after the
! Democratic Administration came into Of
| fee there was not a Republican postmaster
! left in my district except one, and thatwas
! at Woodstock. the residence of the late
| Senator Riddleber0cr. where senatorial
! courtesy as it Is called, prevented the re-
moval of the man before the expiration of
I his regular term If Office. And. above all.
| l cannot forget the fair play that Presi-
( dent Cleveland gave TO the South both
/ in the distribution of Offices and in
! the execution Of the laws He was the
! only President since the war who made
! the people Of the South feel that they
| were treated with anything like az Cquali-
/ ty with the people who live IN other sec
| tons. Everything considered | think
| will hardly be blamed for being a Cleye-
land man,
COLONEL Folks VIEWS.
| Colonel L. /. Polk, president Of tho M
/ tional Farmers Alliance and Industrial
| Union. who has Just returned from trip
through the South and Southwest. takes a
different view Of MIR. CleyCland's letter.
| He said to-day:
MIR. Cleveland, as a great political
/ leader of his party and as a true and con-
sistent friend of the money power, invites
and precipitates the inevitable The
friends OF financial reform, regardless Of
former party affiliations. will readily accept
the challenge thus thrown out and will
! vote in 1892 for men who are truly their
friends on these important questions.
Cleveland may, through the corrupt
manipulation of money and political in
trigue, be forced upon his party, but on
that point the Alliance people are little
concerned, for if he be the nominee Of any
| party lac viii utterly fail in securing tho
votes Of the industrial organizations Of the
1 country. No man viii got their votes for
| President of the United States unless he IL
In accord with them on the measures they
seek TO promote. To use popular phrase.
/ Mr. Cleveland has succeeded in placing
himself on the top shelf of back numbers.