New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-11
DESPONDENT DEMOCRATS.
AT SEA OVER ISSUES AND CANDIDATES.
INDICATIONS OF ANOTHER ECLIPSE OF THE
CLEVELAND BoOM-HILL APPARENTLY NOT
IN THE RACE-GORMANs DEEP GAME
-REPUBIC>N PROSPECTS
ENCOURAGING.
tBY TELEGRApH 10 THE TRIBUNE J


| Washington, April 10.-As the time set for the
Democmc National Convention draws near, the blcker
ngs among Democrats in Washington steadily grow IN
heat and bitterness and the members Of the party are
! daily becoming more despondent. While All OF them
have The sane object I'm vcwthe capture OF the PHsi-
dency-they are becoming hopccssly divided every
! day in regard to the means which should be used
divided not merely as to candidates. but In respect 10
| questions Of policy also. For example. willie all the
Democratic Representatives in Congress are tariff re
formers" they are divided into least three hostile
factions. First there the real, Simon Pure, Original
Jacobs reormers" who believed and stl believe that
the only WY for the Democratic party win and
| Is for the Democratic majority in the House to pass
bill for general revision Of the tariff frce-ade
| lines: second. the III Democrats who believed
| and still believe that success can be won only by
| making the "in.quitous Mckinley aHI" the object
OF assault and voting to restore the state Of affairs
! which existed prior TO October, 1s9O and. third
| the piece pformerS," who having things their
| own way Just The leaders Of any Of
these factions believe that the other two factions
| are stupid II not dishonest and that the policy ad-
vOcated By themselves is the only which offers
any promise whatever Of success; and they all alike
point to the result OF the Rhode Island election as
| conclusive evidence of the strength and wisdom OF
| thdr respective positions. The factonal division on
the silver question Is radical. and VIII be
less easily reconced and here again the leaders OF
! the hostile factions point 10 the result Of the Rhode
| a
policies. Both factions have been forced reluctantly
to admit that the silver question will be a live issue
IN the Presidential campaign and that the Democratic
| party Las been committed TO the support Of free
coinage by the Democratic majority In the House Of
| Representatives.
But the matter that Is giving tie Democrats In
Congress trouble than everything clse and which
IS tanning iacuonal quarrcs to fever heat Is the So
lection of candidates for the Presidency ana Wee
| Presidency. There are few Democrats in the House
who do not realize that tl" tide turred against their
party ut least three months ago, and has been rising
higher every week since that time, 80 that the present
prospect OF victory In November + gloomy In the
extreme. -Four months ago many II them felt con
yln ed that David y. I'LL was the coming man
| they believed that a Democrat wAo could 4 al aud
keep one branch Of the New-Yorl. Legislature would
be invnciblc They were quichly and mdely unde-
cclycd by the local elections In tho Empire state, by
the procccilngs Of the Ncwl0r city Bar Association
by lll's uudacous and Ind cent conduct In regard t.
the Soyes Rockwell election contest and last but by
40 least. by personal study and ob.ervatlon
of I'M himself. Few II any of them now regard
I'm a. a possibility and some men, who were proud
to be counted among his supporters not many weeks
ago. lave begun to doubt II he VIII De able even to
Compass the defeat of Cleveland IN The National Con
vcnuon Probably thar /, the most that even he and
the few Democrats who stl remain true to him now
expect
There Is good reason to believe that tic willy Ger
man, having sucked the I orange dry, In lis own
opinion. Is nearly rady % cast aside tie rfuse. lie
hss caused tie Calumet Club Of Baltimore 10 huri7ih
for Cleveland. well knowing that be afford to do
so .or he ~rl carry The Maryland delegation to
Chlca.o In hi. poclct. There Is doubt that German
B. the second choice oi most Of the Southern Demo
cr, who declared f1r I'M early 'lst winter, but some
of them are not. one II the latter class SAID 70
Tribune correspondent to-day:
Gornan is playing deep and dangerous game
| 81
ton OF Farmers Alliance In the south 10 Cleveland
lie now pripoc, 10 use Cleveland to strengthen him
self G0rmau l. about the only Dcmocnt IN rS
country who can afford to feel resigned 10 the Demo
cratic o>ses In the elections in the West we'll as IN
New lork and Rhode lsland and do not believe that
the dsscnsions in Massachusetts AMI Indiana have
caused him lose any sleep. have reason to know
that both lie and Erlcc believe that neither Hl nor
Cleveland stands any cinncc OF getting the nOmiua
ton; bat do not know that Brice avor German.
and | am Inclined to believe that he does not, but
prefer, Western candifatc.'
The IA, rcmarl, cud, 10 confirm report which
has obr,lncd some currency here within the last few
DAY (, the eject that whatever alliance may have
existed A. one time between German and Brcc has
been dissolved and that the latter Will soon de
clare I'm favor Of some good Western man. II -
pretty certain that senator Brice docs not mean by
that phrase to describe Ex-Governor Campbell 1t
is equally certain That the name Of senator Inlmcr
hear, the same phrase.
Colonel Morrison has returned 10 Washington from
Cleveland missionary tour through Illinois and sew
cral other Western states, aud he IS understood 10
have assured lis friends that Cleveland Is strong
A. ever I'm that part OF the country. When Colonel
Norrisons attention Is called 10 the fact that senator
Palmer has ALREADY obtained delegates from a number
II counties In Illinois hc quietly rctortS that I'm The
recent elections the Republicans made heavy gains
wherever Palmer gained delegates. Colonel Morrison
of does not dwell upon the fact that the Eepnh
lean, have also made largo gain, in Oho. Michigan
Wisconsin and several other Western states where
Cc,elAldism Is supposed to dominate the Democratic
party. lie probably cares more. however about de
fcang Palmer than he does about aiding Cleveland
o obtain fc nomination. and the former Is no doubt
the easier well The more coneenil task
II tho remarks Of leading southwestern and Western
Dcmocrttic Representatives. within The last two or
three days fairly reflect Tho opinions Of their supporters
at home the Cleveland bonn is about to experience
another eclipse one Of them yesterday In c0nvcr,a
lion with "a Tribune correspondent. summed mp the
situation. and his statements cOl1cided closely with
remark, made by other DemocInts that they may be-
fairly quoted as an expression Of the opinions held
by a number Of careful and intelligent rs well Is
earnest and anXl)u political observers. lie said in
substance:
1t would be vain to deny that the party Is in n |
critical condition. that the outlook i, the
Of cheerful aud encouraging. The results of the local
elections In different States widely separated from one
another have been dsCOuraging. OF course such !
elections are often determined By local considerations
apart from party politics. but the fact remains that |
the general results have been unflvOrblc 10 uS aud |
cncoura sing to the Republicans. Thcn too. look mt
the result in Rhode Island. That battle was fonght
solely on the National issues. which are to control
the Presidential cOntcst-silvcr and the tariff. IL
WAS square fight and was rs holly fought US though
tie Presidency itself had been at stake Ii was test
not only Of silver and the tariH but also of the
strength and popularity Of cX-Prc'idcnt Cleveland.
who thrust hi, own great personality into the can
vass. The Democratic State Convention had declared
in hi, favor and, In Difference 10 that fact and the