The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-04-11
DEMOCRATS DESPOND.
All at Sea Over Candidates and
Issues.
HILL IS NOT IN THE RACE.
German Ii Playing u Deep Game-He has
Thrown Over Hin and Would Like TO
he the Residuary Legatee Of Cleveland
The Cleveland Boom.

WASHINGTON, April 11.-As the time set
for the Democratic National Convention
draws near, the chickering's among Demo-
Gratis in Washington steadily grow in
heat and bitterness, and the members of
the party are daily becoming more de-
spondent. While all Of them have the
same object in view-the capture of the
Presidency - they are becoming more
hopelessly divided every day in regard to
the means which should be used divided
not merely as to candidates, but in re-
spect TO questions of policy also. For ex-
ample, while all the Democratic repre-
sentatives in Congress are tariff re-
formers" they are divided into at
least three hostile factions. First, there
Jacobs ''reformers," who believed and
still believe that the only way for the
Democratic party to win was and is for
the Democratic majority In the House to
pass a bill for a general revision OF the
tariff on free trade lines; second, the "Hlll
Democrats" who believed and still be-
lievc that success can be won only by
making the "iniquitous Mckinley tariff
the object OF assault. and voting TO re-
store the state of affairs which existed
prior to October, 1890; and third, the
'.piece reformers,' who are having things
their own way just now.
The leaders Of any of these factions
believe that the other two factions are
stupid IL not dishonest, and that the
policy advocated by themselves is the
only one which offers any promise what
ever OF success; and they all alike point
to the result Of the Rhode Island election
as conclusive evidence of the strength and
wisdom of their respective position. The
fractional division on the silver question is
even more radical, and will be less easily
reconciled, and here again the leaders OF
the hostile factions point to the result OF
the Rhode Island election as a vindication
OF their respective policies. Both fac
tions have been forced reluctantly to adj
NIT that the silver question will be a live
issue in the Presidential campaign, and
that the Democratic party has been COM
mitted to the support of free coinage by
the Democratic majority in the House OF
Representatives.
But the matter that is giving the Dem
ocrats in Congress more trouble than
everything else, and which is tanning fac
tional quarrels to fever heat, is the selec-
ton of candidates for the Presidency and
Vice Presidency. There are few Demo-
Gratis in the hous who do not realize that
the tide turned against their party at
least three months ago, n has been ris-
ing higher every week since hat time. SO
That the present prospect of u victory in
November Is gloomy in the extreme.
-Four months & many of them felt con-
WINGED that David Ii. Hill was the ''com-
ing men :" they belle we'd that a Democrat
who could steal and keep one branch of
the New York Legislature would be in
vincible. They were quickly aud rudely
undeceived by the local elections in the
Empire State, by the proceedings Of the
New York City Bar Association, by Hills
audacious and indecent conduct in regard
to the Noyes-Rockwell election contest,
and last, but by no means least, by per-
sonal study ana observation of Hill him
self. Few, If any of them, now regard
Hill as a possibility, and some men, who
were proud to be counted among his sup
porters not many weeks ago. nave begun
to doubt il he will be able even to compass
the defeat of Cleveland in the national
convention. Probably that is the most
that even he and the few Democrats who
still remain true to him now expect.
There is good reason to believe that the
willy German, having sucked the Hill
orange dry, in his own opinion, is nearly
ready TO cast aside the refuse. He has
caused the Calumet Club of Baltimore
to hurrah for Cleveland, we'll knowing
that he can afford to do SO. for he will
carry the Maryland delegation to Chicago
I'm his pocket, There Is no doubt that
German is the second choice of most Of
the Southern Democrats who declared
for Hill early last winter, but some OF
them are not.