Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-30
THEFIGHT FORSILVER
L. I. Neal in the Ohio Democratic
Convention.
IN TIE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS
Delegates to the Republican Presi-
dental Convention.
THIS YEARS AIGN

THIS YEARS. AIGN
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
COLUMBUS. Ohio. May %, 1894.
Lawrence T. Neal, the defeated demo-
cratic candidate for governor last year. will
probably be an interesting figure in the
democratic state convention this year. 1t
Is understood that he will go to the con-
vention prepared to fight for the insertion
In the platform of a free silver plank and
one denouncing the A. p. A. (anti-Catholic)
organization. Even while a candidate last
year he took issue with the President on
the silver question. He has long been
known as strong free silver coinage ad-
vocate. Mr.. Neal Is not Catholic, but he
hates the A. P. A. and in his campaign last
year he went out of his way to give the
organization an unmerciful scoring. In this
he will be opposed by the conservative ele-
ment of the party, who fear such a course
would split OFF from the party a large num-
Der who are anti-Catholic in sentiment but
who would still vote the party ticket but
for such a course as this. On the silver
question he will be opposed by the admins
tration democrats. led by ex-Gov. Camp
bell.
There Is not the shadow of a chance for
the democrats to carry the state this year,
so it does not make much difference what
they put IN their platform, so far as results
are concerned.
No steps have been taken yet by the dem
ocrats calling a state convention. They act
in regard to it as though they would be
glad IL the convention, campaign and cleo
ton were all over with. The republican
state convention meets here on the 9TH of
next month-less than two weeks from
now.
Congregational Districts.
The democrats have made but one nomi-
nation for Congress in this state so far
Congressman F. C. Layton has been re-
nominated in the fourth district, that in
which Senator Brice lives. 1t is significant
that the convention which nominated him
adopted platform that did not refer to the
national administration in any way what
ever. 1t declared for free silver and ad-
ministered a slight rebuke to Secretary
Smith by declaring that to remove an old
soldier from the pension rolls without first
giving him hearing was an outrage.
Ii is safe to say that there will not be as
many democrats in the next House from
Ohio as there are in the present House.
They will probably elect only four Repre-
sentatives-possioly they may carry five dis
tricts. They now have eleven of the TWEEN
ty-one members of the delegation. An old
democratic politician, who, II is but fair to
state, is thoroughly Disguised with the
work of his party in Congress, said to The
Star correspondent few days ago that he
did not believe his party would carry five
counties in the state this fall
1t is not at all improbable that Common
wealer Coxey will be elected to Congress.
The district in which he has been NOM
mated by the populists-the eighteenth-is
the strongest labor-union district in the
state. However the Coxey movement is
looked upon elsewhere, and by other people,
the people who make up the city trades as
1tN1f 4, xxvfrA
He will get far more votes in the district
than any democrat could. The democrats
realize it and will probably make no NOM
nation Naturally. the democratic vote
would go to Coxey, and if so he would prove
no mean rival to any republican in the dis
trict.
Nearly u Scandal.
The legislature. which has just ad-
journed sine die. narrowly avoided a scan
dal at its close. Indeed, the evidences of
the use of money in influencing legislation
are sufficient to make the matter good cam
paign material for the democrats. The
great national questions and the general
discomfort will entirely bury such matters
this year, but a year hence they will. no
doubt, bob up to materially aid Senator
Brice to elect democratic legislature. The
measures that tended to make the legisla-
ture malodorous were many, but the crown
close. 1t was the Earnhart bill to sell the
part of the Hooking canal that lies between
Jacksonville and Carroll to railroad COM
pany for roadbed. The vigor with which
the project was pushed in the senate, where
IL was first considered, was sufficient to in
dictate that there was big capital behind 1t.
1t passed the senate with but little stir, but
when it reached the house 1t found the
Hooking Valley Railroad Company arrayed
strongly against 1t. That company saw
that the new company intended, by getting
this valuable franchise, to build a parallel
line at very small expense.
The bill provided that the company should
pay the state for the canal $50, 1000 cash and
$1,000 per annum. In vain did few menu
bers urge that the property ought to be
sold to the highest bidder, and that all
should have the privilege of bidding it.
The Hooking Valley Railroad Company then
organized another company within itself to
counterfeit for the franchise. 1t was organ
lied in the office of Senator Brice, one of
the Hooking Valley directors in New York
Before the House committee the rival COM
panies quickly ran the bids for the canal up
to $4,000 cash and $4,000 annual rental,
and the Hooking Valley Company seemed
field in this way. Then came the sensational
scene in the House between Representatives
Sleeper and Griffin over the matter, in
which each called the other a liar, and Mr..
Sleeper declared that he had been offered
5000 to withdraw his support from the
bill The effect of this was to insure the
passage of the Earnhart bill The House
at once took steps looking to the investiga-
ton of the statements made by Mr.. Sleeper,
but the next day 1t was all stopped upon
modified and apologize statements being
made by both gentlemen. This peculiar ter
mination of the matter led many to suspect
that the parts taken by Sleeper and Griffin
were mere byplay. enacted for effect, and
that they were both In favor of the bill.
However this may be. 1t is certain that the
scene they put on was what carried the bill
through the House and made 1t a law.
Now comes the story that the scheme to
build this new road has been conceived by
Judge Stevenson Burke, against whom the
Hooking Valley Company is pushing an
S, 600, 600 suit in the courts. with good pros
poets of getting judgment that will stick
Judge Burke is financier of wonderful
resources, and the story that he has in
vented this scheme of cheap paralleling the
line owned by the company that is pushing
him so hard in the courts is at least quite
probable. The passage Of the bill had the
effect of sending Hooking Valley stock down
several points, and such a cudgel as this
in the hands of Judge Burke over the head
of the Hooking Valley would, no doubt
enable him to secure a much more favorable
settlement of the suit than he would be
likely to get in the courts.
Selecting National Delegates.