The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-17
old DEMOCRACY is GOING
Silver Has About Wipea Out the
Party in Louisiana.
POLITICIANS ARE SWAMPED
The New Organization VIII Probably
Label Itself Democracy. but the
Leaders and Rank and File VIII
All lie for Free silver.


All he for Free Silver.
New Orleans, June 1i.-Louisiana
politics werenever in more complicated
condition than they are today, and IL
looks as If it would never be possible
to get the Democracy together again
in harmony. At the last state election
the party split into two bitterly hostile
factions, and there We're two full DEM
ocratic state and local tickets in the
field. The old bitterness of the anti
lottery and lottery Democratic still sur
wives. Then there are the sugar bolt
and the desertion of nearly the entire
sugar-planting interest to the Repub-
leans. the opposition to the governor
and state administration, and the oppo-
sition to Cleveland and his policy.
which is very strong again; there is the
Ballot Reform league. very powerful
organization. which has entered the
field in the last few weeks to get rid of
the present corrupt election laws of
the state, and has announced its pur-
pose to pay no attention to party lines,
but to support any party or faction
which will vote for honest elections.
With one-thlrd of the white vote of the
state gone over to the Populists and
another considerable fraction lost to
the Republicans on the sugar ques-
tion. the Democratic outlook Is not
promising, and the introduction of the
silver question into local politics. the
politicians say, will cause still further
division and render defeat certain.
Nearly the entire political element in
the state was opposed to bringing out
the silver issue just now. All the fed
eral officials, of course. were opposed to
1t. as they had been warned that any
leaning on their part toward silver
would mean their discharge.
OF the representatives, Meyer and
Price are against free silver. Buck and
Robertson doubling, but refusing 20
give in to a call for a silver conven-
tion. Boatner is an international BIZ
metalAst and therefore opposed to the
prevailing silver sentiment of his
state, leaving Ogden the only member
from Louisiana in favor of a conven-
ton to consider the free coinage ques-
tion and force it into state politics.
No Backing from Politicians.
1t will be seen, therefore, that the
movement here had very little back
ing from the politicians, who, indeed.
feared the issue and tried to crowd
it down. When, however. a call was
made for a silver convention to meet
in New orleans on June 10, 1t aroused
a popular sentiment that was alto
gether unexpected Everywhere in the
were large and enthusiastic. The con-
vention which assembled in New Or
leans was one of the largest ever as
sembled in the state, and one of the
most representative and influential
Only a few days intervened between
the call and the convention, but these
few days saw the silver boom obtain
such proportions that the politicians all
made for It.
There had already been a very strong
silver sentiment in New Orleans among
the commercial and middle classes.
These acquisitions leave no doubt as to
the fact that a majority of the voters
in New Orleans are for free coinage,
and it is generally recognized that the
politicians would not have come over
had they not thought that the silver
movement would win.
The country politicians have also
Joined the movement and many who
have hitherto maintained a neutral or
conservative position declared for free
silver.
The convention itself was a hurrah
affair. 1t listened to speeches, adopted
resolutions. elected $50 delegates to the
bimetalllc convention in Memphis; but
the chief work was the organization Of
bimetallic league and the appoint
ment of an executive committee. This
committee contains very few politi-
clans. Its president, Ashton Phelps, Is
a retired cotton merchant, although
young man, well to do. thoroughly in
dependent in politics. and with no po-
litical ambitions. The committee has
got promptly to work and issued an adj
dress to the people of the state, and has
gone to work to organize systematically
the silver sentiment of Louisiana.
New Party and Platform.
This has caused n sensation, and al
ready there are cries that the move
ment means a new party based on a sill
yer platform. The address of the ex-
ecutive committee appeals to all the
white voters of Louisiana to join the
ranks of those who are contcnding for
the reconciliation and the free coin
age of silver, and the league expects
to win back the 10000 white voters who
have gone over to Populism. 1t has
taken up the cry of ballot reform, and
its two principal planks will be honest
elections and the free coinage of silver.
1t proposes th5rt ehese and all other
questions, as well as the nominations of
candidates. shall be submitted to n
primary Of the white voters of Lousi-
anna, and that all white voters shall
be permitted to participate in the cleo
tions, whether Republicans, Populists.
or Democrats.
In many respects the organization
will be new party composed Of the
white voters of the state without re-