The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-05-30
THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
QUESTION IS NOW FAIRLY
OPEN, PRO AND CON.
CLEyELAND'S ANTI SILVER LET
TER HAS CAUSED SOME
LEADERS TO CUT LOOSE.
The Democratic Party, While Rather
Split, Has no Edge on the Repub-
licans, Who are Likewise in the
Throes of Agony-A Review
Of the Situation.

Forecasts and predictions regardin!
the next presidential election are becomin!
very numerous The preliminary cam
paign may be considered as open, an(
every day the situation is complicated
by fresh revelations of discord in Tho
political camps. One Of the effects Of
President Cleveand's anti-silyer letter
has been the cutting loose from the ad
ministration of several Democratic party
leaders. Senator Voorhees, and eX'
Sneaker Crisp have, in interviews de-
clared themselves in favor of free coin
age without international action, and Sen
ator Jones has expressed his conviction
that. the next national Democratic plat
form will contain a frank and radical
silver plank. While in the East the
Democratic papers confidently claim that
their party is overwhelmingly for sound
money" the Western organs of the party
warmly repudiate these representations
and are working hard to commit the
party to free silver. The division IN
the Republican ranks is hardly less pro-
nounced. ''The Republican party has
always been friendly to silver" say the
Western Republican papers. The Dem
ocratic split creates the Republican OPP
portunty," say the Eastern Republican
papers; "our platform and candidate
must be above any suspicion of heresy
on the money question" The situation
is accurately mirrored in the selections
presented below:
The Hast Will be Powerless in the
Conventions-"Th real leaders Of the
Democratic party-not Cleveland and his
coterie, but such men as Crisp, Voorhees,,
Vest, Blackburn. Vice President Steven
son and the like-appear to be deter
mined to force the free coinage question
to the fore and to make it, if possible,
the principal issue in the next election.
1t is shrewd, and it is designed to be
far-reaching, political movement. The
masses of the people Of all political par
ties in the Middle West, on this side of
the Mississippi and in the South are
largely in favor of the restoration of
silver TO an equality with gold in the
mint. In the East opinion is divided,
and while, if the truth were known,
it would probably be found that the
laboring masses there agree with their
Western brethren, still the press and poll
ticians of both parties in the Eastern
States, with a few exceptions, are con-
trolled by Wall Street influences.
Every one knows, however, that the
scepter of political power has passed
from the East. When the conventions
meet next year to nominate candidates
for president, if the silver question comes
to be the leading issue, the Eastern
States may find themselves isolated.
This is likely to be so, particularly in
the Democratic convention.
80 far as the Democratic party is
concerned, it looks as if the line of battle
has been drawn. In all political proba
bility the Democrats will declare for
free coinage at 16 to l without waiting
for international action, and they will
nominate n Western man in harmony
with that policy.
what, then, will the Republicans do?
Will they dare to do less! The Eastern
Republicans, with Reed and such men
at the head may think it wise to truckle
to the banking influence and to the East
ern press, which Wall street controls.
But the East will be as powerleSs in the
Republican convention to name n can
didate as in the Democratic convention.
More so, in fact, as the Republicans,
unlike the Democrats, do not observe the
two-thrds rule. The great West will
dominate the Republican convention, and
the delegates from the South will not be
under administration control. The
strength of the silver cause among the
people in the West and South will find
expression in the convention. The
Chronicle Rep), San Francisco.
Democracy VIII Triumph on a Free
Silver Platform.-"T tendency among
the Democrats is in favor of free silver
as the financial policy of the United
States, no matter what other nations
may see fit to do. The so-called sound
money Democrats will be found in the
tninnritv he thn tiuno fhn n tipuoI
ton assemblies. We look for n genuine
silver candidate for the presidency and
an unequivOcal declaration for the COM
plete restoration of silver, in the Demo
cratic platform.
''On the other hand, the Republican
party is so largely composed of gold men
and of that kind of protested bimetallists
that advocates an enlarged use of silver
which means merely an increased cir
culation of subsidiary coins, that its gen
uine silver supporters will be found in a
hopeless minority. A compromise will
be the best they can expect to effect
I'm the vigorous and honest advocacy
of silver and gold coinage, without dis
elimination against either metal or charge
for mintage, and Mt the ratio of 16 to 1.
independent of all foreign action. will
be the chief strength and hope of victory
of the Democratic campaign of 1885,
The Herald Dem.). Salt Lake City.
Democrats Must Adjust Their Differ
ences.-"The question of currency will be
the only issue in the campaign of '96. 1t is
all-absorbing, and as only one of the par
ties has its forces united on the subject.
that party being the Populists, who favor
free coinage of silver at ratio of 16 to 1,
it is going to take an active hand in the
contest and relieve the two older parties
of the exclusive handling of the question.
The Populsts will never win, but will
futter and disturb the waters. Demo
Gratis and Republicans of Populistic ten
denotes on the currency question may be
forced to the side of the Third party by
by unsatisfactory monetary planks in the
platforms, but they will only turn tenn
porarily and add confusion, doubt and
uncertainties, escaping responsibility for
the blunders of the successful party.
AS to the presidential timber, the Re-
publcans seem most concerned, and the
friends of the respective aspirants are
busy enumerating the strong parts of
the several. The hurrah element is shout.
ing for Tom Reed. The ultra-monopoly
protection element want Mckinley. The
ultra-gold sentiment of the East is call.
ing aloud the name of Morton, while the
'alf-and-alf tnanciers declare Allison to