Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-10-24
Factions In Politics.
FINANCIAL QUESTION Is TEAR
ING UP STATE DEMOCRACY.
Free Silver Men Mad and the Blmetal-
lists Disgusted-A Condition
Which the Leaders Appear
Unable to Settle.
From the st. Louis Chronicle.

From the st. Louis Chronicle.
HThe position of Missouri Democ-
racy," says a well known politician,
'sis not enviable just now. 1t has got
itself SO mixed and tied up on the
financial question that nothing but a
few years of oblivion can resuscitate it.
"Just look at the situation for q
moment. The Pertle Springs Con-
vention fastened us with grips Of
steel to Dick Bland and his policy of
free and unlimited coinage of silver at
16 to 1. There are thousands of silver
Democrats who do not believe in that
ratio, or, ~believeing in it, are DESTROYS
of limiting the coinage under it. Those
men are troubled and weary. They
can not agree with the present lead
ership, and do not wish to be read out
of the party.
"Col. John A. Knott of the State
Committee declares that two-thirds
of the bankers and business men favor
free silver, while others, claiming
equal knowledge, say that nine tenths
are against it. Mr.. Leverett Bell of
the gold bug committee says he was
astonished to find a majority of the
Merchants Exchange of st. Louis
favo rable to the free and unlimited
coinage of silver, while Maj. Bittinger
will lame you the most substantial
business Democrats of the Northeast
who will not vote the Democratic
ticket if the same is attached to a free
silver platform.
"Do you know what all this means?
Inevitable defeat for the ticket. There
is little use to talk about success if the
party is to enter this next campaign
hopelessly divided, no. matter how
popular the nominees may be. Of
what avail is the talk of compromise,
when compromise is impossible? If
all Democrats are to be measured by
the Pertle Springs platform, what is
to become of the b~imetallists, the
single standard men, and the Demo-
Gratis who are in favor of it all, except
unlimited coinage? 1t seems to me
that there are no conditions in sight
favorable to Democratic success.
sThe ticket is now of a secondary
consideration, for the first tune in the
history of Missouri. There is talk of
Lon Stephens, Auditor Seibert, Judge
Gibson, Harvey Salmon and Senator
Shelton for Governor, but
EACH REPRESENTS A FACTION.
"wiH the followers of Bland and
Stone vote and work for Shelton or
Seibert, knowing that neither of them
represents the complete and perfect
free silver SENTIMENT Will the op-
position vote and work for Lon Steph-
ems or Judge Gibson, knowing the ex-
tremity of their financial views? No,
sir, and in that event the Democratic
ticket is doomed to defeat.
'sTHE STATE COMMITTEE ITSELF
Is in a hopeless struggle for suprem-
acy. One-half of it is accused of meet
ing and organizing secretly, for the
dethronement of the other half. A
majority of the membership favors
free silver, but that majority was pur-
poseiy selected at Pertle Springs, to
defeat the bimetallist membership.
The new members are floundering
about with no authority IS yet to par
ticipate in the meetings of the old
committee, and altogether we are
torn to pieces.
Sin short, we shall have to get to-
gether quickly, If we expect to &C.
complish anything in the next state
campaign"