The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-14
LOTS OF FREE SILVER TALK.
What Is said About the Proposed
Convention In Illinois.

Washington. April l3-The convention
which IS TO be held by the Illinois dem
ocrats on the 5th Of June is attracting
considerable attention just now. This
is not remarkable when IL is understood
that that means the first step toward
committing the democratic party TO the
free coinage Of silver as a national issue
This is the real intention OF the men who
are interested in holding the convention.
The convention viii be one Of the largest
ever nelQ N tne state " viii Aullntl ~
least 200 delegates and 10 Is expected
that IL will be OFerW helmingly ln favor OF
free silver. Seven-tenrhs of the demo-
cratic members of the Illinois legislature,
which Is now In session. have already Qe-
clared f6r silver and although the admin
istration democrats will make persistent
and vigorous ngnt 20 stem the ude. ~ ~
not expected that they VIII be successful
Col Morrison. the well known tariM re-
former and the interstate commerce COM
missioner. who has gone 10 his home
for the purpose of averuug the Impending
action OF the convention, VIII, u Is said. be
in hopeless minority. He VII have upon
his side such aggressive ngnleis as sen
ator Palmer. eX-RepresentatiVe cable ana
eN-RepresentatiVe FOrman. but IL Is doubt
full II he can rally more OF the leaders than
is included in this meager list on the
other hand Gen. John g.. Black, the eN-
pension commissioner, and now the district
attorney for the Northern district 81 lln.
nOis. has declared for iree silver anu
so have a large number Of other demo
Gratis who might have been expected 10
stand BY the President in the latter's ei-
forts to prevent the Illinois democrats from
going over into the free silver camp.
If this convention should DO nothing
more than adopt a silver platform the
situation would nos De serious ~ p
known. however that 10 IS the intention
of the promoters of the scheme 10 ran
the silver sentiment Of the middle west
ern states into a fame and finally hold a
national currency convention IN chicago
next fall. At this convention a combi-
nation will be effected, II possible, 70
dominate the next national presidentlal
convention by the silver men Of the Wcst
and south. and thus force the Democratic
party. as a whole, to put sixteen to one
free coinage plank In the platform. Thls
Is the programme which is now being en-
gineered. 1t is no wonder that the bust
ness men of Chicago. irrespective OF
party called upon the President to visit
that city and make a sound money al
dress.
are back Of the silver movement that
they can pilot the Democratic party TO
success at the polls IN 1896 by the heroic
method Of adopting the silver plank. Ihey
say that If they do nothing more IN the
direction of advocating the freer use OF
silver than the Republican party VIII do,
they cannot hope to win. because the
people will take the republican candidate,
while the pOpuhsts will go to some silver
candidate and between the two mill
stones the democrats will be crushed.
In this programme. OF course, the east
regarded as already republican, and no
attempt will be made to reclaim il for the
democratic column.
The outcome of this movement viii be
70 force Senator Allison to the front as
The presidential candidate. II the demo-
Gratis make up their ticket with western
man at the head, 1t will be impolitic for
the republicans to take an extreme east
ern man like Reed. Gov. Mckinley is a
WESTERN man, but il is considered
that he Is too closely allied with the ex-
treme high tariff TO be good running
candidate. Anti-silver democrats would
not vote for him. Neither would they vote
for a silver democrat. 1t Is thought
however, that they would vote for man
like Allison. who is fair upon the money
question and inclined to be liberal on
the tariff. 1t is not at all unlikely that
Allison would get as many sound money
democratic votes as the silver democrat
would draw from the republicans.
1t can easily be seen, therefore, that for
the next few months the situation will be
fraught with vital interest to the future
of the democratic party.