The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-05

CHICAGO, July 4.-The distracting
din of the Fourth Of July celebration
but added to the confusion and chaos
in the political storm center today. The
hotel corridors were choked with push
ing, perspiring crowds and vocal with
contentious wrangling; the headquar-
tiers of the various candidates swarmed
with delegates and boomers; myster-
ious conferences between silver leaders
and gold leaders occurred in secret
chambers of the hotels, and though
| the campaign bands and ShouterS have
not yet arrived in force, the Democrat
ic national convention is in possession
of the city. AS the convention tum-
bIes on like a stream, frothing and
swirling with its whirlpools and eddies,
| to its destiny, there is
BUT ONE SURE GOAL.
1t is running with force and I'M
petuosity that nothing can check or
turn aside to a free silver declaration.
That is certain. For the rest, all is
most inextricable confusion. The gold
men trained their guns on the enemy
today, but they had as well have been
shotted with paper wads. The dis
charges made considerable noise, but
their effect was as harmless and al
most as hopeless as firing pistols at an
armor-clad battleship.
Ex-Secretary Whitney, who entered
Chicago four years ago with naughty
step to crush the opposition to Cleve-
land, assumed the leadership Of the
gold forces Although the laurels OF
his old victory still chung to him, he
is no conquering hero now. He leads
a forlorn hope. Nevertheless, he set
his iieutenants to work and all day MS
aide de camps have been flying hither
and thither, seeking a weak point in
the lines of the silver forces. They
perfected plans to do missionary work
among the delegations.
The hotel corridors were filled with
their agents laboring to convince the
silver men that announcement for
silver
WAS A FATAL BLUNDER
that could only consign the party to
defeat, perhaps oblivion.
But Mr.. Whitney, who came here
with the declaration that the silver
men must listen to reason, when they
ascertained the strong feelings or the
east on the subject, found himself con-
fronted everywhere with the argument
that he and the gold men of the east
were the heretics. Arguments having
failed, some of the gold men tried
threats. Ex-Governor Flower of New
York and Colonel John R. Fellows
openly announced that they would not
support a. free silver candidate, and
even intimated that the gold men
should bolt. But Senator Hill ex-Gov-
ernor Russell of Massachusetts,, Chair
man Harrity, Ben Cable Of Illinois,
Bynum of Indiana and others
FROwNED UPON SUCH THREATS
at this stage of the proceedings, and
while this talk of boiling is naturally
rife today, from present indications
there will be no physical withdrawal
/ from the convention. Some OF the most
radical of the gold men, however, are
strongly inclined TO give up the game
and walk out, but they are being re-
strained. Whitney and the leaders
grew very mysterious later in the day
and whispered wait" to their down
hearted followers. What they can
hope to accomplish later no one KNOWS
| Those who feel disposed to bolt are be-
coming convinced that there is no hope
| of preventing a free silver platform
| and intimate that they should welcome
| the nomination of Teller The nomina-
/ ton of a silver Republican would give
! them the coveted excuse for support
! ing as between two Republicans one
4 who upheld the financial policy upon
which they believe the commercial
prosperity Of the country depends
/ Some of the silver men were exceed
| inrIv angry at the talk Of ruin and dis
aster which emanated from the New
York headquarters, and Senator BLACK
b11rn recalled the irony of fate which
made those headquarters today, as they
were four years ago, the
SOURCE OF PREDICTIONS OF De
FEAT.
Then Hill. Fellows and Cochran
made the welkin ring with their pro-
tests against the nomination Of man
who swept the country from ocean to
ocean" Today he said history was
repeating itself and these same men
were attempting to undermine the IS
sue and destroy the only chance the
Democracy had Of success TINS year.
The net result Of the arrival OF the gold
contingent today, strange to say. IS
an ACQUISITION of strength to the silver,
not the gold forces. The former claim.
now six votes in Minnesota, six in
Florida. four in Maryland. and even
some promise in the far east. From
! Massachusetts comes the news that SIX
of the delegates are for silver, headed
by George Fred Williams, who four
wears ago wept in the House of Repre-
elected speaker. Other votes are
claimed in Maine and Delaware dele
cations and it is said there would be
Silver votes from New York and Penn
sylvania were the delegations not
locked up with the unit rule.
IS GLOOMY.
Ex-Congressman John E. Russell, OF
Massachusetts, who is gold man.,
takes a gloomy view of the situation
from his standpoint. The American
people" said he, ARE determined to
try free coinage. The fever is in their
blood and they will have it. We who
believe in the maintenance of the gold
standard might as well take to our
cyclone cellars for they can not be
thwarted.'
AS graceful way of showing
their appreciation for Williams
stand for free silver in the old
bay state, it is possible that silver Lead