The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-16
OCALA FULL OF DEMOCRATS.
THE STATE CONVENTION TO BE-
GIN WORK TODAY.

The Fight Between the sound
Money Men and the siIVcritcs sure
to Be Spirited-The Free Coinage
Element Expected 10 Wage IA Bit
ter War Against BIoNham for
Governor and ChipIcy for United
States Senator.
Ocala, Fla. June 15.-The democratic
state convention meets here tomorrow,
and. from present indications the course
OF democratic true love will hardly flow
smooth. The swollen growth of the free
silver fallacy in other states has inspired
Florida silverites with renewed fervor.
and more than one silver man in town
tonight has openly announced his in
tention of smashing the slate" This
means that the silver issue snap is to
be sprung on such men as Controller
BloNham and Col. Chipley. who are the
leading candidates for governor and the
United States Senate, respectively. But
this scheme viii probably prove aboruve.
1t is not only that such counties as Du-
val, Escambia and Hillsborough.
which will march into the convention
with the heavy vote, are irrevocably
committed to the cause of sound money.
but that a large number of the smaller
counties, whose people are ferocious sill
verites,, have sent here delegations in
structed for BlOXham.
With the larger counties on the gold
standard side and the smaller counties
hopelessly divided the silver men will
ma IL difficult TO 'snag' the convention,
or to spike the guns already loaded for
BloNham and Chipley.
Considerable comment was exerted to-
night by the high-handed manner in
which the caucus of the silver shriekers
shut out from their profound deHbera-
tlons every newspaper man not in accord
with their peculiar views.
The town tonight is thronged and
nearly every prominent politician in the
state is either here or on the wing. Col.
Chipley and Senator Pasco will be here
in the morning, and by tomorrow after
noon the convention will be In full swns
moving down delegates and unseaung
contesting delegation.
The state executive committee called
itself together at 4 o'clock this after
noon with S. NJ. Sparkman in the chair.
Nine members We're present and r.. Ran
dolph Tucker and L. T. Pons were chosen
secretary.
J. p. .Taliaferro moved that Monroe
county be allowed four delegates and
recommended that two additional
delegates be allowed. 1t was also
unanimously agreed that four delegates
be accorded DuYal county. The secretary
was instructed to prepare a fun list of
the delegates, after which the committee
adjourned until tomorrow morning.
The candidates are already covering the
ground and prominent amOng them are
i. c. Fisher of Clay county, who Is out
for attorney general and J. f. Baya of
Columbia, who is an aspirant for the po-
siuon of state treasurer Messrs. Baya
and Fisher have hosts Of friends here
and the latter is especially heavily re-en-
forced.
In the silverite caucus tonight. after
Gen. Bullock had made a speech, Mr.
Palmer Of Columbia moved that all re-
porters and persons not in sympathy with
the object of the caucus retire, but only
Editor Melton of the Ocala Daily News
walked out. MesSrs. Palmer, BrOome
and Carlisle made speeches urging the
adoption of Mr.. Palmer's resolution, con-
demning the gold standard and advocat-
ing free coinage Of silver at 16 to l.
and that all debts, public and private,
should be paid in silver, thus knocking
out the gold bonds.
Mr.. Palmer's other resolution urged that
no men should be sent to the national
convention as delegates except pronounced
and Well-known silver men.
Mr.. Montgomery favored polling the
counties, and for a declaration of the del
egateS on 10 to !, and also on all state
candidates. but this plan was not adopt
ed. Tho roll OF the counties was
then he 1,,,. called 80, on silver sentiment
Columbia, Duval 90, Gadsden, fernando
Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Mad
ison, Marion, Osceola, Putnam, st. Johns,
Sumter, Suwanee, Taylor, Waculla and
Pasco counties, with 1853 votes, favored sill
yer. Nolusia, on account of a contest,
was excluded, although for silver.
rough, Calhoun, Bradford and the re-
mainder of the counties are uninstructed
There was considerable diversity
counties, some of the dele
gates being instructed for silver and also
for BloXham for governor. The BreVard
county delegates are instructed for sill
Yer, but not on state officers. Gadsden's
delegates are instructed to send silver
delegates to Chicago. They are not in
structed on state officers, but to adjourn
the convention and revert everything back
to the people for primaries, which would
be electing of state officials direct
Hillsborough's delegates are not in
structed for silver, though there is a sill
yer sentiment in the minority. They are
instructed to vote for the best democrats,
regardless of their money views
Lafayette's delegates are for silver but
vention DEGREES that all officers shall be
nominated on a silver basis Lafayettes
delegates are to vote that way.
Levy cOuntys delegates are instructed
for free silver national delegates, but not
on state officers.
Madison's delegates are not instructed
for silver.
orange county's delegates are unin-
structed, but are bound by the unit
rule. The delegates are divided on the
money question.
Putnam county only instructed for sill
yer on the national delegates.
St. Johns county's delegates are for
silver. A resolution was passed by the
caucus deferring all state nominations
until all the national committeeman are
selected and the state platform made.
Gen. Bullock was chairman of the sill
yer caucus, and Prof. Holloway secre-
tarY.