Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-10
r HREE TIC KET
That Number Nay Be in the Pres.
idential Field.
SILVER OR GOLD MEN WILL Bolt
Ono Congressman's Views on Prob
able Splits in Both Conventions.
THE CHANCES OF WINNING

The election of three such strong silver
men as Senators Brown and Cannon and
Representative Allen as delegates-at-large
from Utah to the national republican con-
vention causes additional speculation as to
the attitude the western delegates will as
sumo at the convention. This spec
ulation grows spicy and of absorbing in
terest in view of the fact that all appear
ances now indicate the nomination of Nc
Kinley. Senator Teller. one of the most
radical of the silver republicans. predicts
this, but 1T is significant that there is moth
ing coupled with his prediction favorable
to the nominee carrying the west. In fact,
the Senator expressly asserts that II there
Is no recognition of silver by the conven-
ton and the nominee, Colorado, which he
can speak for. will vote for silver man,
just as it voted for Weaver in 1892.
May Lead a Bolt.
Senators Brown and Cannon and Repre-
sentative Allen have been regarded for
months as among the men who would lead
a bolt of the western delegates at st.
Louis. They have not been as open in
their advocacy of bolt as Senator Till
man has about the democratic party, but
all they have said has left plain infer
ence. Public sentiment in Utah is back of
them. During the last few months, since
the launching OF the silver party here.
thousands of republican and democratic
voters in the new state have signed pledges
that they will not vote for any candidate
unless he Is for silver at the favorite ratio
fixed by the silver men. The lists of the
men SO pledging themselves have been pub
lished in the papers of the state. These
signed pledges, and the feeling Of the voters
in favor of bolt are admitted by the
Utah Congressman.
A Star reporter who asked Representa-
tive Allen what would be the position of
the delegates from his state was told that
it was too early to talk on the subject.
Ask almost any other silver Senator or
Representative from the west the same
thing ard he will make practically the
same reply. The attitude Of these men is
Identical with that of certain southern sill
yer democrats. Outside Of ex-Speaker Crisp
and a few others. very few Of them will Say
they will support the nominee If he is for
the single gold standard. majority of
those who talk openly on the subject de-
clare that they will not support such
nominee The non-talkative ones are the
men, 1t is claimed. who will be mere apt
to do the boiling than the laxative fellows.
They know what their people think, and
they are simply waiting, not desiring to
commit themselves to a position from
which they might want to become extri-
Gated or which they might want to alter.
May Be Three Tickets.
The various phases involved lead to the
belief on the part Of many presumably
shrewd politicians that there may be three
tickets in the field, not including the prob
ability of a populist or silver ticket. 81 do
not know 1t ALL" said Congressman, talk
ing on this subject, but there are lots of
things which point to three tickets III the
field this year, and three only. If you will
listen to me few minutes Will give you
my analysis Of the outlook, and l may say
that am not the only one who holds that
these ideas are as likely to be facts as
that anything else may take place.
Assuming that the nomination of Nc
kiniey Is certainty, that carries wl,h it
the adoption of a platform on the financial
question which will be a straddle, or which
will be more favorable to silver than will
be suitable to the gold monometallists 1t
will either be this or a straight thing
against sily er. Neither partial recognition
Of silver, a declaration against it nor
straddle will suit the western silver men.
They want direct recognition of silver
or nothing. Again, there is a doubt wheth-
er they would have confidence in Mckinley,
no matter what promises were made or
what the platform was.
Now, take the democratic convention
1t is a two to one bet that there will be a
split there. Either the silver or gold men
will walk out of the convention. Nothing
but positive declaration on the financial
question will suit either side. Take your
choice as to which side goes out, and it
will not alter what l am going to say
Take 1t that the silver men will walk out.
This will throw them into the position of
having to nominate a ticket of their own
or going to the new silver party. If the
gold men control they will nominate a tick
ct, and If they do not control they will
also nominate a ticket. Now, every
body body knows that If there is such a
are more favorable to it than the demo-
Gratis. Gold recommendation is more ram
pant among the opponents of silver in the
democratic ranks than in the republican.
Suppose, now, that what predict takes
place at st. Louis and that the silver men
bolt or refuse to support the nominees? Sup
pose the silver men control at Chicago and
nominate silver men? Suppose the gold
put up candidates on a single gold standard
platform. Where will this leave matters ?
1t leaves three tickets in the field-one for
silver, one for gold recommendation and
another for the more liberal use of both
metals, the latter, however, mistrusted by
the extremists of both parties, but carrying
with it the vast number of men who think
there Is medium and safe position be-
tween the extremes"
Chances of the Three Tickets.
"What about the chances of each of the
three parties?'
"Well, it would be idle guess work to
talk on that now. My idea is that the re-
publicans would stick together; that is, all
the elements except the silver people. The
democratic gold men would support their
ticket, while the silverites of all parties
would support a genuine silver democrat,
one Of whom they had no fears or suspf-
cions There is much for study in this
question. I believe the south and west
would support the silver man, backed pos
sibly by Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana
The gold men might carry New York, New
Jersey and few other states. The repub-
licans would carry the balance.
Events can and may take place which
will change my ideas Of the situation, but
do not know of any change, unless it
should be that the western men will be in
duced to join the Mckinley landslide, I'M
der promises that he will be a friend to
silver. Should that take place, and the
people are with the leaders, then Mckinley
will have as much of a walkover in the
November election as he seems to be hav-
ing in delegate getting. But there is no
reason for supposing that the western del
egates are going to find anything seductive
in McKinley's views, or in the platform
which he will be likely to stand upon. They
have not so far given the slightest init
nation that they will be tickled. On the
other hand, western papers condemned the