The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-06-05
He MAY BE THEIR CHOICE
Circumstances Seem to Favor
Stevenson or Boies.
THE THIRD TERM SCARE GONE
Free Silver Democratic Sentiment is
Rapidly CrystaIIizing and There
is Now a Rush of
Candidates.

Washington, June Now that the
financial plank of the Democratic Ma
tional convention at Chicago is suf-
ticiently certain to satisfy mems
minds, the current of discussion
moves swiftly in the direction Of pres
idential candidates. The action of the
convention will be that, by a majority
Of at least $50 delegates, declaration
for free silver, probably specifying the
16 to / standard, will be made.
There will be 537 silver votes, and
changes in delegations are expected to
increase this number. The silver men
are almost beside themselves with Ella
ton. They are arrogant and uncom-
promising in their utterances. They
appear to feel that their battle is al
ready won, and they are not as rule
of the class who hold out the hand of
compromise in Il velvet glove. The
mailed hand instead is best suited to
their tastes and to the insolence of
their infieXible determination. 1t is
useless at present to argue with peo-
pie who more frequently than other
wise display the ardor of fanatics
rather than the calm refectiveness of
reason. They say: I'VE have sut-
fered long enough, and now that the
promised land is in sight, we do not
intend to tarry on the border.
THE SILVERITES' PROGRAMME.
[ have talked with a number of
Southern and Western silver Demo-
Gratis, and their programme is this:
1--WE are now certain of controlling
the Chicago convention by great ma
iority. Apparently, however, it is not
certain that there will be two-thlrds
of the convention sufficiently cour-
ageous to place themselves on record
souarely for silver. We hope and be-
lieye that after the Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois conventions there will be a
weakening in certain delegations that
now are opposed to free silver.
'1Ohio, according to all the lntorma-
ton from that State, will go to for
the white metal. Nearly every county
in Indiana will make a similar show
ing. and the probabilities are there
will be little more than a handful of
gold advocates at the Peoria conven-
slide in Kentucky will cross the Ohio
River and sweep the States on her
northern border. There are always
waverers who fall in with popular
tide, and for this reason we expect 10
control two-thirds vote. There Will
certainly be ma ority of 160 without
any of these anticipated breaks. The
platform is thus assured, 1t will be
for free silver coinage at 16 TO L.
The next step will be to place our
candidate for President before the
people. 1t will be necessary, perhaps,
to repeal the two-thirds rule. 1t there
are not two-thirds in the convention
ready to go as far as we wish towards
silver. a bare ma jority can repeal the
rule. and this will be done as surely as
there is heaven above us. The silver
men will form the plank and name
| the candidate
CANDIDATES MOST FAVORED.
/ have taken pains to ascertain the
trend of opinion as to candidates. L
| can be said that at the present time
| opinion has not sufficiently crystalizet
| to make the matter plain. Events have
passed so rapidly that even the most
| confident of the silverites have scarcely
| had time TO catch their breath.
The choice of a majority of the Dem
ocratic Senators of the silver wing OF
the party is for Vice-President Steven
son-that is, they feel kindly towards
him: theyappreciatehi his many excellent
qualities, and We're there no strong ar
euments against such a selection, there
would be a greater expression OF a de-
sire for his nomination than is heard
in public at the present time.
Stevenson is a silver man, pure and
simple. Hence Cleveland's antipathy
| TO him. He believes in free silver from
conviction, and is willing TO go about as
| far as the most radical of the silver
brethren. He has not, however, placed
himself squarely ON record publicly
This has given some offense to the rad
icals. who assert that in the hour OF
their triumph they will be recreant to
their principles if they do not chose a
tried friend of the cause who has borne
the brunt of past BATTLES.
President Stevenson informs
his friends that he has refrained from
expressing himself to the party from
d sense of duty and loyalty to William
r. Morrison, Illinois's favorite son I'M
der ordinary conditions. This senti-
ment, which is, of course, honorable to
Mr.. Stevenson, does not satisfy the
radicals, and they will have none of it.
Senator Morgan is one of the original
advocates of Mr.. Steyenson's candi-
dacy; but Mr.. Morgan has been run
over, as it were. by the growth of the
silver sentiment in his party, and there
are others who have as much self-asser-
tion as he who viii oppose Stevenson to
the last.
GOV. MATTHEW'S OUT OF TT.
Gov. Claude Matthews, according to
the radical silverites, has trimmed too
long and talked too much about Euro
pean agreement" and ''free silver as a
future contingency" They say that he
has got down from the fence at last,
but the same reasons that apply
against Vice-President Stevenson hold
against him with even greater force.
The silver radicals laugh derisively
at the mention of Gen. Schofield, and
do not consider the suggestion of suf-
fcient importance to discuss