The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-09
They Evidently Think the Ambitious
Straddle the Financial Question.
ADVISED TO DO LIKE BYNUM
MUST JUMP OFF THE FENCE INTO
THE SOUND MONEY CAMP
If He Expects to stand Any Show Next
JuIy-$15, 900 More Paid Chairman
Harrity by Chicago Committee.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, May S.-A New York
paper amused Democrats in Washington
this morning by long article. evidently in
tended to launch the Matthews presidential
boom. In the course of lulsome sketch of
the Indiana Governor, what purported to be
his views on silver were given. If he is
correctly quoted, Mr. Matthews takes refuge
in the threadbare subterfuge of 'interna-
tional agreement In the darkest days of
the Democratic distress few months ago.
when the Democratic leaders were willing
that any man who would pay the printers
bills could have the nomination, Mr.. Mat
thews's name was occasionally mentioned in
Washington as a possibility. The two In
diana Senators encouraged the Matthews
boom because their own personal ambitions
would be best furthered by slaughtering Mr..
Matthews at Chicago. just as Mr.. Gray had
been sacrificed before. Now that the admin
istration is showing its determination that
the convention at Chicago shall show some
vitality, first by indorsing the Cleveland
financial policy, and second by nominating
a sound-money man who has Mr.. Cleve-
lands full Endorsement Chat man being
preferably Mr.. Cleveland himselO, the Mat
thews boom is only regarded as a passing
absurdity. Mr.. German declares on every
occasion that the Chicago convention will
adopt sound-money plank in most un-
equivocal language, and no name be consid-
cred seriously which does not stand as an
unquestionable synonym for sound money
and opposed to free silver. No man need
expect TO fool the Chicago convention with
any idle parrot talk of a ''freer use Of silver
after International agreement If Mr. Mat
thews has any hopes for next July he might
as well follow the nimble Mr.. Bynum into
the sound-money camp. Otherwise he will
share the coming fate of VOORHEES, and
Turpie
The meat of the interview, as published in
the New York newspaper, is given below.
Governor Matthews is made to say:
Gold as single unit of value 1 am op-
posed to. l want TO retain both gold and
silver. and. as soon as it can be accomplished
without harm to the country, / should like
to see return to conditions prior to 1873.
/ can see that an immediate and radical re-
turn to free and unlimited coinage of silver
would be very harmful at the present time.
The question of ratio can be determined af-
ter we determine whether or not we will
retain silver as standard. am a friend
of silver, but do not know that / would take
the position that would be satisfactory TO the
steps should be taken for free and unlim-
tied coinage of silver in the United States
until an earnest and sincere effort has been
made to hold an international conference of
the question Here in our State, where i am
best acquainted with the feelings and senti-
ment of the people, the silver feeling is
stronger than the gold"
The Governor the interviewer says, ex-
pressed the opinion that the Republicans
would declare for the gold standard; hoped
the Democrats would adopt a conservative
but friendly attitude toward silver, and said
no man could be elected on the 16 to /
free silver platform in this country any more
than such a candidate could on a single gold
standard. Indiana Democrats were favora-
bic to the use Of silver, he said, and the
Democrats must show a friendly spirit to-
ward silver If they hope to win.