The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-30
HIS CONSCIENCE is CLEAR.
SSECRETARY SMITH JOURNEYS To
GREY GABLES.

That His Party VIII Recover
From It's Present Temporary Alb
erratiOn of the Mind-Bryan and
Mckinley May Make Joint stump
| CanvasS-Other Washington Cos
sip.
! Washington, d. c.. July 29.-Secretary
/ Hoke Smiths friends here are greatly
/ puzzled over the report that he Is going
/ to Gray Gables 10 see President Cleveland.
/ All sorts OF rumors are afloat concerning
/ the proposed visit of Secretary Smith, and
in the meantime the latter refuses to dis
cuss the subject or make a general state
ment Of his position on the political situa-
| tion. II is understood that Secretary Smith
proposes to go to Gray Gables and lay be-
fore the President all the facts concern
ing his recent unofficial announcement in
favor Of supporting the Bryan and sewall
ticket
Since the publication Of an editorial in
| Secretary Smiths newspaper. in which
| the secretary's views are supposed to have
been accurately expressed. there has been
] considerable gossip and speculation as to
! whether the present secretary of the in
terror can conscientiously retain his posi-
/ tion I'm Mr.. Clevelands cabinet. and at
the same time advocate the Bryan ticket.
] Secretary Smiths most intimate friends
! declare that the secretary's conscience is
not troubling him on that subject, for he
feels that he has done nothing reprehensi-
BILE or dshonorable in coming out I'm IA
vor of the candidates put In the field by the
/ democratic national convention. It Is his
| intention to so TO Gray Gables and discuss
aff IA nlf In fNrn
! forward manner. 1t Is not probable that
| Secretary Smith will go to the extent OF
| rendering the President his resignation, but
/ those who are familiar with the feelings
Of Secretary Smith in this connection are
| confident that he will not permit his pres
! ence in the cabinet to embarrass the Pres
| ident for a single moment.
! Secretary Smith contends that his ac-
/ tion i'm supporting the nomination OF Mr..
] Bryan is not inconsistent with the posi-
| tion he took I'm his fight against free sil-
| yer In Georgia. BY supporting the Bryan
| ticket he does not reinqush his views
| I'm behalf of the gold standard, and he
is gratihed to find himself in such eX-
| cellent company as Senator John Is. Cor
don, who is the idol Of the people of the
! south, and who was but few days ago
! suggested for the Vice Presidency on the
gold standard democratic ticket with
| Senator Palmer.
Way down under the surface it is stated
that Secretary Smith does not propose
TO be driven out of the democratic party
I'm Georgia. He Is young. ambitious, has
ample means, and can afford TO jog along
in the party harness until majority or
the party realizes the unwisdom of the
free silver movement He believes that
time and experience will teach the demo-
Gratis of the south that their personal In
terests are best subserVed by the MAIN
tenance of the gold standard,
His friends cannot see where he Is open
to the charge of dsloyalty to the Presi-
dent by still maintaining those views and
he fula
date of the party that twice elected Mr..
Cleveland to the presidency. He feels
that he did his duty in trying to stem
the tide OF the free silver movement in
his own state and advised his friends
I'm the administration to take warning and
prepare for an overflow OF silver senu-
ment in the south and In the west, but
his warning was unheeded and unappre-
ciated at the time. 1t Is with these
thoughts In his mind that Secretary Smith
will Journey to Gray Gables.
1t is further stated by those who ought
to know that Secretary Smith proposes
to attend the Bryan and Sewall ratifca-
ton meeting to be held at Augusta 1t is
true that he has been invited to presiIe
at that meeting, but 1t is not probable
that he will accept. His course in this
whole matter has been conducted with
out consultation with his brother MEM
! bers of the cabinet. Indeed, the political
situation has been one of topics cabinet
officers have refrained from discussing
among themselves since the nominations
were made at Chicago and st. Louis.
1t is said that Secretaries Carlisle and
Lamont have stated to their personal
friends that they will not vote the repub-
lican ticket, and although they do not app
prove the platform, they viii probably
cast their votes for the democratic ticket
on election day. 1t is the knowledge that
other leading democrats are going 10
stand by the party in spite of the OH
jectlonal platform upon which Mr. Bryan
has been placed that reconciles Secretary
Grsrff IN he
he finds himself.
There was a report at the headquarters
| of both congressional committees to-day,
TO the effect that a proposition is now un-
der consideration by the political man
ayers Of Messrs Mckinley and Bryan, for
a general joint debate on the money ques-
ton 1t is sugges ted that all of the heavy
| artillery on both sides Of the issue shall
be brought into the field for active serV-
ice and al an equal division of time ar
ranged for at all of the big political meet
ings. In addition to the two principals,
| Mckinley and Bryan, 1t was suggested
that ex-President Harrison, Senator Sher-
man. Senator Allison, Speaker Reed, Sem
ator Lodge, Secretary Carlisle, Postmas-
ter General Wilson, and other prominent
| sound money men, are 70 meet In Joint
| discussion Senator Vest, Senator Teller
Senator Allen, Senator Morgan of Ala
bama, A. j. j. Warner, ex-Representative
Williams of Illinois, Gov. Stone OF Mis-
souri, and others.
Senator Faulkner, who has just returned
to the city from his West Virginia home
said that he had heard nothing of such
a plan until he arrived IN Washington
He added that he did not believe the re-
publicans would be willing to go into such
a debate, for in his judgment it would be
suicidal for them to do so. He contends
that the vast majority of the people who
would attend such meetings, are in favor
of free silver, and It would be greatly to
the disadvantage Of the speakers for
sound money to have the crowd against
them from start to finish, He says the
fight of the sound money men will prob
! ably be made on a different line Of action,
although he admits that a joint debate
between some of the men named would
be one Of the grandest incidents Of any
political campaign within the past quar-
| ter of a century.
| At republican headquarters, Vice Chair
| man Apsley and Secretary Mercer, were
both on duty, having returned from the
sea shore. They said they knew nothing
Of the proposed joint oratorical slugging
| match between the political giants OF the
| contending armies, but they have just
| enough sporting blood in their veins to
| appreciate such a contest Secretary Mer-
! Ger says it Is not the duty Of the congress
stonal committee this year 10 arrange for
the campaign speakers The spelling de-