The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-09-17
ABOUT THE GOLD DEMOCRATS
All Is SAID THEY MAY ALL EVEN
TUALLY VOTE FOR MKIN-
LEY AND HOBART.
LEADERS RESOLVED 70 DEFEAT BRYAN
Watson's Aggressiyeness Causing Il
Good Deal Of Uneasiness-The Re
pubiicans Are Busy at Work
Stcmming the Silver Tide.

washington, Sept. 1.-THE democrats
who were figuring on the Palmer Buck
aner ticket drawing gold democratic votes
which would have been cast for Nc
Kinley if no new ticket had been named
are likely to find that they are mistaken
in their calculations. The gold demo-
cratic party intend to make vigorous
campaign for Palmer and Buckner right
up to election time. Their course when
it comes to voting will be determined
by circumstances, but the present eX-
pectation of the most far-sighted leaders
is that as far as possible the forces as
sembled under the Palmer Buckner BAN
ner will be thrown over to Mckinley at
the last minute. Their anticipation is
that during the course of the campaign
the antagonism of the Palmer uckner
ticket will become so great as to pre-
clude the possibility of any considerable
number of their voters declining to sup
port Mckinley directly if the leaders
determine that to be the only safe course
to secure the defeat of Bryan.
The original plan of the promoters of
the gold democratic movement before it
had taken the shape of national con-
vention was to organize themselves into
a party and to take the stump against
Bryan without presenting candidates of
their own. 1t is known that Mr.. Palmer
was in sympathy with this idea in the
first instance, and that the Illinois gold
democratic organization was first or
ganized merely for stumping purposes
This being true, it is not doubted that if
before the campaign is over it is found
that the gold democratic vote can be
thrown 10 Mckinley direct Mr.. Palmer
will very readily assent to that being
done. 1t is said that if the circum-
stances warrant it, the gold democratic
national committee may, just prior to
the election, withdraw the Palmer
Buckner ticket, or, if they do not do
this, they, in some formal manner, will
recommend their followers to vote the
Mckinley ticket
The aggressiveness of Candidate Wat
son in his demands that Sewall shall
withdraw from the democratic ticket
and in predicting the defeat of Bryan
if this is not done is causing a great deal
of irritation among the democrats and
the Bryan and Sewall populists. 1t
gives color to an impression which has
been growing that many, if Sewall is
not withdrawn, if not most of the mid
dle-of-theroad pOpulists in the SOUTH.
will cast their votes for Mckinley. 1t
is very strongly intimated that in some
parts of the south the middle-of-the
road pOpulists will, with the approval of
Watson, make either an open or secret
fusion with the republicans, by which
their vote will be thrown almost solidly
for Mckinley and Watson.
l;.f, hn nl
istration looks upon any assistance be-
ing given the democratic committees by
employees of the government is having
an effect. The man who is engaged i'll
sending off a great quantity OF docu-
ments for the Bryan campaign said to-
day that a large number of government
clerks who had volunteered to give as
sstance in addressing envelopes. etc,
have notified him i'll the last few days
that they will not be able to render the
service volunteered, for the reason that
it will give serious offense to their SUI
periors and probably cause dismssals.
They represent that such display of
partisanship on the part of the clerks
under the civil service classification will
he regarded as particularly grave Of
Tense. and that they will be more LA
BILE to punishment for it than are those
government employees who owe their po-
sitions entirely to political influence.
The minor government officials who
are actively participating in the Bryan
campaign say that they have had no in
timation that their course endangers
the loss Of their positions. They are
prepared, however, TO believe thai that
may he true, and those who are thus
displaying their craftsmanship appear to
he ready to play the role of martyr
The authority for the statement that
Mr. Cleveland will not tolerate the ac-
tive support of Bryan by his officials
is such as to preclude the idea that what
has been said on the subject is merely
idle gossip.
Private information from various sec
tons of the country gives indication that
the immense work that is being done |
by the republican national committee is |
having a decided effect in stemming the |
silver tide where it was supposed to be |
strongest. The abundant supply of lit !
erature which they have been able to
distribute. and which they have dis
tributed with much sagacity has edu-
gated in many communities class or |
men to the point where they are able
to get the best of an argument against
silver agitators of local reputation. who
have heretofore been the cock of the !
walk in the community. In great
many communities there have. during
the past few years. sprung up silver agi-
tators who are not very well informed.
but who, knowing more on the ques-
ton than most of those to whom they
talk, have been able to beat down an
tagonists in argument, and have thus
held the crowd with them. The liberal
by the republicans of cam
paign literature has furnished the gold
men with information and arguments
which they have been able to use with
great effect, while the local silver agi-
tators have not been as well supplied,
and have not been able to keep up with
the enlightening progress of the discus
sion. In every case where a silver agi-
tator whom nobody has dared TO dis
pute with in a small community has
been worsted by his new antagonists
It has had marked effect upon those
who heretofore had been accepting his
word as law on all financial questions
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