Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-15
VERY INTERESTING VIEW
What VIII Happen at the Ma
tionaI Democratic Convention.
PROSPECT OF TWO TICKETS
Even With Split in the Party Good Chance to
Elect Democratic President at
All Events.
Nashville
ihington Correspondence

Will there be two democratic nominees
for the presidency, is a question which
democrats in both factions are seriously
considering.
The silver men here assert with posi-
tdveness that they will be able to control
the convention in which case they freely
admit that the sound money faction will
in all likelihood nominate one of their
own faction. They say on the other hand
that If, by hook or crook, the sound
money men control the organization that
they will be ready to put out free silver
nominee of their own.
This is what Senator, Harris, Senator
Morgan, Senator Jones, Mr.. Crisp and
other free silver leaders in congress are
fully prepared to do If they find they
cannot control the convention. In this
way they say they will still be democrats,
and make the fight practically within the
party. ~
These silver men have been fully alive
! to the situation and all with whom
have talked say that this aspect of the
situation has not been openly discussed,
because they do not wish to enter the con-
vention apparently anticpatig a split
Bone say that If the party divides In
Chicago it will never unite, while others
claim that such a division will only be
for test of strength within the party
ranks and for the purpose of capturing
the house of representatives.
A sound money senator said to me that
the opinion was growing that it would
be better to let the silver wing nominate
their own candidate. That nothing but a
complete defeat at the polls will ever
cure them of the mania which now pos
sesses them. Should we nominate a
sound money man at Chicago" he said
land be defeated the silver faction will
say that 1t was what they had predicted;
hot h., ipno hod hoe actI
we would have won. Rather than commit
the entire party to free silver in order
to give an object lesson to the silver men,
think it would be better to let each fac
ton put out Its own nominee I would
advocate this with the full belief that
the silver faction would poll so few votes
that 1t would gladly return to the old
ranks and we should then have a demo-
cratic party reunited and stronger than
ever"
This is rather a sanguine view. Other
sound money senators with whom have
talked say that If the Chicago convention
splits it will be a reconstruction of all
party lines, and that should the two fac
tons of the party even control the house,
they would be unable to unite in legisla-
ton.
Representative Richardson Is one of
those who think that it is very probable
that there will be two nominees of the
democratic party He, moreover. does
not think 1t will be as disastrous as 1t
looks at first.
For" said he, "as matters now stand
it is improbable that the free silver men
will give hearty support to "a single
gold standard nominee, or vice versa.
The only hope of the democratic party
is to remain united in the south. A ticket
made up of such men as Stevenson, Mor-
gan, Crisp or Morrison, If they all come
orit boldly and unequivocally for free
silver and stand on such a platform,
would do this, and would make heavy in
roads into the west.
THE gold men could put forth their
strongest man, and believe such NOM
inee could hold in the democratic column
many of the eastern states.
Such a fight would test the relative
strength of the two wings of the party.
and would, l believe. result In preserving
the organization of the democratic party.
Neither faction could win, probably, be-
fore the people. but suppose the silver
democrats carried the solid south and
many states in the west and the gold
standard democrats carried the old-iine
democratic states in the east, what
would prevent the two factions coming
together in the electoral college and
electing a democrat who favors free
coinage of gold and silver?
sit is my firm belief that the silver men
will control the Chicago convention, and
I believe in that event ii Is likely that
the gold standard men will nominate one
of their own faction.
"By such course, namely, the nomi-
nation of two men, we could most prob
ably control the house at least, which we
are likely to do II the two factions try
to compromise. or, what is worse, adopt
a etraddle. The silver men In the south
and west will not with any enthusiasm
support ticket headed by gold man,
and the gold men Of the east, do not