The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-07-03
A Queer CampNIgm.

Ihis is evidently TO ne one OF IN
u que crest campaigns American polite
u have ever seen. Almost any develop
+ ment is in the range of possibility
!, There is near an infinitude of comb
: nations that may be made before it
close. the political elements are in
state Of solution. Not until afte
the Chicago convention, ii even then
can any intelligent estimate be mad
Of the crystalizations that may TAX
place.
There is little doubt that the out
come at Chicago will be two Dem
ocratic tickets, but no one can tell wha
dimensions the bolt will take on, wha
size the nti-slver strength will final
ly reduce itself to, how much the ten
dency to ''stick by tho party" vii
work against it, whether.it will take out
as small contingent as went with
Teller from the st. Louis convention, Oh
whether It will number from third
to half of the whole body.
More portentous than all. no one can
tell how far from fairly presenting
their constituencies either convention
may have been, On the one hand it is
clear that the great silver preponderance
in the Chicago convention does not ac
curately measure the Democratic senti-
ment of the country because an or
gained canvass has been making by
the silver men for year past, az they
now admit, while the other side slept
in fancied security. On the other it is
clear from the popular ovations which
Dubois. Cannon and the Republican,
boilers have received on their return
home, including even Towne of Mimi,
whose colleagues refused to bolt with
him, that the Republican free silver sen
timeDt is far greater and more wide
spread than st. Louis gave any indica
ton, and this is naturally the fact be
cause the pre- convention canvass
among the Republicans was one over
men.
Even in New England and the East
every day's developments show the
silver sentiment to be OF far greater
dimensions than has been susp ected. |
We see it in the declarat ion of one of
Mas sachusetts Democratic delegates. |
We see il in several Democratic coun
ty conventions in New York that have |
declared for silver. A silver man tells /
us that in Rutland there are 100 busl.
ness men ready to join a silver club.
Scores OF the ablest men in both par
ties in Vermont, including one of the
ablest and purest We ever had in pub
lie life. tx Gov. Barstow. and cor
strong man on the Dem
,cratic side, Geo L, Royce Of Rutland,
night be named who are promo uneed
or free silver.
The nnsolved problem is hoY far
hese men are going to change their
Id party allegiance. Upon all sides, +,
if individual convictions are voted,
which will be the tendency of cam
aign on this issue, il would mean the :.
Of old party lines for the !,
me being. /
The indications are that Bland, who
5 certainly the logical candidate of Il
liver, his very nameIidentified with o
he cause as McKinley's is with pro Z
sction, will go into the Chicago a
on as the leading candidate.
ut Gov. Boies, is the greatest personal
y of them all, the man about :,
HON what conservatism there is will I,
lily, while there will be strong G
ovement for Senator Teller Though ii
life long Republican, he would have p'
ocular strength in the south. he :,
suse he was really the man who II
He'd the force bill. Though avowed
a high protectionist himself, h is re-
mt action in the senate IN defea ting y
e tariff bill, to force terms for sill n,
II, will commend him above any 9th h,
Republican to the free silver Dem NJ
rats who are generally radical low !
riff men. But his nomination could y
It fail to produce revolt among old al
ne Democrats, who want no mere AT
eyleyizing and so add to the 81. ~
rength of boiling gold Democratic or
cket. On the other hand the nom he
alton of Boies, Bland, Stevenson. ~
ackburn or. any of the old d emocrats, L ta
,uld be hard for the free silver Re on
blicans to swallow. and would in of
I've an inconsistency, because as ~
lie they are higher tariff in their 81
rvs than the general mass of Re M
blicans in the west and protection otl
d free silver are somewhat kindred Tel
principle. and free silver practi. 20 ~,
ly doubling duties, would be the hu
ongest protective measure that could lee
adopted. ~ ~
Still PETER, DUBOIS and the free sill try
: leaders generally believe that u En-
ion in some way of these different ,na
ments is necessary to win Harvey, the
author of COINS Financial mes
nool'' has scheme to all support tiol
md for president on condition that .'no