New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-04
IT IS A FREE-FOR-ALL RACE.
ONLY ONE FACT STANDS OUT CLEARLY
AT CHICAGO.
THAT is THE NOMINATION OF A FREE SILVER CAN
DIDATE on AN OUT-AND-OUT FREE-slLVEH
PIATFoRM-No ONE YET HAS PRO
NoUNcED LEAD-MR. wHrrNEYs
ARRIVAL AND ITS EFFECTS
THE PRESIDENT
IGNORED.
tsY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrsuNrl
THE PREsIDEN

tBY TELEGRAPH 10 THE rRrsuNrl
Chicago July 3-Although fully one-fourth
Of the delegates who are TO sit in next weeks
Democratic National Convention are In town
tonight, and that one-fourth includes practi-
cally all the leaders who are 10 figure In the
final struggle for party supremacy between the
once dominant but now moribund. conserva-
tive element and the radical and revolutionary
forces which have gathered under the banner of
free-silver coinage. opinion is more than ever al
sea in regard to the turns which the contest
may take and the political sensations which
may develop. In the last four or five days
many misleading Impressions have gone abroad
from this city. based speculation pure ana
simple or on the famboyant talk OF the advance
agents OF certain Presidential 'boons. tending
10 encourage the idea that the canvass for the
Democratic Presidential nomination had already
taken a definite and ineligible shape. Be
tween two hundred and three hundred votes
/ were said TO be pledged TO a single CANDIDATE
Mr. Bland Of Missouri. while other aspirants
like Roies OF Iowa: Matthews. OF Indiana, ana
Blackburn Of Kentucky. were represented rs
conducting effective and organized campaigns
for votes among the arriving delegates
No more erroneous view could well be given
OF the situation here than that when credi's
anv candidate now IN the field FOR nomination
positive strength among the delegates. except
merely local support. Beyond a few banners
IN the Palmer House headquarters a few posters
on the walls and a few enthusiastic boomers
about the hotel obbies. Band. Boies and Mat
thews have little no appreciate advantage
over less-advertised and vociferous candidates.
and there Is no reason 70 think that the race
for next weeks nomination will not continue
even I'D TO the opening Of the Convention aoso-
lutely free for all.
ONLY A SILVER PLATFORM ASSURED.
ro-r,ebt three davs before the assembling OF
the Delegates only one thing about the ConVeh-
,on programme seems absolutely certain All
ou,-and-out Free silver coinage platform VIII De
/ adonted and a candidate viii be chosen Wllllhg
/ "a stand unenutvocally on that platform But the
name and personality OF the successful cahdi-
date are at present yelled in an impeneraoe
I obscurity AS 70 the means by which his ''"il-
/ nation IS 10 be accomplished, whether through
/ q rraIinoira-v free-coinage caucus, or after an
or,en contest IN the Convention by an abrogt-
/ tion - tho thirds and unit rules or ny thelr
. enforcement; by such concatory CONCESSIONS 10
the gold standard delegates as VIII preserve al
,.aet -. sen,blance u party unity in the Con-
! ventiona action. or by such a drastic ana uH-
conpronising assertion Of force as will split the
history Of the Charleston Convention thirty-six
years ago. nothing can be predicted
A ONF-sIDED STRUGGLE so FAR
Up to to-day indeed, the absence OF nearly all
the more conspicuous gold faction leaders mas
given to the preliminary canvass here "ho"y
| onesided aspect While the chief free-coinage
managers-Senators Jones, Of Arkansas; Harris
of Tennessee; Cockren, Of Missouri Daniel, OF
baua hesn
for two or three days past. ostensibly to attend
/ = oa.,ro ~ Nh. Democratic Bimetallic League.
/ fr..-coinace organization OF their own. MT.
Whitney Mr. Hill, Mr.. Villas, and the other
/ chaupions of the anti-silver faction nave ue-
/ laved their arrival. and left the field here 10 De
I contested only by the "sound-money members
/ ~ the Democratic National Committee, heaued
nv chairman Harrity, and the few Federal once
holders who. like Mr.. Eckles. the Controller or
the Currency have practically abandoned their
| duties in Washington 70 figure as "saviors OF
/ the party" here
T, C. NOT 20 be wondered at therefore, that In
the face Of such feeble opposition ,ne ,iH sn'e es
boomers have been predicting the nomination VI
a silver candidate at a one-day convention ana
devising schemes either to unseat enough sonu @
delegates to insure two-thirds free-coihaee ma
I ioritv or to abrogate the tWo-thlrus iuie di''
i gether by q simple majority vote. - s..o..,
The arrival OF Senator Hill ana eN-oecretais
Whitney and their immediate prcpdrdliol.S ~
/ ,onduct a campaign of menace ana plusler' nav
'ba, checked the exuberant confidence or
Tho silver managers, and for the next 'iay OF tMo
,he free-coinage leaders will probably be Kept
/ husy counteracting the efect OF Ha"oeu'ieo
conducted by the two New orherS
wHrrNEY's HOPELESS FIGHT
NJ whitney and Mr. Hill have no hope Of
nroventing the adoption OF free-coirase p'a.-
80, ~ .hs nomination OF a free-coinage cahoi-
Their
ua'e " .,o, n, such a position in the Conven-
p0'' enable them to dictate the nomina-
@ @tion % 80 ,rse-coinage candidate most acoep'a
~ % +hern or falling In this 10 lo,Ve t'e 80
n,ton into some arbitrary act " n.y. - 10 dsla
" 80 e1cuse for the secession OF IN, So rio
as an 80 The placing Of second DeHocrau0
National ticket in the llelu III, .ob+ bitterly the
s,r IIil and Mr. Whitney VIII nsh' p,' - arc
MI. ~ .t nS the two-thrds rule. ana thes q,
ao'Oea, already 20 leave the ceiio. eI. ~
ti tii ,icket In New-York ana o'hei 80,
s,nL ~ q nomination Is mace IT, ~ 80 s,ood
through the violation or a r'antions RUE FOR over
tni GOD in Democratic conventions iV' w.
fifty years ,or,,v on the Democratic
>..io,aI committee Is anxious ~ c.
senator Hin for temporary chailiia" ,rang,h a.
oella'o. nd thus provide test OF streheth az
49, nu,set with the silver leaders "ho s,
uously object 10 the Conml''ees a"o''''e '''''
honor 10 any but silver man
TALK ABOUT THE CANDIDATES.
r.ux sbou, Presidential candidates was not
o,,ve to-day Mr.. Bland is undoubtedly IN the
lead so far as delegates actually pledged OF IN
s,ruc,ed are concerned But his strength PROB
ablv does not exceed 100 votes. and his canvass
70 weakened by the suspicion that the two MIS-.
souri, senators Messrs. Cockrell and vest ana
| the Governor Of the State. MI stone. an dele
| gatssat-large here are not at heart in favor of
! .silver Dicks" nomination. The vote or I'LL
nols which BANDS friends have confidently
! claimed for him. seems TO be slipping away,
| Governor Altgeld the silver Car OF the party
here finding II TO his advantage TO go into the
Convention without committals Of any kind.
Ex-Governor Boies. OF Iowa has made no
progress either in his canvass for the last two
! or three days and there is some danger that both
Air.r andIdates And their nrincacy