The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-19
ABOUT POLITICS.
How National Issues We're
Submerged One Day. :
There Was Nothing in Town
But Filley and Anti-Filley.
A Demonstration That Was PuZ-
zllng But Explainable.

ST. LOUIS, June 16.-Among the
walls of the hotels, dangled from the
baIustrades OF the stairways, and from
the light fixtures and looked from the
windows OF the small shops and the
saloons, there was conspicuous in feat
ure and numbers, one of benignant
looking old mal with rounded chin
whisker and moustache of gray and
snowy hair. Sometimes the top OF the
white head was concealed from view by
hat of peculiar construction. The hat
had a broad Hat brim and the crown was
of the outlines of loaf of brown bread,
small end up. Underneath each and
every portrait OF the beDigDant looking
old gentleman was the autograph, &C. 1.
Filley,n or the printed title, "Chauncey
/. Fllley" or "Chancey Ives Filley."
The portraits of Mckinley, Reed,
Allison, Quay or Ex-Governor Brown,
numerous as they were, did not begin
TO pervsde st. Louis as did those OF MIR.
Filley. And 1t may be said that
none OF the candidates for either the
Presidency or the Vice-Presidency, nor
any controversy on the currency was OF
so huge an interest to native Missourians
as the, original of the portrait. Ths dele
gates who had been exciting themselves
over the candidates and the currency for
weeks and months past, and who talked
and talked and talked and talked issues
which they assumed TO be of Importance
over the hundreds OF miles OF journey
ings here, found on arrival in St. Louis
that the only, the great, tho supreme,
the vociferous Issue, the issue over which
men had fought and women wept, the
issue that screamed from the mouths OF
babes and had echoed in the hotel cor
- -. IA.
than the cyclone ever thought OF doing;
the question of the hour, yea, of the
very moment and second-was Chauncey
l. Filley, the original of the benignant
appearing ald numerous portrait.
Mr.. Fiiley looks neither like fighter
nor yet ike man that anybody in the
wide nnd cruel world would ever shave
il In for" Yet he is both. He has been
fighting for months past, and other men
have been fighting him. The contest was
bitterly waged and mercIless on both
sides. And last evening the ben!gnant
looking old gentleman, with his snowy
beard ard his mild eyes and his brown
bread hat was t'run down, trampled upon
and driven, dcmofalized, into the streets.
And all st. Louis, nay, all Missouri, i
guess, set up wall Mer fcl, upon one
snother's necks and wept. Women wruDg
their hands. And everybody said that
nll hope of saving the state OF Missouri
was lost even II the United Statesman
aged 10 pull through.
j had saunterec out os the hotel In the
early evening. Crowds surged on the
sidewalks. Newsboys rushed through
them crying, "Mll about the defeat of
FillcyW 1 bumped against pale nan
with a brown bread hat aud asked him
what the fuss was all about. lie said
that Fillcy was defeated. asked HIM
where.h he got that hat lie said that that
was Finley hat, and every loyal M.ssou-
rian was wearing them. Sure enough,
there were lots of tho brown bread hats
in the surgipg crowds. man with the
ribbon OF some far away state IN
the lapel OF his coat fell against
me and asked me what the fuss was
been defeated. lie wanted to know who
in (blasphemy) was Riley. Then i
realized that / uidn't know and l could
only stare Mt him in well feigncd amaze
ment ana demand OF him where he had
been all his life that he didn't know who
Tilley was. He looked ashamed and
slunk away. Then / bought newspaper
to coach up and learned that that after
noon the Missouri delegation had met
and elected Richard &. kerens for ma
tionai committee man over Chauncey ].
filloy by n vote OF ~ 10 IL. The news
paper bad columns about H.. There wero
a few items about the Pres ideptiaI contest
and little something OF the currency
CONTROVERSY But there Mere columns
about Filley versus kercns for national
committeeman from Missouri and appar-
emily the only reason why the newspapers
were not I'm mourning was because there
were not rui's I'm the composing room
black enough TO express their woe.
Ard pretty soon the SOUND Of PLAYING
bands was heard. And pretty soon there
was cheering and. shouting. And pretty
80 IN line cf policemen wheeled into the
crowd ana cleared the streets. Ard then
torehlights.and brass bands and campaign