The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-03-11
National Convention And It's
Probable Result.
POLICY or THE SILVER MEN
Chancesgof Western and South
ern Candidates.
sTEvENsoN's FINANCIAL VIEWS
If the election Were Thrown Into the
House ofRepresentatives Even then
Silver Men Would Have

washington, ID. c., March 1o.-(spe-
Gladstone time ago the indications
were that a compromise candidate and
platform would be adopted by the DEM
ocrats at Chicago four months hence,
but there has recently been a marked
change in the situation, and in opinion,
among politicians in Washington City.
The formation of silver club IN
philadelphia. composed of manufac-
lures representing $500 100000 capital
Is significant, and the action and posi-
tion of six or eight leading Republican
Senators from the West, including
Messrs. Carter, chairman Republican
National Committee, Teller, Dubois,
Mantel. Cameron and others, in refus-
ing to consider or to act on the tarl1
bill until some provision is made Tor
silver, not only practically puts them
outside the pale of their party organl-
cation, but suggests and promises new
political alignments in the event that
the Republicans nominate gold man,
ON ssstraddle' platform, which few, II
any, doubt will happen.
Some of these Republican Senator's
have recently said that they would vote
for Daniel, of Virginia, or Morgan, OF
Alabama, for President, before they
would support gold standard Republic
can. And they are in earnest, for they
represent a silver constituency and
could not retain office if they deserted
the silver banner.
1t thus appears that the Republicans
will have more trouble with their Wes-
tern contingent than the Democrats
will have with their Eastern leaders.
1t is now evident that the silver men
will control the platform committee,
and write an unequiyocal silver plat
form, because each State has only one
vote, on the platfrom committee, New
York casting the same vote as Florida,
and Texas no more than Delaware; so
that Oregon California, Wyoming,
Idaho, Nevada, Montana, the Dakotas,
Utah and Colorado-nin States will
have three times the vote of New York,
Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Of
course New York will cast her ~ votes
against such plank in convention,
but, with the South, there is on doubt
that there is, and will be, majority
of the States on the platform commit
tee for silver.
unit, as many of the larger gold States
have heretofore done, will have ma
jortiy of the delegates, also, and as a
majority vote decides the platform, it
will be for silver
When they seek to nominate a candi-
date they will not have the required
two-thirds vote, it is thought, but by
a majority vote they can and will abol-
IL
man by majority, and there you
are" Will the gold men bolt? If they
do the Democrats lose New York, Con-
necticut and New Jersey they are lost
now-but on silver platform they
have chance of carrying Kansas, Iowa,
Michigan, Colorado, Nevada, Utah. The
Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota, Idaho,
Wyoming and California, Oregon and
Washington, and Of regaining the solid
South, to say nothing OF the gains that
would be made in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana
and other States.
If the gold men bolt, the silver men
will retain the organization of the
party, its name, machinery and all.
Thus it appears that while the split at
Charleston prevented Democratic sue
cess, the bolt of the gold men now
might prove the salvation of Democ-
racy; for it is evident that If the cleo
ton should come off tomorrow, the
Republicans would have a sswalk-over, 4
the States that would bolt all now be-
ing strongly Republican; so that as far
as possible success is concerned, Dem
ocracy has nothing to Josef form the New
York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and
PENNSYLVANIA delegates walking out Of
the convention.
On the contrary, q silver candidate
would draw largely from Republican
support in the West and Northwest,
and if an esery-day-in-the-w bona
fide. silver man is nominated by the
Democrats, the Populists can hardly
nominate ticket at all, for their lead
ers iii the Senate and elsewhere, have
assured the country that they would
unite with either Of the old parties
that proved its friendship for silver
and they have gone so far as to declare
their willingness to abandon their
organization as u party, in order tc
support we'll known silver man for
President.
Another thing that viii weaken the
populists tin case Of d Democratic sill
yer m0minee) rs 1nat the people VIII
reason among themselves that the
Populists are in such hopeless minor.
ity that no immediate relief can CONS
through them; and the silver issue il
TOO important to be held in abeyancc
for four years, or until another party
grows from infancy to manhood.
If not settled now it will be too late
in 1900. Four more years of war
born and blood-nourished prohibitors
tariff system, which the Republican,
propose to fasten upon US. Four more
years OF growth Of the money ane
trust power. Four more years 81 run
ming the present and unborn genera
tions III debt, by issuing hundreds o
millions OF dollars worth of bonds, y
time of peace. Four more years 81
policy that would retire greenbacks
in addition to having already destroyed
the legal tender Of debt paying powe
or half the money of the country, ant
sve will have fifty years of industrial
slavery less merciful than chaftei sla
KeYV eyer was. and only revolution vii