Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-18
ARKANSAS SENATORSHIP
Senator Jones and His Effort to Secure
Re-,lsc ion.
Charges Met and Refuted-lIc and
Gov. Clark Both Repudiute the
National Administration.

The sena;ori.I campaign in progress in
Arkansas is thought 10 iilustrate as fore
:bly as any, :ing could the extraordinary
toass to Uhici, the democratic party has
come.
Gov. Ciark's Charges.
There are but two candidates: Mr.. Jones.
who aspires to succeed himself, ami Gov.
Clark. The two men are canvassing the
state in joint debate. Both are democrats,
and Vet both in a very pointed way are
repudiatng the national administration.
Gov. Clark started the ball rolling by
charging Mr.. Jones with having yielded too
much in the Senate Cn the tariff and The
silver questions. He construed the Ch:ca-
go platform of 1882 as declaring both fer
a very low tariff and for the free coinage
of silver, and yet, as he charged, Mr.. Jones
in the Senate had allied himself with those
working openly ard successfully against
those propositions
Mr.. Jones' Defcnse.
Mr.. Jones in his reply explained his
course IN the Senate at some length, and
pat his accuser to -out. He justified his
action on the tariff question by showing
that the choice presented vas between the
b-ll prese nted or no bill al all. while as to
silver he was able to show an unbroken
line of free silver votes from the start up
TO date. He was particularly fortunate,
too, in the fact that his last act before
leaving the Senate cha to enter upon
this joint deba was TO put through q free
coinage bill by the comfortable majority
CT seven. In all he said in reply his
opponent lie was at pains TO declare that
ne was in no sympathy whatever with the
national administration in its assaults on
long accepted democratic policy. He
pledged himself anew to silver and to
Whatever rlight be necessary 10 restore
harmony in the party on genuinely demo
cratic lines.
Wins the First Primary.
The first primary held has been heard
from, and Mr. Jones has won. Strangely
enough, tlowever, he is accused of having
received the support Of all the federal of
flce holders i'm the county, which. if rue
adds TO the singularity and significance OF
. the Arkansas situation. 1t would appear
from this that in the old silver strong
holds even the men put in office by the ad-
i.iinisiration are finding their courage as
the 'nicaso convention draws near. and
are once more following the old silver
leaders Mr.. Jones has been uncompron,is-
ing on the financial question and ii he can
win now on silver there would seem 10 be
10 room TO doubt what sort of a defesa-
uon the state will send to Chicago.
Change From Jacksan's Time.
The comparison instituted is between the
present era and the Jacksonian era. What
democratic Senator in Jackson's day could
have gone home and mustered corporars
guard in his support if he had sounded a
single note OF opposition to The Jacksonian
policy? What better thing would any am
bilious man of office have asked than
to have had some rival in office execute
some such maneuver as that? Would not
1. change in that Office have certainly taken
place? But this Arkansas scrap demon.
strates how very different things are today
democrat out Of Office is trying to get
into office by charging a democrat in office
hCinQ ha ad ,i,,sS
tration, while the latter is trying 10 hold
on to his place by an emphatic awowal OF
hostility TO the leading feature of the ad-
ministration's policy.
sympathy in Washington, aside from any
particular question involved. is warmly
with Mr.. Jones. who is regarded as an able
man of very high order of courage and
conviction.