Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-06-11
A N BOOM GROWING.
Free Coinage Republicans Confer With
Senator Vest About Giving Sup
port to the Mlssourian.

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|
WASHINGTON, June 5.-There was a
very significant conference held be-
hind the securely locked doors of a
Senate Committee this after
noon. The conference lasted nearly
four hours and was participated in by
well-known votaries of the free COIN
age of silver at a ratio of 16 to /, and
included Democrats and Republicans.
Among the participants in this con-
vention, it is understood, were Sena-
tors Vest, Jones, of Arkansas, Teller
and Carter.
OF course the proceedings were Q
cret, and none of the gentlemen pres
ent are willing to reveal what occur
red. That these Senators sat behind
closed doors for nearly four hoursi is a
fact. Everybody is surmising, of course,
what the conference was about. The
most generally accepted explanation
of the meeting is that the Senators
were trying to reach a common plan
of procedure for the silver men in
both the great national conventions.
1t is now accepted as a certainty on
all sides that the free coinage men
will have absolute control at Chicago.
1t is also expected that the result of
the st. Louis convention will not be
satisfactory to the free coinage Re-
publicans of the West, and that they
will repudiate its action and in all
likelihood support the candidates
nominated at Chicago.
There is reason to believe that to-
days conference was brought about
by Senator Vest, with the view of
talking over the candidates for the
Democratic nomination, and incident
ally to give a boost to the Bland
boom. Senator Vest has taken hold
of the Bland movement with great
energy, and now believes that Mr..
BANDS nomination at Chicago is
highly probable. 1t is, perhaps, rea-
sonable to assume that Senator Vest
desired to ascertain from Teller and
Carter how the Republican free coin
age men would view BANDS nomina-
ton, and if their cordial support could
be depended upon in the event of the
Missouri apostle of free silver being
named as the Democratic candidate
for President at Chicago.
So far as the free coinage Republic
cans are concerned, they are willing,
it is said, to swallow Democratic
principles straight if they can get the
free coinage of silver through the
support and grace of the Democratic
party.
An interesting point at present un-
der discussion relates to how soon and
in what way the silver Republicans
will act at st. Louis in case the finan-
cial plank of the platform is not salts
factory to them. Will they walk out
of the convention and thus sever their
connection with the party at once or
will they stake the papers," AT judges
sometimes do, and announce their de-
cision later? Mr.. Teller and his Re-
publican followers are entirely frank
in their attitude. They put silver
above all other considerations in this
campaign. They have only to be as
sured of how they may best serve sill
yer to at once embrace the opportuni-
ty. 1t is assumed, therefore, that
whatever they do at st. Louis will be
calculated with the view of advancing
silver.
Senator Vest, who has enteredhear
and soul into the Bland movement,
has for days past been laboring with
the free coinage Senators on both
sides of the chamber in the interest of
BANDS nomination. He has given
reasons why Bland is the logical can
didate of the Democrats upon a free
coinage platform. He has collected
the Congressional Record containing
Mr.. BANDS speeches on other sub
jects than free coinage to satisfy old
line Democrats that Mr. Bland is a
broad statesman and thoroughly we'll
grounded in all the tenets of Democ-
crazy.
In the meantime there is no doubt
that the Bland movement gathers
strength every day. The Texas dele
cation in the House of Representa-
tives have been holding conferences
and are rather inclined to prefer Boies
for the Democratic nomination. MI.
Bailey, of Texas, who is very active
among the free coinage men, it is I'M
derstood, prefers Boies to Bland, but
then Mr.. Bailey's wish may not be all
important with the Texas Democratic
State Convention.