The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-04-09
OPINION OF HON. WALLER
RAKER ON MLENNAN COUN- !
TY SITUATION.
DALLAS SOUND MONEY CONFERENCE
If is Said That the Hardy Men Will De.
eide to Call Separate Convention to
Select Delegates for Chicago
Convention. !,

waco, Lea, Aplh l. 'P'"'S " cue
/ action of the sound money men yesterday
and the free silver people last Saturday
Hon. w. G. Baker said today:
II regret deeply the action of the silver
| men last Saturday, but anticipated the
| result. There was nothing left for the
sound money men to do but to take the
action they took yesterday afternoon.
The silver men just simply bolted, and so
far as l am concerned | shall stay with
the regularly organized and legally con
stituted Democracy. l claim to be a
| Democrat, and as such | shall stay in
what | conceive to be the Democratic
ranks. Dudley's committee exceeded its
authority, unquestionably, hence it's man,
dates were not binding ON the Democrats
of Texas in taking action locally. <Home
rule is vital principle of Democracy 10Y
when we lose sight of this fact then WeV
are treading on dangerous ground. did
my best to persuade the silver men out
of taking the action they took Saturday,
| but to no avail. The truth of the matter
| is that the thing was manipulated by
some men who are anxious to run for
their own names They saddled the free
silver horse TO ride in on, but the animal
is going to pitch before the journey is &C.
cOmplished The silver men have not
only bolted the Democratic party, but
they have shown that they do not hold
the welfare of the party in very high es.
teen, for they have just about turned
McLennan county over to the Popuists
Divided, as the Democracy is, it is weak.
ened so as to be a prey to the organized
eager and determined Populsts. SO far
as I'm concerned, hold party principles
higher than the question of silver and
the country, come what may.
THERE MAY BE A BOLT.
Dallas, Tex, April 1.-(Special.) Ut is
possible, it is probable, that the silver
Democratic organization of Texas will
be minus the ClarkH Hardy following after
the conference of gold standard Demo.
Gratis to be held at the city hall tomorrow
night. Called as a local conference. it
has suddenly been transformed into an
event of State Importance. Nearly all
of the big guns of the Hardy forces in
North Texas are expected to be here.
There was much caucussing today among
the local leadership of the gold men and
tonight it leaked out that something SEN
sational was in the air.
Tonight the cause of the agitation
manifesting gold circles was finally To-
Gated. 1t was found to be q notice from
headquarters that the time has come to
abandon the semblance of cooperation
with the silver Democracy and to make a
formal declaration of war against it. as
represented by the committee of wiIxk
Chairman Dudley is the head. In otl. Y
words, the tip has been given that Chan \
man Hardy has been converted by recent
events to the Clark plan of action, and
that he wants authority to proclaim a
formal separation of his sheep from the
free silver goats. That authority will
probably be conferred by the meeting to.
morrow night, which will be declared to
be a representative conference, or if it
should fail to act at once, it will call a
general meeting for this purpose. 1t is
understood that Judge Clark, Senator
Matlock and others die-in-th ast-dtches
nave been urgently requested to attend
the meeting, and that Chairman Hardy
will be here.
The grounds of the proposed succession
VIII be that the Democratic county com.
mittees, of the State, in following the
pan OF the State executive committee
nave DISTINGUISHED the opponents of in.
dependent free coinage at the ratio of
Iii to l. They will be urged to hold
county conventions and elect delegates to
participate in State convention, which
VIII elect delegates to the Chicago con-
vcntlon and nominate what will be called
true blue Democratic State ticket.