Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-02
Why Mr.. Chandler Agreed to a
Mckinley Endorsement.
Mr.. DEPEW DISCUSSES Possibilities
importance of the Smith Crisp
Debates in Georgia.
CURRENT POLITICAL NOTES

the action of the state convention in in
dorsing both Reed and Mckinley, saying
that the plank was a concession of the
Reed men to the Mckinley sentiment. Sen
ator Chandler says he acquiesced in the
concession, though he knows it to have
been cowardly, as the Reed men outnum-
berej the Mckinley men.
In his letter, Mr.. Chandler says: 1.-The
ludicrous incorgruity between the delegates
elected and the last resolution of the series
adopted by today's convention needs ex-
PLANTATION from me.
"A short time ago Mckinley movement
was organized at Manchester under the
head of Henry NJ. Putney.
THE pretext of the outbreak was my de-
nunciation Of the campaign methods of
Messrs. Osborne and Hanna, which was
represented as an assault upon MIR. Nc
kinley personally. The argument seemed
TO be that because Mr.. Chandler had iniu-
dic-ously told the truth about Osborne and
Hanna, therefore New Hampshire ought
to abandon Mr.. Reed and support Mr. Nc
klnley. An assumed virtuous Indignation
was to change mems deliberately formed
opinions. The movement did not seem to
threaten anything serious. Public opinion
settled upon those persons as delegates
known to be favorable to Mr.. Reed. Yes
terday Mr.. Putney came to Concord as the
advance guard Of the Manchester dele
gates. He had been designated by the state
committee, with two other gentlemen, as
an advisory committee on platform. He
called on me and asked for my views. /
began by saying that l assumed that no
resolution concerning presidential candi-
dates would be adopted. as We had not
done that even during the exciting days of
the Blaine canvaSSes.
He said that if a resolution OF inStruc-
lions for Reed was proposed the Manches-
ter delegates W,lnl1 If I rpnlipl
that no sach resolution was desired. but
that the delegates ought to &C uninstruct-
ed and free and uncontrolled by resolu-
tons of any kind, as they had always
gone. 1 understood him to assent to this
plan. l then expressed my views as to
the currency plank. and he thereupOn ask
ed me to hear him read his resolutions,
which I did and gave to them my assent.
They were literally those adopted today by
the convention without the last resolution
adopted. He went away and / saw him
no more 10 speak to him until he appear
ed Oh the stage of the convention.
This forenoon about 10 o'clock, just be-
fore starting for the convention, which
met at IL o'clock, heard accidentally that
the committee on resolutions the night be-
fore had decided 10 add to the platform
which had been shown !nc resolution de-
clarins that Mr.. Reed was noble and IL
lustrious and that Mr.. Mckinley was pure
and able; that New Hampshire could be
happy with either. and preferred neither
had been arranged to keep the decision a
secret from me to as late a moment as
possible.
A Hasty Conference.
Immediately 1 asked to come to my
room such candidates for delegates as
could be found and a few other friends.
and we consulted hastily. The candidates
said that they had all been known for
weeks as unreservedly for Reed, that they
were sure of an election by reclamation;
that a disturbance in the convention was
undesirable, and that it was possible, al
though not probable. that of the seven
hundred delegates then pouring into town
from the cars majority might be found
against US if we had an acrimonious de-
bate On an attempt to defeat the resolu-
ton. and that they thought we had better
let the whole platform pass without
quarrel.
LAS 1 was embarrassed by the fact that
/ vas to preside at the convention. and had
no time to arrange the program of fight,
reluctantly yielded to their opinion, and
We went to the hall.
1.-The convention met little after II
o'clock. We nominated the delegates by
acclamation and adopted the platform as
a whole unanimously. motion was made
to substitute for the currency plank the
single gold standard resolution of the Mas
sachusetts convention, which was opposed
by Senator Gallinser and others, and only
received one vote, that of the mover HIM
self. 1t was unsuited to the opinion of
New Hampshire and to the candidacy of
Mr.. Reed. who is bimetallist the con-
vention ended before 1 O'Clock, joyous and
enthusiastic over the prospect of an over
whelnling republican victory to state and
nation.
"Cowardly seIf-Restraint."
This explanation may not he satisfac-
tory, but it is all I can make. / confess 1
was unprepared, at the moment of enter
ing the convention, for the device which
was the ultimate development of the. Os-
borne-Hanna movement in New Hamp-
shire. Our self-restraint was cowardly 1t
was the opinion of good judges, and 1t was
clear to me, after all the delegates had
assembled in the hall and cheered first the
name Of Reed. and later the name of Nc
kinley, that the convention was for Reed
three to one.
Il have acauieseed in such an act of
Gov ardice once before, when we allowed to
pass resolution at the New Hampshire
convention in 1877 that Hayes admins
tration was good and pure, rather than
have a controversy over the question
whether it's conduct had been dishonorable
In surrendering to democratic usurpers the
lawful government of Louisiana and South
Carolina, whose title was as good as that
of Mr.. Hayes. l saw and denounced an
other act of cowardice, when, on the fool
ish pretext that 1t was necessary, in order
to count in Hayes, it was agreed by Ohio
of the two lawful southern governments.
Hayes and Packard and Chamberlain and
republican honor might all have been saved
if the republicans had shown the courage
Of their convictions.
80 the mongrel resolutions of today
might have been easily defeated If men
had not cried peace when honest. manly
warfare was required. But the delegates
are all for Reed. and Go not think Hanna
can capture any one of them at any stage
of the contest
LOOKS FOR A SPLIT.
Chairman ROxelle of the Missouri
FODulist State Committee.
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star
ST. LOUIS. April 2.-Arthur Rozelle is
in ST. Louis. He is the editor Of the La
mar, Mo-, Industrial Leader" and is going
to take charge of the literary bureau es-
tablished in St Louis by the national COM
mittee OF the peoples party. Mr.. Rozelle is
himself member Of the committee, and is
also chairman of the state committee of
the peoples party. He Is confident that