Birmingham state herald., 1896-07-22
THE NEW SAMESE TWINS Bound Together by a Cord of
 Silver. IT IS TIE ONLY LlGATURE Changing the Figure-"No Other Connection With the House Across the Way" THE SILVER CONVENTION WILL BE QUIET. While That of the Populites May Equal in Turbulence Itsl Predecessors of the Summer-Indorsement of Bryan
 an Open Question.
THE SILVER CONVENTION WILL BE QUIET

bot. lOulS, July 1l.-lH He OiduleSe twins" conventions, which will meet here tomorrow in different halls, but at the same hour, will have as the ligature that binds them together in settled purpose only the free silver plank of the Chicago platform. There is no attempt to dis guise the truth that on all other issues the conventions will be hopelessly di- vided.
 The national silver party, whose call was issued January 4, 1896, stated that the paramount issue it had to consider was the gold standard, gold bonds and bank currency on the one side, and the bimetallic standard, no bonds and gov ernment currency on the other."
 On this platform a representation of 1918 votes were proposed for the national convention, but not more than 300 Of these straight silver delegates are record ed at present in the city, and scarcely more than that number are likely to be present when pr. J. J. Mott of North Car ollna calls the convention of silver men to order tomorrow.
 Tine representation of the peoples par ty, or, as 1t is generally termed, the pop ulist party of the United States, was es- tablished on a ratio which should have yielded 1858 delega tes and 656 alternates, a total of 2034. Chairman Taubeneck, who is not the least sanguine of the ex- ecutive officers of the peoples party, does not venture to anticipate a larger attend ance than 1000 delegates and alternates tomorrow.
 The national silver party is to meet in what is known as the music hall. It's course will be all plain sailing. It has only one purpose in view-the indorse- ment of free coinage of silver. 1t will lis- ten with more or less attention to long scholarly addresses from MT. F. G. New lands of Nevada, "the silverite" con- gressman, it's chosen temporary presi- dent and from MT. William F. St. John of New York, ex-banker, who will be the all probability follow its programme which is to indorse the Chicago nominees on g silver platform, issue an address to the people, and either adjourn promptly or prolong the convention by long speeches until it's more turbulent neigh bor has concluded Its proceedings.
 The peoples party will assemble in the same hall which recently echoed with the name of Mckinley as the republican nominee As to what the course of it's procedure will be the claims of the two factions are tonight quite as divergent as they have ever been. The presence of Senate Jones of Arkansas, chairman of the democratic national executive committee, and his frequent interviews with prominent populist delegates has d deal was on which would secure the in- dorsement of Bryan and Sewall by the convention and such recognition of the peoples party as would induce them to sink for the time being their own iden- tity.
 Against this theory MT. Taubeneck, chairman of the peoples party, inter- poser the strongest kind of a disclaimer, asserting with vehemence that the pop ulists intend to nominate candidates of their own upon platform of their own.
 There has been all day strong talk of nominating a southern populist for the second place on the ticket, even if Bryan should secure sufficient strength to be in- dorsed for first place.
 But shrewd manipulators, who are managing matters, say that ''the tail goes with the hide" and that if they car ry Bryan through Sewall will follow.
 The "middle of the road" men, on the other hand, are claiming to have carried everything before them. = They held meeting tonight and counted twenty states as with them in a determination not to indorse the Chicago ticket. But their opponents assert that they count ed all the recalcitrant Bryan men as rep resenting their states, whereas the full delegation, if boiled, would have been ad- verse to them. Both sides seem at loss to estimate the significance of the selec- tion of Senator Marion Butler of North Carolina by the national committee as the temporary chairman of the conveh- tion. He has been claimed by each fac tion and appears not to have committed himself irrevocably to either. This may perhaps explain his unanimous selec- tion as the temporary presiding officer of the convention.
 That it will be a picturesque and cu- riously interesting gathering is already assured. Among those to be present are General Weaver of Iowa and MT. Streat- CT of Illinois, both former candidates for the presidency on the populist ticket, and General Field of Virginia, candidate four years ago for the vice presidency; Flu gene V. Debs and his lieutenant, Burns, who shared his imprsonment; Mrs. Hel- en Cougar, Mrs. Mary Lease, Gen" Ja- cob S. Coxey and Carl Brown. These and other possibilities will intermx with the grizzied wheat farmers of the west, the cotton planters of the south and the en- thusiastic new converts from the east and middle states who will go 10 make up this convention.