Evening star., 1896-10-19
GOV. o'FERRALL's RECORD
Tho Democratic Congressional Committee
Gives Out q Statements
His Free Silver Speech In Febr1ry,
'Sf' and His Rem.rks the Next Day
-Minnesota and Oregon Claimed.

Minnesota and Oregon Claimed.
The democratic congressional committee
gave out the following today:
In the course Of the debate In the House
Of Representatives February 1S. 1851. Rep
lesentative O'Ferrall Of Virginia, replying
to a question put by Mr.. Caldwell, whether
the people would prefer Cleveland in 18ss2,
said: -,
Il do not know who will be the demo-
cratic cal didate then: but will say now
that today Grover Cleveland Is deeper
down in the hearts Of the democracy than
any other living man. 1t may be that his
views on silver do not suit all of the demo-
Gratis. but they are but the views of an
individual member of the democratic party.
In every convention, whether republican or
democratic. that has ever been held in
this county there have been differences OF
opinion, and the questions have been dis
cussed, but there never has been any true
democrat who failed to place himself
sCuarely on the democratic platform when
tie democratic convention spoke. care
not what MIR. Cleveland's opinion may be
today on the question Of silver coinage.
when the national convention speaks in
1872 he will. 1 venture to say, indorse the
principle and platform of his party"
His Statement Next Day.
AS various comments were made upon
this utterance of Representative O'FerralI
he was interviewed by the New York
World, and on February 10, 1891, in that
paper the following statement made by
Gov. O'Ferrall was published:
The significance of the remarks that
made yesterday" said MIR. OFerraM, ITS
simply this: 1 am democrat. and think
md 10 dow
favor of the free coinage of silver, and
have been SO ever since occupied seat
in the House. Mr.. Cleveland is opposed to
the free coinage of silver at present. and,
SO far as know. he always has been, and
perhaps always will be. But as an indi-
vidual member of the democratic party
ne has perfect right to hold and express
his own opinion on any particular subje It,
Just as have. When said yesterday that
Mr.. Cleveland. in my opinion, would stand
on whatever platform the next democratic
national convention might construct, even
though the free coinage Of silver would he
one OF its main planks, l simply meant
that believed Mr.. Cleveland was demo-
crat, and would bow to the democratic
platform and the democratic party. just
as would I am. as have already said.
In favor of the free coinage of silver, bat
II the next democratic national convention
should adopt platform containing a gold
plank l am democratic enough to stand aRu
the platform
Il did not speak as the special representa-,
tive of Mr.. Cleveland In any sense. spoke
as democrat who thought he could an
swer for another democrats devotion to
the principles and the platform of the
democratic party. I have no reason, on
reflection, to modify in any way the state
ments that 1 made In the heat of debate
yesterday. I feel perfectly certain that be-
fore Mr.. Cleveland wrote that anti-silver
letter he was practically the only man
thought of by the democracy of the conn-,
try the next presidential candidate of
the party. 1 believe also that If the
tionai convention had been held before that
letter had been written nine-tenths of all
the votes would have been cast for Grover
Cleveland on the first ballot.
Cleveland and Civil Service Reform.
II am perfectly free to admit that
don't know what may be the effect of that
letter, and therefore, as said yesterday,
I cont know who may be the democratic
candidate.
''One thing 1 will say for myself. II the
next national convention of the democratic
party should insert in its platform Il geld
plank my preference for candidate wonld
be Mr.. Cleveland; and on the other hand,
If the platform should contain free silver
plank, and If MIR. Cleveland should under
take to stand on that platform, Mr.. C!eve-
land would still be my choice. While Presi-
dent Cleveland may have been 1t times
oren to the charge Of muswumpcry, can
not forget that he was eleceI on a demo-
cratic platform which had civil service reT
form for one Of its main planks l must,
say. too that within a very short time
after the democratic administration came
into office there was not a republican post
master left in my district except one, and
tina. was at Woodstock, the residence of
the late Senator Riddleberger. where
senatorial courtesy as 1t is called, pre-
vented the removal of the man before the
expiration of his regular term of office"
Claims fer MinnesOta.
Chairman L. A. Rosing, democratic state
central committee, who has heretofore been
content with saying simply that he believed
Minnesota would cast her electoral vote for
Bryan. now makes the prediction, in a letl
ter to the democratic congressional COM
mittee. that the state will go for Bryan ~
not less than 1900. and for Lind by not
less than $4,000. During the past ten days
MT. Rosing says he has received returns
from every section of the state, and had
personal communication with the party
leaders in every district. The reports have
been gone over with care, he says, and due
allowance made for what might be consid-
cred in other campaigns sangufne esti-
mates, and only those that were considered
reliable used as basis for estimates. THE
result he says, ''is that the estimate re-
duced to the lowest basis, Is 5000 aiority
for Bryan. Lind will nave 10000 majority
The committee has not INDUCED in a cam
pa1gn OF boasting, nor of denial of the re-
Mckinley. 1t has made thorough school
house campaign, and makes its estimates
on careful and conservative basis" Mr..
Rosing further says: I'VE will surely elect
seven silver Congressman from Minnesota >"
Bryan to Garry Oregon.
A report from the democratic state com
mittee OF Oregon says: Bryan will surely
get the electoral vote of this state There
was never any doubt about IT, The COM
bined democratic and populist vote in June
gave us clear majority Of over 4.OOO and
will largely exceed that this year. There
are thousands Of silver republicans who are
being mportuned to vote for Mckinley but
the attempt will fail; they will vote for
Bryan, and swell his majority beyond the
figures above given"
Populist Claim for Pennsylvauia.
Secretary Edgerton Of the populist ma
ticnal committee got letter today from
the chairman Of the populist state commits
tee Of Pennsylvania insisting that Bryan
Was going to carry that state. The letter
went INTO detlil, claiming great swell for
Bryan in the mining region, and saying
that the candidacy Of Crow for sheriff
would give Bryan 25,OOO votes in Philadel-
phia.
To Organize Three Clubs,