The record-union., 1896-07-05

interest in what the Democratic Con-
vention may do is ardent. The expec-
tation of Democrats is that thorough
going silver man will be nominated on
q free coinage platform; the hope OF
the Republicans is that this VIII not
happen, or that if it does the Popullsts
and the silver party will put up can
didates of their own. The great tlde
Of enthusiasm for free silver Whcn mas
lifted the Democracy off its feet from
one end of the country to the othef
has scared the Republicans IN TINS
neighborhood. Many of them are Sill
Yer men themselves, but they are COM
monty willing to sink finance ana make
the traiff the chief issue OF the Cam
paign All the Republican newspapers
Of the city, hitherto booming for silver,
have cheerfully made over their cfeeu
and now see that, after all, protectloh
is the main thing. But there can pe
no question that a deep lear Is let
that what is now a Democratic Iioe
may presently become gigantic ma
tional wave. The silver men, natural
~, are flaming with enthusiasm Ihey
say that the Republican hope OF Owls
ion among them will be disappointed
that if the Democrats supply the right
SORT of platform and nominee ne Will
get the silver vote everywhere-theit the
leaders. Democratic, Popuiist, boiting
Republican and others, may ulIler as
they please, but that the masses VIII
lot be led astray. What free silver
men want, they argue, is Tree SILVER,
and they will in spite of every con
trary influence give their votes Iof the
man who has the best chance 10 VIII
1t is to be a grand battle between the
masses and the classes, hght 10
finish with the people on one size anu
the plutocracy on the other
All the politicians are excited III
moving among them L nave not en-
countered one who has not sketcheo
out for himself the whole plan OF the
campaign and decided the result. But
as nobody can really know anything
about it all until after the Chicago Con-
yention has acted, the politicians are
hardly worth quoting. 1t is deserving
Of mention. however, that the gold
Democrats look extremely unwell. If
the election were to be held this month
7 think most of them would vote for
Mckinley, but party spirit will have
plenty of time in which to do its saving
work. and party spirit has quite as
strong a hold on gold Democrats as 1t
has on silver Republicans. Still, Cali
fornia at the moment looks as if 1t had
become debatable ground.
The approach of the Chicago Conven-
ton has had one beneficent local re-
sult-it has taken the towns mind off
pugilism The effect which that four
round scuffie between Corbett and
no collective intellect
of this metropolis was grotesque 1t
recalled New York in war times when
some tremendous battle had been
fought that was believed to have saved
or lost the Union The insanity of in
terest seized upon all San Francisco,
the madness extending to women as
well as men No class was spared the
ccntagion. The whole city talked or
nothing else for forty-eight hours. 1t
was a psychologist and moral reveal
ton There's a good deal of the an
cestral gorilla left in us all, winch Is
why man-and lovely woman, too re-
mains a fighting animal, in instinct IL
not capacity When the newspapers
gave pages to the news about the hShl
and fighters and lines OF edltorlai
depreciation of both they reflected the
attitude of the community.
After such a pagan debauch the pull
nit. under all the rules, ought TO De-
come vocal, but the pulpit isn't say
ing anything to attract notice orul-
narily. every preacher in san IRAN
cisco would be on end declalmlhg
against SO dreadful an exhibition as
two men fighting. Pugilism, equally with
dancing, theater going, profane swear
ing and billiards, is under the clerical
ban in permanence, yet scarcely a minis
ter-ial voice is heard, though more nights
are advertised. 1t is Illuminating 10
give the reason, which simply Is thal
the pulpit for the time being is bank
rupt in moral influence. and knows IT,
DIR. Brown is the gag. That a pastor
should have gone wrong is no very new
or desolating happening, and OF Itself
would not hurt the preachers as
body II was the position they took
toward Brown when he was found out,
when his guilt was made manifest 10
everybody without bias, that has done
the business for the San Francisco pull
nit Men who could not find it in their
hearts TO condemn that scoundrel and
who even expressed brotherly sympa-
thy for him in his affiiction, merely be-
cause he wore the cloth, will not be ac-
cepted just yet as moral guides by the
worldly. who if sinful are intelligent
The brethren whose hands are still
sojled from the brush wherewith they
sought to whitewash Brown are aware
that if they should express holy hor-
nor at a boxing bout their words would
be greeted not with respect but with
ironical laughter So thy lie low and
fr,. Inaf
Before the Brown scandal came to
prove that the vilest sinners within the
fold can count upon protection from the
consequences which are freely visited
upon the unregenerate, the clergy were
leaders in the Civic Federation; now
only laymen are put forward to speak
for IL The Civic Federation is re-
markable organization. Formed orig
inally, l believe, to supervise and pu-
rify local politics, the preachers have
so infused it with their broad spirit
that ii has come to take cognizance OF
all wickedness, from corrupt extension
of street railway franchises to late
hours. The Corbett- Sharkey slogging
. match has reused it, or, at least. reused
its head man, l. ]. Truman i don't
know who /. ]. Truman is, but
should infer that he's lady. He
went to the Pavilion, on invitation as
a deadhead, to judge how brutal
sport priZe-fighting is. In the prelim-
inary affairs he saw two men knocked
out, but as the hitting was quick, clean
and hard he was not shocked. Even
the first two rounds between Corbett
and Sharkey in which all the telling