The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-07-04
BLAND BEATEN.
Failure of SfIverites to Agree on a
Caucus Has Ruined His Chances.

Caucus Has Ruined His Chances.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
CHICAGO, July 3.-The scheme to hold
a caucus of all the silver delegates named
at the Columbia Theater and agree on
candidate has failed. and by its failure
some of BANDS most sagacious managers
believe the defeat of their candidate has
been accomplished. When Indiana and
Kentucky yesterday raised a cry against
this proposed caucus the trouble for the
Bland people began, for a number of other
States with favorite sons, who are regarded
as possibilities, trailed in and declared that
their delegations would not participate.
The Boies people were in doubt as to what
their course should be- They did not want
ito take dare and have ii said they Were
afraid that Bland would succeed in muster
ing enough strength at the start to be-
come the choice of the meeting. Senator
Bayless, however, arrived this morning and
at once took charge of the BoieS boom.
The first thing he did was to give the death
blow 10 this caucus scheme. .Of course,
we shall oppose it, said he to the Journal
correspondent. I'VE have come here to
nominate Boies In open convention, not In
secret caucus. We have been working hard
TO organize his friends in Iowa and other
States for the last six weeks, and they are
coming here in force TO make just about
such a campaign as was made for Cleve-
land in 1854. Do you ina gine going
TO give up all this preliminary work now
and submit our claims to a caucus. The
silver programme on all other points is all
right; we are for il, but when it comes TO
the nomination, we have the best silver
man in the lot and we don't propose TO
throw our chances away. Furthermore.
We IRE instructed TO work and vote for
Horace Boies and we are going TO do it,
The Bland managers understood last
night that the caucus scheme was in great
danger and this morning, bright and early,
they were out among the Southerners try
ing to persuade them that unless the silver
forces should go into the convention with
an absolutely solid front on all questions.
presidential candidate and ALL they were
likely to be bewitched seduced and utterly
ruined by the handful of cunning and
I malevolent gold bugs. who are just
watching for chance to grab all the silver
people. chuck them into a black bag and
lock them up in a terrible Wall-street
safety deposit vault before you can say
Jack Robinson" With the average sill
yer delegate, who runs and hides under
the bed if you say Whitney to him, this
tale of terror would work all right until
some of the bigger men in his State would
! get hold of him and tell him that silver
was bound to control the convention any
| how. and there was no need of getting
| frightened.
When the Boies forces kicked over the
| traces and began to fight the scheme the
Bland people realized that it was all Off.
| They then realized for the first time that
more work and less wind might be a good
thing for their candidate, and at noon d
caucus of all Missourians, delegates or not,
was called at the Auditorium Annex They
organized themselves into a working force
! to visit delegations as they arrive, and
| work with them.
| BLAND is beaten If my Judgment is worth
anything" said one of his most astute
J managers to the Journal after the caucus
had adjourned. I'VE have been stalking
| everything on this proposed caucus and
the support of Altgeld. and now the first
has failed and L know Altgeld we'll enough
to realize That he cannot be depended on
in pinch. We have about 375 of the sill
| yer delegates. enough to control silver
caucus. but not nearly enough to control
| the convention. Our fight has been so ag-
| gressive that the only way we gain
! any additional strength is by soaring the
| silver people into caucus. and that can
! not be done now. The situation has devel-
! oped into the field against US and the field
! has the best of it, Yes. think we are
| whipped"
If this judgment is correct the fight will
lie between Boies and Matthews. with the
chances in favor of the Iowa man.
The temper of the delegates is such that
! the renegade Republican Senators, who are
here trying to nominate Teller might as
| we'll go home. r. NJ s.