The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-07-11
WASHINGTON LETTER.
from Our regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON, july 3rd, 1896.
Chicago is the Mecca towards which
thousands Of good democrats are now
travelling, and towards which millions
more are looking with deepest interest.
The veal OF woe of the democratic
party, not only for the present cam
paign, but for the future. viii! be de-
term:ned by the convention which
meets in the windy city next week.
As far as the most important plank IN |
the platform to be adopted by that
convention is concerned, the matter is
already practically settled in favor of
silver. The principal contest in the
convention will be over the head Of
the ticket, it is believed, although
there is a report that a tish: is to be
made to drop the rule requiring two
thirds OF the convention to nominate.
There is another report to the effect
that a formal bolt is contemplated by
the gold democrats, in case the head
of the ticket nominated is Il radical
silver mai. Your correspondent will
have to see this before he will believe
1t. From the beginning Of this unfor-
tunate fight in the party it has been
preached up by the gold men that the
fight should be fought to ii finish inside
the party and that when the National
convention had adopted il platform it
should be loyalty accepted by the
minority. Now. men like ex-Secretary
Whitney and Chairman Harrity of the
Democratic National Committee. have
done that sort of preaching, and / pos
itively refuse to believe that they are
going back on it if they fail to get the
convention to see things as they see
them. National Conventions are
and no man should take part in one
VIII" Is not prepared to accept its de-
cisions. There may be individuals
who attend the Chicago convention
who VIII leave the democratic party
because OF its action, as they have a
right to do, but | don't believe there
will be any boiling on the part of a
body of delegates.
The more that becomes known about
Hobart the more republican diss+tis-
faction there is expressed at his cleo
ton by Hanna for the second place on
the ticket. AT first it was thought that
his obscurity would cause him to be
accepted without protest by the ranx
and file of the republican party, but
since the newspapers Of the country
have been throwing their searchlight
upon Hobart's record there is Il regular
republican how! AL along the line.
They may Dot be able to force him Oft
the ticket, but it is certain that had
they known as much at st. Louis rs
they DC 0 that the Blaine lepubll-
cai.s IN that convention would never
have allowed Carrot Hobart to he
nominated for Vice President, and it
is doubtful whether Hanna would have
asked such Il thing Of the convention
had he known that Hobart not only
bbited Che nomination Of Blaine, in
the 81 campaign, but furnished a con-
siderable part OF the money to pay
campaign expenses Of Ben. Butler.
whose running was a factor in the
election of Mr.. Cleveland. The Blaine
republicans We're not any too well dis
posed towards Mckinley anyway, and,
now that they know the part played
by Hobart in keeping their idol out Of
the White House, nobody need be sur
prlsed IT thousands of them knife the
whole ticket III November.
President Cleveland has no sympa-
thy for men who are convicted of vio-
latlng pension laws. He refused
applications for pardon for three such
conricts just before he left Washing
ton for Gray Gables, In the cast Of
Paul a. Marcel!ino. he wlote on the
application for pardon This convict
was guilty, apparently, of nearly all
the crimes and frauds denounced by
our pension laws. He seems in every
way possible to have cheated and
swirdled ignorant prisoners and i'm
posed on the government. The pun
ishment meted out to him was all we'll
deserved, and | cannot yield to the
unthinking and irresponsible appeal
for his pardon" Upon the applica.
ton for a pardon for Andrew J.. Rocks
the President wrote: "This convict
personated a dead soldier, and through
that means procured a pension and
robbed the government. He was lust
~ dealt with by the court, and should
suffer all the punishment awarded to
him. and upon that offs. o. w. Bran
don, who was a pension attorney
"DenIed. | am unwilling to pardon
those who in violation of our pension
laws. overcharge applicants for PEN
for the services they render in
~substantiating their claims"
What will be the condition of the
John Z. Mclean boom when the bal.
lotlng at Chicago is over is a matter OF
doubt, but it lett Washington in a
healthy condition and it's friends were