The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-06-03
v,,.rnAs nELrEo FREE SILVER

under consideration.
WHAT HAS HELPED FREE sih'' "'
SUNDAYS Washington Post contains
,.o,.,. conprehensive and able review OF
,,,. causes which had led the DemocIauc
1t. r. a6opt that sentiment in favor OF
the free coinage of silver that the VIM.
NJ the article a Mr.. Henry Litcn''e'u
,vost assumes will certainly control the
Chicago Convention
Amongst those causes Mr.. West places
fr Cleveland's course as the most IN
fuential. lie goes over the veto Oh ''e
seienorage BILL the sale Of bonds ana
No other wen-knoNn matters OF oa''y
comment. but he lays more stress uPo''
the game that he insists Mr.. Cleveland
has played to secure himself 'enOiN'-
nation than upon anything else
The Times does not propose by puohsh-
ing this matter to even inferentially ap-
,.rove it's discreditable charges, but 1t feels
that if owes fl TO its readers to keep them
informed Of what is said Of this as wen
as other matters Of public moment. II
therefore quotes from this review The
following massage. in which the very inn
nrobable statement is made. that Mr.. Ste
vcnson. Of Michigan. stated to President
cleveland that that state could be stoIeh
for the Administrations and that MI.
cleveland assented TO the theft. This IS
a very fine campaign story, and VIII go
The silver movement has been intensi-
fed also because President CleNelalh has
refused TO puhiicly declare his intention
mot to be a candidate for third term
and because OF the action OF the repre-
sentatives Of the administration at the
Michigan State Convention.
IA long ago as last summer the frlends
of the President began TO labor in nearly
every state i'm the Union 10 capture the
delegations from those States. Their pGr-
pose thinly disguised. was TO control the
nomination Of the Democratic candidate
for the Presidency even If they dld not
go so far as TO nominate Mr.. CleNeiHad
himself. This movement created general
suspicion and dstrust. The sudden and
"pcrnicious activity Of every Federal Of
nce-holdcr throughout the United states
was resented as being part Of an organ
lied effort to again place Mr.. Cleveland
at the head Of the party ticket. Cleveland
stood for gold The Opposition Hooked
to the silver standard. not always be-
cause IL favored silver, but because IL
was ant-administration If the President
had at any time within the last six
months made a plain and urequivccal de-
claration Of his purpose not TO accept
nomination under any circumstances
whatever. ne would have cut a wide swath
I'm the silver ranks. As between free
coinage of silver and another campaign
with cleveland as the nominee. the great
mass of the Democrats chose the former
with alacrity and enthusiasm. II is too
late now for the President 10 repair the
damage that he has done the cause Of
so-called Sound money" The lines have
becn drawn ana the feht is on.
Certain disclosures which have been
made regarding the action Of the admin
istration forces AT the Michigan Demo
cratic Convention have aroused bitter
feeling in the West although they have
not been published with any detail in the
East In a letter TO Senator Vest. writ
ten by George L. Hummer. a leading sil-
YER Democrat of Michigan. o remarkable
story is related. He says that on the
night when the Michigan Convention de-
ciarcd for gold and adopted the unit rule
Mr. Elliott G.. Stevenson. a. law partner
of Don NJ Dickinson. while boasting Of
the way I'm which the silver men had
been defeated. told him Of the part which
President Cleveland had i'm the affair.
Mr.. Stevenson said that Mr. Cleveland
telcgraphed him TO come 10 Washington.
and when he arrived there told him that
the state must declare against silver and
indOrsc the Administration Mr.. Stevenson
said that he replied that the State was
very largely for silver. that even Kent
county. ont of which Mr.. Uhl had been
appointed Ambassador 70 Germany. had
gone for silver: that there was no way
I'm which 10 prevent the election Of q large
majority OF froc-silver delegates but that
If the President insisted he thought that
'the State could be stolen for the Adj
miuistration." The President did insist.
Mr.. Stevenson went on TO say. and gave
him carte blanche to use the pOstmasters
and Federal officials as he might choose.
lie returned 10 Michigan. and, summoning
an the Federal officials. had many of
them agree TO run as silver candidates
FOR he state Convention. with the under
standing that they should vote against
silver when they were elected. According
10 Mr.. Hummer this programme was
carried out, and with the result everybody
81 familiar.
This letter. addressed 10 Senator Vest
with the understanding tgt IL was 10 be
made public and sworn TO if necessary.
has created widespread indignation
throughout the West and has not been
denied. 1t shows practices on a par with
the summoning 10 Washington recently
of prominent Federal ofilce-holders In
Ohio. as related with some detail in the
Post I'm order that they might assist the
Administration I'm this currency fight ana
I'm advancing the Presidential aspirations
Of a member Of the Cabinet II is along
the line OF Secretary Mortons recent
visit 20 the far West. when he SUM
moncd Federal officials TO meet him and
directed their participation IN the cam
paign. his efforts being resented by tho
adoption Of almost violent anti-adminis-
tration resolutions I'm Arizona and New
Mexico especially.
Less hostility and less activity on the
pare OF the Administration would have
robbed the silver movement of half its
force.