The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-31
Fifty Per Cent. Of It's Democrats Are
for Sound Money-ExpressiOn at
May Convention.
THE GOLD CAUSE IN IOWA
INCOMING DELEGATES FROM THERE
PROUD OF ITS STRENGTH.
A Texas Man Who Wants the COnven-
tion to IndOrse McKinley-Situa-
tion I'm Lone star State.


at large and one of the leaders of the
sound-money movement in the Democratic
party Of his State, arrived in the city yes
terday afternoon. He said the full delega-
tion of twenty men from New Jersey
would be here Tuesday afternoon and that
a number of others interested in the move
ment would attend the convention.
THE movement in New Jersey" he said,
lis widespread and powerful. Some idea of
the natural sentiment of the Democrats on
the financial question can be gained from
the expression of the party in the con-
vention which met May TO select dele
gates to the Chicago convention. The first
paragraph of the financial plank of the
resolutions adopted by that convention
reads as follows: We are in favor of
firm. unvarying maintenance OF the pres
ent gold standard. We are opposed to the
free coinage Of silver at any ratio and to
the compulsory purchase Of silver bullion
by the government
This expression of opinion by the Demo-
Gratis of New Jersey was made before the
national party had adopted the free-silver
plank and you may imagine that it was a
bitter pill for those OF the party who felt
impelled to swallow 1t. OF the fourteen
members of the State committee, when the
committee voted as to whether or not II
should support Bryan, three voted abso-
lutely against such course and one failed
10 vote. We have three of them now in
our State committee and the chairman and
secretary of the State committee are
only waiting for the State convention for
the election OF electors at large to leave
the old party and identify themselves with
the new movement. l use the term old
party referring to what is generally
spoken of as the Democratic party but we
do not recognize 1t as the Democratic party
at all. We look upon the adherents to the
Chicago platform as the boilers, and as
matter of fact they are the boilers in New
Jersey, for they left the principle which
the Democrats of the State had already
declared for. In our recent mass conven-
ton for the selection of delegates to In
dianapolis used the old name the DEM
ocratic party.
Yes. the sentiment in New Jersey Is
strongly in favor of this sound-money
movement and the sentiment is common
among all classes. 1 have had talks with
Democrats in all parts of the State and of
all classes and find that few of those who
have swallowed the Chicago pill have done
so because they were in sympathy with it,
When our movement was first started there
was some opposition to 1t. The leaders
said the best way to defeat the Chicago
platform and its exponent was to vote di-
rectly for Mckinley, but the better counsel
was that it is better to keep the party to-
| gether by firm declaration repudiating
| the repudiationists and still maintaining
| the old Democratic doctrines. AS soon as
| the matter was placed in this light the
people swarmed to the standard of the
| sound-money Democracy. There yet
many Democrats who say they will vote
| for Mckinley, however,
''Who is the preference of New Jersey
| for the presidential nomination." was
| asked of Mr.. Curtis.
81 cannot speak for the delegation. as we
| have had no conference and every man
| comes free to cast his vote he chooses.
L can say. however, that we will probably
be united and our principal aim perhaps
| will be to add strength to the strongest
| man. Personally / believe General Palmer
would make the ideal candidate. General
Bragg is a man of whom l am very fond
| and man who would do honor to the
! ticket. Watterson Is very popular and
would make a very acceptable candidate
to many and M there Is only one r;a, reason s that
| nomination. Coming from the same State
| as General Buckner, his nomination for
| the presidency would defeat Buckner's
| nomination for the vice presidency and
! hope to see General Buckner get that nom-
| nation
Speaking of the effect oil candidate Bry-
| ans speech-making tour in the East, Mr.
| Curtis said:
Il consider his trip disastrous to the
cause he represents. 1t is patent to all
| that his great effort in Madison-square
| Garden was a failure. / am told that he
had not been speaking ten minutes when
| that by the time he had been speaking
| half an hour half mis- audience was gone.
| A friend of mine who was there says he
| sat through the speech for twenty-five
minutes and then joined the exodus. He
| said that he felt so in sympathy with the
speakers POS position 10 ,oa;n as speaker AXE and SO
| he staid fifteen minutes longer than he
| otherwise would have done. When the
| speech and the meeting was over and Mr..
Bryan entered his carriage TO drive to his
| hotel there was no demonstration. few
| boys followed his carriage and that was
| about all there was of it, There was much
| pith i'm the interruption of General Harri-
son at Carnegie Hall when the General
paused for a moment and some one in the
Everywhere Bryan goes / am informed
he is disappointment. People go 20 see
| him out of curiosity, but when they hear
his meaningless jingle of words they be-
come disgusted with the Popocratic cam
ddate. 1 candidly believe that he has
| movement wherever he has gone"
| Mr.. Curtis believes New jerseys cleo
| toral vote will be cast for Mckinley.
The delegation from New Jersey Is COM
| posed of lawyers, physicians and business
| men. with not banker amongst them.
| Mr. Curtis is himself attorney. While
| he lives in New Jersey MS office is in New
| York city. He has never been politician,
| in the sense of office seeking. although he
has always been greatly interested in the
work of his party Inc most influential
| papers of the New Jersey Democratic press
| are helping the progress of the sound
| money cause. and others which have not
| supported Bryan will probably declare in
| favor of the candidates nominated in this
| city this week. Already the State is thor
| oughly organized by the sound money
| Democrats and Mr. ,urtis says that the
| BRYAN tidal wave is now at It's ebb, with
| the exception of some OF the southern dis
tricts of the State which are not easy
OF access. As soon as the New Jersey
| delegation returns home IL is the intention
| 10 oDen an extended campaign and able
/ speakers will go into remote sections OF
| the State. In the next two or three weeks
| such systematic work Will be done that
| Mr. Curtis counts on large gains 10 sound
money principles
He says that the convention held last
| week was large and enthusiastic. New
| Jersey does not elect State officers this
year but the regular Democrats held a
convention last May. when presidential
| electors were chosen AT that time a
| sound-money platform was adopted set
ting forth the principles of the State The
sound money men played a trick on the