The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-08-20
PRICE FIVE CENTS.

and that the populists had been driven
to the four winds by breath of silver
democracy being thrown into their ranks.
AS to the republicans, they are simply
not to he found, according to the state
ment of the ring silver democrats, and
yet what do we find here? We find that
| these great boosters have one of the
smallest gatherings of them all. Verify
the mountain has abored and brought
forth mouse. Where once was seen
representative men of the country; men
who worked in the field all the year
round and only stonned long enough to
come to town to their state conventions
| and have n voice in their proceedings and
then go home, what do you find now?
You find their places vacant. Are they
discontented or what is the matter? The
Office holders in charge of this conven-
ton say that they are not here because
as there is no fight on hand they are not
needed. If this explanation is to be
swallowed well and good, but there are
men who are here who attribute the COM
| paratively small attendance to other
causes entirely They attribute it to the
! fact that the party machinery is in the
hands of a ring and those old timers
want nothing to do with it. They give
another reason to the effect that the
masses of democracy in Texas are not
worshipping the silver idol as much as
the loud mouth cnmDaigners would have
| us think In other words there are more
democrats and fewer silver popocrats
than the slverites conccde. The office
holders say the people are not needed
| here to get out the ticket. That has been
made manifest from the very jump The
ring has told them that all along. They
have given the people to understand that
| they intended to run this nominating con-
unntinp and IN l<inp tbpn nj their word
most of the bone and sinew of the land
have stayed away. Now that the ring
is in position to nominate its ticket to
suit itself the question arises, will they
be in position to herd the people at the
polls in November and elect the ticket
that the people had little say-so in getting
out? The question is open for discussion
until November and the people are will
| ing to abide the consequences.
JOHN BALL AND HIS CANDIDACY.
Fort Worth. Tex, Aug. iS.-(Special)
-Jno. Ball of the comptroler's office is
in the city. John came here for the pur-
pose of securing the secretaryship of the
convention and is stumping this issue on
the fact that he is the only original
Bryan man in Texas. John, upon his
arrival handed the management of his
campaign over to Coils. Mobley and Reb.
Robertson. and the result of the cam
palSn is lUrScly uUe IO tllelr uiltHlHS
efforts. Upon being appointed one of
his steering committee. Col. Reb. Rob
ertson called John to one eide and told
him that something like $1,000 would be
necessary to make n successful cam
paign. rs that much would doubtless be
required to open suitable headquarters
and to defray incidental expenses. Col.
Mobley also approached John at sub
sequent date for another $1,000 touch
for the same purpose, and thus did the
situation stand when John declared him
self in unmstakeable language. He told
the managers of his steering committee
! that he was a patriot, running on that
| platform alone, and that If that was not
sufficient capital on which to run his
campaign he would have to go down in
| ignominious defeat-a fit illustration of
the hero that was sacrificed on the altar
of patriotism. After delivering himself
thusly John invited his managers to join
him in opening a box of matches and
quafling glass of ordinary wet water.
One incident attendant upon Johns ar
rival in the city Sunday night has just
developed. AS he stepped off the train
at the depot very polite gentleman APP
preached him and, calling him Smith,
struck up an acquaintanceship. John
corrected the gentleman as to his name,
which was explained on the part of the
gentleman as II slip of the tongue, and
he and John started off the depot plat
form laughing and talking together
Fortunately at that moment Col. Mobley
spotted John and making dive through
the crowd landed him and brought him
back in safety to the crowd. John had
fallen into the hands of the bunco
steerer.
| TRAVIS COUNTY DELEGATION.
Fort Worth, Tex, Aug 1S.-(Specal.)
The Travis county delegation is only
fairly well represented here. Among
those on the ground are Col VIM. NJ
Brown, Albert Burleson, Eugene Won
Boeckmann, Reb Robertson and n. X.
Mclean. Col. Billy Salge of Austin is
also here, but l understand that Col
Salge finds more to interest him out at
the packing house than he does in the
convention, and his visits to the conven-
tion hall are few and far between. At
torney Jno. w. Parker of Taylor is also
| here but he came up to attend the judi
cial convention more than the regular
convention and is not taking any very
active part in the big convention.
Col. Eugene Won Boeckmann came up
loaded down with Travis county badges
and also badges for Mayfeld for COM
missioner. He is here as an accredited
delegate though it was rumored on the
streets here yesterday that he came up
for the purpose of selling all necessary
| stationery to the convention under the
impression that he could bid for it. In
behalf of Mr.. Won Boeckmann, how
ever, l will deny the rumor and state
that he is here, like all the balance of
the patriots, to save the country
LAUGH TO KEEP COURAGE UP.
Fort Worth Tex, Aug. 1S.-(Special)
In conversation with one of the de-
partment clerks today | learned that the
administration are not so sanguine of
Bryan's election as they would have us
| think.
The clerk in question told me today
] that if the silver men did not win this
, time they would four years hence. That
they would probably be defeated this
time, but they were sure to win in the
| end
Yet these administration folks laugh
at anybody who tells that there is doubt
about the election of Bryan. Are they
| talking of his dead-sure election just to
keep their courage up?
BRYAN BUTTONS A DRUG.
Fort Worth, Aug. 18.-(SpecaL) 1.-The
| fakir, with his silver, Bryan and Culber-
/ huffnnc nd cop .a ahr in N