New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-08
RESULTS OF THE FIRST DAYS FIGHT.

RESULTS OF THE FIRST DAYS FIGHT.
fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBuNE.i
Chicago July 1T is safe to predict that the
! Democratic National Convention of 1896 will
run an ominously long and stormy course. II the
spirit and temper of the gathering were fairly
reflected In the heat and passion, the needless
and disorder which marked the opening ses-
sion to-day The echoes of the chaplain's sooth-
! ing rhetoric had scarcely died away this morn
ing when the irrepressible antagOnism between
the free-coinage and anti-free-cOinage factions
famed fercely out and for three hours there
after the opposing forces struggled over the
bare bone of election to the temporary chalr-
manship with an avidity and obstinacy which
would have done credit to contest Tor the
! Presidential nomination itself The gold-stand-
! ard faction, backed by the authority OF a ma
jorty Of the retiring National Committee, ana
| fortified by precedents set in previous nomlna-
tons fought to seat in the presiding oncers $
chair the recognized leader Of the Eastern forces
Senator Hill. Of New-York Against his election
to the temporary presidency Of the Convention
on the recommendation of the National Com
mittee, the leaders Of the free-silver coinage
/ majority entered a violent protest and through
! the minority of the committee put forward as
a rival candidate for the chairmansh:p Senator
John w. Daniel, of Virginia.
THE GOLD VOTE UNEXPECTEDLY LARGE
The prominence of the two rivals in National
politics. as we'll as their broadly representative
quality in the contest now raging for supremacy
/ in the party between the traditional Eastern
! leadership and the new and fiery radicalism o,
! the West. South and Southwest undoubtedly IN
vested the fight for the temporary hes'iency
with n greater Importance than could possibly
J have attached to it under ordinary political con-
dtions The division on the minority resolution
substituting Senator Daniel for Senator ftiil as
temporary chairman therefore generally ac-
cepted as substantial test Of strength between
the silver and anti-silver forces, and the anxiety
~ each faction to unmask the weakness OF the
other on an otherwise rather unlmpor-ant oi-
vision plunged the Convention into a long. heated
and wholly Improbable debate The res'it or
! the contest was something Of a draw, Tor al
though the silver men easily reversed The action
OF the National COMMITTEES and rejected Senator
Hill for Senator Daniel. the, vote Dolled for the
substitute resolution fell considerably short OF
the two-thirds strength claimed by the free coin
age managers while the support given 20 Sen
ator Hill rose materially above what was re-
garded as the high-water mark of the gold
standard strength Nine hundred and five votes
were cast in all on the substitute resolution. Mr..
The vote for Mr.. Daniel I56. or fortyeight
votes less than a twO-thirds majority Mr.. Hills
total strength was $40, thirty forty votes
more than were conceded to the gold-standard
faction by the free-conage managers.
II must be acknowledged that some scatter
ing votes were given to Mr. Hill for temporary
chairman which will be cast for free-coinase
platform and a free-coinage Presidential cand-
date In West Virginia, for instance General
ST Clair. a warm political friend Of Senator
Hill and one Of his active supporters against
Mr. Cleveland In the Convention Of 1872 was
able TO carry three silver votes to the New
Workers. column. Delaware. with one or two
free-coinage men on its delegation, gave solid
vote to the T.asts candidate. Senator Daniel
outdong Mr.. Hill In gaantry. not only did not
vote for himself but cast a ballot for his oppo
nent George Fred Williams and his free-silver
coinage following in Massachusetts also sup
rcrted Senator Hill, and the gold-standard dele
CATION from Nebraska, put on the temporary
roll by the National Committee. swelled the
"sound-money forces by welcome reinforce
ment Of sixteen votes
BOTH FACTIONS ENCOURAGED.
These accessions naturally put the best possi-
BILE face the fight which the minority has
been making to keep the strength OF the silver
cohorts below the fatal two-thirds mark; and
the gold-standard men are tonight drawing
comfortable differences from the results disclosed
by the first clash between the two factions to-
day The free-coinage leaders. on the other
hand are more Or less enthusiastic over the
victory they achieved, although in point Of de-
cisiveness it may have left something still to be
desired Their total vote. ii is true, fell forty
eight short of the two-thirds necessary to nomi-
rate Yet they preserved fairly unbroken
front and demonstrated that the great mass Of
their following Is now securely in hand.
Tho few actual desertions from their ranks to-
dav are readily explained by them on personal
grounds and the calculations they make on the
ballots which are to follow must be admitted to
hiring them to the very verge of absolute con-
troll The temporary roll Of delegates In use to-
dav contained the names of only 906 delegates
the National Committee allowing only two votes
apiece to New Mexico Oklahoma. Arizona. Alas
ka the Indian Territory and the District Of Co
iumbia ON the permanent roll as reported from
tho Committee on Credentials each OF these Ter
ritories expected to have six delegates. These
additions will increase the total membership OF
the Convention to $50. and the necessary two
thirds majority thereof to 62O. The free-coinage
leaders polled to-day 500 votes. or o3I II Sena-
tor Daniels vote be transferred to the silver COL
umn or the twenty-four additional delegates to
be admitted from the Territories, twenty are'
supporters Of free coinage.
The Committee on Credentials Is almost GER
tain to unseat the sitting gOld-standard dele
gates from Nebraska as its claim to regularity
is OF an admittedly himsy character, and admit
the free-conage or Bryan delegation. These
cessions will bring the free-coinage strength up
to 5.& or twenty-seven short Of the two-thrds
majority The votes which went to Mr.. Hill to-
day from Delaware. West Virginia and Massa-
chusetts are counted on to reduce the shortage
to something like eighteen or twenty.
The regular Michigan delegation now on the
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