Omaha daily bee., 1896-07-05

Ex-Governor Russell OF Massachusetts, was
told Of the statement Of Ex-Governor Flower
that New York could not support any one
OF the leading candidates on a 16 20 1 plat
form, and was asked II that was the position
held by Massachusetts, democrats. He said:
II do not care to speak on that question
now. My financial views are well known.
Our present task is to stem the free silver
tide. When its result has been decided 1t
will be time to give attention to details. II
Is premature to talk now OF what we Will
or will not do In the campaign.
John X. Fellows said: WE ought TO leave
the convention IL the silver policy prevails.
That is all ! have TO say"
The proposed gold meeting called for II
o'clock turned out to be in the nature OF
a very Informal conference and the real
work of consultation was done in the private
rooms Of Senator Hill. Mr.. Whitney and
Mr.. Harrity. Senator Hin had MIR. whitney
in his room in the morning with Governor
Flower and several Of the Illinois and In
diana men. fe said after this conference:
ut is entirely too early for us to say Just
what plan we will pursue in the convention
after II is organized. First. there is the
fight in the committee on resolutions and
then there is the fight on the platform in
the convention. II the platform for silver
is adopted. we will then be compelled to
take a stand and 1T will be quickly done
and cannot now be forecasted."
Mr.. Whitney after talking with Mr.. Hill
strobe into the Illinois headquarters and
SAID we are now conducting our campaign
of education and 1t will last until the con-
vention meets. How it will end nobody
knows, but We will move very quickly after
the convention gets In session. Will we
bolt? Well, | can't discuss that now. Will
we have a candidate? l can't tell"
PENNSYLVANIA is SOLID.
There has been talk that there is a divi-
sion in the Pennsylvania delegation upon
the currency question. There is apparently
no truth in the story. At the Pennsylvania
headquarters in the Palmer house are e.
White. one Of the delegates-at-large and
Chairman of the Democratic State Central
Committee Wassen. He said: THE plat
form of the Pennsylvania state convention
adopted without a dissenting vote on the
29th OF April was unquestionably the most
advanced statement on the sound money
question sent from any state convention of
either party. 1t represented the practically
unanimous sentiment of the democratic party
OF the state, and the siXty-four votes of
pennsylvania in the national convention will
undoubtedly be cast in favor of sound money
and for the strongest declaration in that
direction that could be made. The Pennsyl-
vania position, as declared in the action of
her state convention. is emphatically and
strongly against the free coinage of silver,
In favor of the retirement of greenbacks
and the enforcement Of the government from
the business of banking: and in favor of a
paper currency, absolutely secure against all
possibility of los. to the holder. redeemable
at all times in gold and ample in volume
for all the requirements of business. These
propositions will be as firmly and unani-
mously expressed by the votes of it's dele
gates in the national convention as they
were in the state convention.
Apart from questions of principle and
considering only matters of eXpediency we
believe that the democracy Of New York
New Jersey and Connecticut, without whose
votes no democratic president has ever been
elected aford a surer promise of democratic
success than can be had in the republican
states of the west that have never been
found in the democratic column.
IF this convention proposes to worship
strange gods 1t must be without the an
proval OF the half million of democratic yot-
ers in pennsylvania.
GOLD MEN NOT IDLE.
The anti-silver men have been at work
all day. The delegations now in the CITY
have been visited by the men from the east
and earnest arguments have been made by
those who hope to stem the silver tide.
The success has not been marked. No con
verts have been made, and the silver men
have met them fatfooted with declarations
that they intend to run the convention
make the platform and nominate the candi-
dates. One of the New York leaders thinks
some progress has been made, and instances
among other things that they have been as
sured that the silver men will not attempt
to abrogate the two-thirds rule. and hat tn
uAlAA wv ~ aAoo bN otSN Ntl. II udS Dtt.I
understood for some time that the silver
men did not wish to abrogate the two
thirds rule, but there has been quite a
strong pressure to have the unit rule broken.
The eastern men have been fighting against
this with a great deal of vigor. There are
delegates in New York and in Pennsylvania
who want to vote for silver, and If they
are allowed to do so would make quite a
showing. The leaders of these delegations
naturally want them to vote solidly against
silver candidates. Don. NJ. Dickinson OF
Michigan was asked today what the gold
men expected to accomplish, and he replied
that they would fight to the finish, just as
II they expected to win. The object of the
work they were now doing was to get the
anti-silver men united, so they would stand
together until the convention was closed,
Mr. Dickinson said they have accomplished
more than they expected to for the first
day.
The only similarity to a conference that
was noted during the day on the part of the
gold men was this afternoon, when Mr..
Whitney. Ex-Governor Russell, ex-District
Attorney De Lancey Nicholl of New York,
Colonel Fellows. Colonel Harvey, James j.
Martin, ex-Mayor Grant and Mr.. Ryan
dined together in a private dining room at
the hotel where Mr.. Whitney is staying,
The affair ended about 3 p. m. and all de
clared that it had been a very informal af-
fair, at which no definite plan had been ar
ranged.
SOUTH HAS NO CHOICE.
There has been no general effort on the
part OF southern delegates to stand together
in the convention except on the one ques-
ton of financial utterances. They are prac-
tically a unit for silver and say that il they
IAN get what they want on that point they
are comparatively Indifferent as to the can
didate provided his convictions are known
to be in line with the platform on the sill
yer question. The southern delegates, of
course, have their presidential preferences.
but they are divided on this point. Most Of
them say. however, that any strong man will
be satisfactory TO them. and a number Of
them have expressed themselves as being
willing to allow the doubtful northern states
in the Mississippi valley 10 name the can
didate provided they can agree.
1t is announced that Senator Morgan OF
Alabama will probably not be able to at
tend the convention. He is a delegate and
had started here. but was taken i'll on the
train and was compelled to stop over. Sen
ator Morgan has taken such an active in
terest in Cuban affairs that he was expected
to exert a potential influence upon the COM
mittee on resolutions In securing a pro-
nounced declaration looking to the recogni-
ton Of the belligerent rights OF the Cubans.
1t now seems doubtful whether there will
be any explicit pronouncement upon this
subject, as some of the leaders consider
that II will be wise to leave IL untouched.
IL 10 alCn announced that ~ GnaaLar i,