The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-07-13
THE NEW CHAIRMAN.
Senator Jones Head and Shoulders
Above the Silver Politicians.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
CHICAGO. July 12.-Among the aggrega-
tion of curios assembled here
during the past week, probably
the most intelligent and infiu-
entail was Senator Jones, of Arkansas He
came near having d controlling infiu-
ence on the work and results of the conyen-
ton any mar could Gin a mob that
brooked no leadership. Jones was in the
Senate a number of years before his col
leagues ever discovered that he amounted
to anything. He is not an orator in any
sense of the word. but he has a keen in
telligence in his Judgment of individual
men, and in guessing the trend of thought
among masses of people. His chief qualifi-
cation, however. lies in his quickness as
an opportunist in seizing on any sudden de-
velopments in a situation and turning them
to advantage.
Jones was one of the original "conspira-
tors known as the Senatorial Silver Syn
dicate,'' coterie of United States Senators
who went into this thing in dead earnest
Immediately after the repeal of the Sher-
man purchase law in 1853. BY means of the
Memphis convention, the organization of
the Bimetallic League, the Democratic ma
tional bimetallic committee and other or
ganizations. they have pursued a regular
propaganda for free silver during all the
intervening period. They succeeded in cap
turing enough delegates to control the con-
vention before the great leaders of the
party in the East were aware OF the fact
that there was any danger in the move
ment. Their programme was to take con-
troll of the convention by hook or crook,
to put through a platform declaring for
silver and containing enough of the tenets
of the Populist party to attract all the vot-
ers of that party, and then to nominate
Teller. thus combining in one party all the
forces that make for free silver. The cer-
tain prospect of bolt by the gold States
of the East did not alarm them in the least
for they we'll understood that not one of
them could be carried for silver, whether
the Democrats there bolted or not. They
were counting on the South and West. or
their whole programme, the least impor-
tant point was the nomination of Teller In
fact they were In doubt on this point before
the convention met and after the crowd be-
gan TO gather. they saw Immediately that
Teller would not do. They learned that
it would mean the certain loss of Indiana.
Illinois. Ohio. Michigan and. in fact, all
the States they count as doubtful in the
nght between honest money ana repud1a-
ton. 1t was easy to drop Teller and when
Dubois and the other representatives COM
planned that the Tellerites might nominate
ticket of their own. Senator Jones re-
piled:
"Go ahead and do 1t. Your people are
not fools. They want free silver in the
mining States and we are going to give
them platform TO suit them. They will
vote for it, and not waste any votes by
throwing them away on another ticket"
The TelIcrites saw the force of the ar
gumert and subsidized. The Populists. how
ever, could not be turned down so con-
temptuously. Their followers had di-
rect interest in silver and were liable to
nominate a ticket and vote for IT, 1t was
easy to make a platform to suit them, but
to nominate man who would be acccepta-
BILE to them and ct the same time accepta-