The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-05-30
GOLD BUG PROGRAM
Single Standard Men r j. ilg
on the Contests.
a BOLT VERY PROBABLE
There Are Now 324 Pronounced
Gold Delegates.
THEY NEED ABOUT 100 MORE
The Acm nistration Expects to Carry
California, Kentucky, Ohio and
Pick Up Scattering Votes
Elsewhere.
A BOLT VERY PROBABLE
THEY NEED ABOUT 100 MORE
Elsewhere.

pendent lis an unusually well informed
gold-bug He knows as much gener-
ally about the programme OF the gold
Democrats as is known, his paper be-
ing a mugwump paper, a strong sup
porter of the President and the gold
standard. A recent letter to his paper
would indicate that the gold men rely
upon controlling the convention by
making contests in certain silver
States. 1t is believed that this is the
administration programme. Here is
the letter:
THE Democratic situation is rapidly
narrowing down to the question
whether the gold standard men or
silver men will retain control of the
regular organization. That there will
be a bolt by one side or the other seems
to be growing more and more
probable as the result of the choice of
delegates grows more and more uncer-
tain. The 324 sound money delegates
whose. selec tion is unquestioned have
been unexpectedly swelled during the
past week by eight from South Dakota,
and it is claimed that they will be in
creased by Is in California. There are
three or four sound money delegates
in the Missouri delegation and there
are at least three or four from the
State of Washington, but these may be
needed to Offset scattering losses for
the sound money side.
Taking the sound money strength,
therefore, at 348, a little more than 100
votes have to be picked up in the
doubtful States. Iowa has been taken
cut of the doubtful column by the vic
tory of the silver men and Illinois and
Indiana seem likely to go the same
way. This reduces the sound money
men TO Ohio with As votes and Ken
lucky with 90 votes. If both are in
structed for sound money under the
unit rule they will carry the strength
of that side up to 400 votes in the con
vention. 1t is not unlikely that this
Will be a majority of the delegates per-
mitted to take part in the preliminary
organization.
~ 1T is likely to prove fortunate for
the sound money men that they have
with them the brains and influence of
the party and the control of the Ma
tjonal committee The gold stand
ard Democrats in Illinois will proba-
bly, hold a separate State convention
and choose a full delegation to Chi
cago. as the gold standard men of Ne
braska and Texas propose to do. The
existence of these contests will shut
out of the convention "a votes and re-
duce by half that number the number
requisite to make a majority. The
committee ON credentials will then be
named by the 500 odd delegates whose
seats are uncontested and they will
probably be in favor of seating the gold
standard delegates from Nebraska,
who represents The majority of the
party, as indicated by the vote of last
fall and in favor of giving half a vote
each to both sides from Illinois and
Texas. This will raise the sound-mon'
ey strength, on the basis of the above
figures, to ATS and will give them a
safe working majority in the conven-
ton. If Ohio goes fox silveE or chooses
divided delegation, as the silver men
insist will be the case, or if Ohio and
Indiana send contesting delegations,
the situation will become more compli-
Gated and the probability of a split will
be correspondence increased.
The gold standard Democrats, ac-
cording to this figuring, will retain
control of the regular organization
and will probably nominate an eastern
sound money man upon a gold stand,
ard platform. 1t is hardly to be en-
pected, however, that the silver men
will submit quietly to this program.
The South Carolina and Illinois silver
delegation and very likely those from
Texas and Nebraska, will be ready to
dissent from the findings of the creden-
tails committee and will probably lead
bolt in which the mass of the silver
delegates viii take part. just so far
as moderate silver delegates remain
with the regular convention, it will
constitute a proof of the representa-
tive character of that body and will
help to give it's ticket the stamp of reg
Illarity in all the States. In the East.
under such circumstances, there would
probably be little division in the DEM
ocratic ranks In the South, the silver
ticket would receive the mass of the
Democratic votes if it represented the
action of all the Southern delegates.
In the Mississippi valley the party
would be rent in twain and the emula-
ton between the gold and silver Dem
ccrats to see which could pool the
elBIsdo qq5Hu ssaoA 4oIsqmnu LsqBsIS
as in 1860 to swell the aggregate Dem
ccratic vote far above that given to
Maj. Mckinley.
"A bolt by the great body of the
silver Democrats is likely TO concen-
trate the eyes of the country upon St.
Louis on July %. 1t rs at that place
and on that date that the Populists and
the Western silver men have called
their National conventions. The sill
yer Democrats, if they should lose con
troll of the Chicago convention would
be quite likely 30 adjourn to st. Louis
on July %, with the purpose of there
uniting all the elements which favor
the free coinage of silver. Men who
have travelled through the West de-
| clare that such a combination would
involve a more serious threat to the
| triumph of Mckinley, on either gold
or a straddding platform, than the
| people of the East imagine. Low
| prices for wheat and high interest