New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-11
STILL On THE PERCH.

If Senator Hits supporters in Albany County
thought they could drag him into the open by
any such devise rs elccting him II delegate Ia
The Buffalo Convention with instructions To
support Bryan and Sewall, they were W'ry
much mistaken. They managed 10 put him IN
an embarrassing position. They heartlc"sly
called public attention 10 the Illuminating att
tudc he occupies hesiating between Two
courses. neither of which he dares take They
nsultcd his leadership by intnating that they.
the followers were tired of waiting To bc led
and thought il nrccSsary To prod their chief.
But they did not succeed in getting him 10 de-
clare his attitude toward the Chicago ticket.
In fact. they succeeded in doing just the oppo-
site They made him declare that the one thing
that he was not prepared 10 do was 10 state
how he stood on the question. SO far they
managed TO put him in . hole. I'ul the Srna-
TORS only action. on finding himself trapped. is
to pull the hole IN after him. and the Albany
Democrats know lust as much as they did be-
fore.
Senator Hills letter to the chairman of the
Albany County Committee declining 10 be IL
delegate 10 the State Convention under con'li-
lions which would restrict his freedom and com
bel him at once openly 10 come 10 the support
Of Bryan is chiefly remarkable for the things il
does moi contain. This has been Il season for
letters of drclination and resignation. The mails
are full Of them Prominent Democrats in
every State are refusing to run for office and
work on committees and in most cases their
letters give vigorous expression 10 political con
vicion They say what they mean ami mean
what they say. and no men are l"fi III doubt
where they stand. Bri Senator Hill Is not
of that class He cvadcs Il direct statement of
his policy with nearly rs much skill AZ Mr.
Cleveland eyadcd Il positive refusal oi third
term up 10 the nomination of Palmer and Buck
uer II would have been the most natural
thing i'm the world for Mr. Hill to have taken
the occaslon presented by his election To Bnf-
falo to say whether he was n Populisl or II
Democrat. There have been times when he
went out of his way 10 say he was II Democrat.
In fact. it must have been difficult in This letter
10 maintain an even-balanced retlccncr. ON the
one side wa, the temptation in declining To do 80
with Il few manly reasons. with II ringing ap
peal for sound money HAT would have rallied
the honest members of the organization to go
To Buffalo and save their party from the
pildiatorS. ON the other side WAS the tendency
10 >ooth those who's" favor he rejected with ex
plpSSlDllS oI SNlllIGilnN WIFI 'ntll iil'i
yrcl that his duty 10 the organization forbade
his representing them. Between the two dan.
gers Mr. Hill stecred with wonderful clever
ness To all inquiries is 10 whether he is for
honest money or against it, whether he is for
government by law or 10y riot. whether hc is
going to be with Flower and Phelps and Car
isle or Tilman and lgeld and IIoke Smith
he gives the unvarying answer: "Nothin' ter
say. my dartcr Nothin' AT all ter say.
In the end Senator Hill will probably have 10
declare himself hut like Brer Fox he may
have stayed 80 long At the forks trying to make
ND his mind whose barbecue 10 attend Nhat the
COOLERS and sparc-ribs will all be- gone John
Shcchan and Murphy are on for Bryan and
are inclined To dcpoSr from leadership one who
fliers 80 long. and even tardy surrender to
them will not make them trusiful. The sound
money men in their turn have acted from prn-
ciplc and dcsps. an crventh-hour ally who is
not n convert, but camp follower. Men Of
conviction have no Use for II trimmer, and mer-
cenary machine politicians have no ,lsc for n
friend who contemplntes deserten. Balancing