The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-08-01

Resignation of t4oke Smith Might Lead
10 COMPLICATIONS.


Washington, July 81. (SpeciaD-
Senator pritcharCh of North
Carolina, is at the Ebbit.
The Senator told Post re-
porter that he was sanguine of Mckin-
ley's election, and he thinks the cleo
toral vote, of the old North State will
be given him.
LAS a sound money Democrat, said
Mr.. j. c. Cole, one of the leading citi-
zens of Keolluk, Iowa, II rather feel
like wishing that Mckinley and Bry-
an would both be beaten, as the views
of one upon the tariff are as obnoxious
as ifhe beliefs of the other on finance.
But as delusive as Bryan's position
is. on the money question, it is idle to
DENY the great hold it has obtained
among the people. | have made 1T
point, to converse with men from many
different States on the situation, and
all their testimony points irreslstlbly
to the conclusion that the free silver
cause is daily growing in strength.
1t is of the tidal wave nature, and most
likely will sweep Bryan into the
White House.
1.-THE farmers are almost to man
for free silver. All through the West
they are now threshing their grain and
are Offered for their oats the muniti-
cent sum of cents a bushel. In the
neiahborhood of Kansas City, the mar
ket gardeners notified the mayor that
he could tell the poor people OF the
town thai they could betake themselves
TO the adjacent truck farms and
help themselves to all the potatoes
they wanted free of charge. 1t didn't
paw to haul them into the city. Such
conditions breed discomfort, and are
responsible for the silver craze TO Il
greater degree than all other causes.
4 cannot venture to predict the out
come of Iowa. 1t is a fact that repre-
sentative Republicans like Senator
Gear and Congressman Hepburn, are
much worried over the outlook, ana
the latter. who is a strong silver man
himself. is in the embarrassing pli9ht
of having to defend national plat
form with which he is at variance
There is a goodly number of sound
money Democrats in Iowa, but their
intentions regarding the Chicago tick
ct have not been crystalized into
definite plan of action. Perhaps Vhey
are waiting to see whether thlru
ticket will be put in the field, headed
by a Democrat who stands for honest
money" =.
Mr.. O'Brien Moore writing to the ST.
Louis Republic of the silence OF Mr..
Cleveland and most members OF the
cabinet, says:
Secretary Smith never hesitatedas
towhat he would do. He made up his
mind to support his party as soon as
the Chicago ticket was nominated. 1t
can be said too, that Secretary Smith
has his resignation ready If the Presi-
dent disapproves his conduct in sup
porting his party. Smith is man OF
strength and courage and his attitude
has had the effect of bracing the back
bone of many of the other Federal of
ficials here A week after the adjourn
ment of the Chicago convention it was
almost impossible to extort from
Federal office-holder declaration of
his intentions regarding the campaign.
Now more than 90 per cent of the Dem
ocratic officials are declaring here that
they will vote for Bryan and Sewall.
"The possible-nay, in 1.-THE prob
able-resignation of Secretary Smith
leads many people to believe that there
will eventually be almost a complete
reorganization of the Cabinet. 1t is
understood that Secretary Smith has
intimated to the President his readi-
ness to resign if the administration
is not disposed to support the Chica-
go ticket. Secretary Smith has no de-
sire to influence the other members
of the Cabinet, but he fully under
stands that if the President and all
the other Cabinet officers were either
openly or covertly opposed to the cleo
ton of Bryan and Sewall, it would
place him in an embarrassing posi-
ton. Consequently, Mr.. Smith has
made up his mind, according to all
accounts, to retire from the Cabinet
if the administration assumes an atti-
tude of either open or secret opposi-
ton to the nominees of the Chicago
convention.
''This is not the first time Secretary
Smith has offered his resignation as
a member of the Cabinet to the Presi-
dent. When the President had an
nounced his purpose of vetoing the
seigniorage bill the Secretary of the
Interior rendered his resignation. 1t
is no secret now that Secretary Car
Isle, Secretary Smith and the late Sec
rotary Gresham earnestly urged the
President to approve the seigniorage
bill. Mr.. William L. Wilson, who was
then chairman of the Ways and Means
committee of the House of Represen-
tatives, also pleaded eloquently with
the President to approve the seign-
forage bill, or to permit it to become
law. 1t is said that at one time the
President had made up his mind to APP
prove the bill in conformity with the
desires of members of his Cabinet and
his leading supporters in both Houses
of Congress, but that he changed his
mind after he had been visited by Mr..
Benedict, of New York, who owns a
yacht. Secretary Smith was persuad-