The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-23

James S. Clarkson, Republican National
Committeeman for Iowa and chief Allison
| boomer, is at the Fifth-avenue Hotel, says
the New York Sun. General Clarkson has
travelled all over the country. 1.-The dele
| gates to the convention are now practi-
cally elected" he said, land no candidate
has majority. This may be broadly as
serted, and all challengers safely referred
to the decision of the first ballot at st.
Louis for proof or disproof of the state
ment. Here are the figures in totals as
gained by authentic and revised reports
from each State and Congressional district
convention in the country:
Delegates elected for Mckinley. sS4
Delegates elected for other candidates 452
Delegates actually contested ................. 81
Total. els
mckinley, to gain a majority, must
carry seventy-six of the contested seats, or
all but six. AS four-fifths of these contests
are made up on Mckinley bolts from the
majority action of regular State and dis
trict conventions, he cannot possibly find
in these contests enough delegates to give
him majority, nor does he stand any fair
chance to gain them elsewhere.
"a clear and strong majority of the
delegates are not and will not be for Nc
kinIey, and will finally agree on a can
dldate safe for the party and sound on all
vital issues and nominate him. The effer-
vescing talk of an reclamation nomina-
ton expired last week. That could not
have happened In any event, for there are
274 delegates instructed to support can
didates other than Mckinley, and ali
these instructed delegates will gladly fnl-
fill their instructions at rolIcall at st.
Louis. That enthusiastic Mckinley talk
about reclamation was put forth on the
absurd idea that the supporters of all other
candidates than Mckinley had not acted
from conviction and sense of party in
terest from the start. Otherwise it was
based on the vulgar band-wagon theory,
which for three months has been the con-
spicuous motive and the only actual hope
of the Mckinley boom.
''In common with all the Iowa delegates
am Instructed by the unanimous actions
of the Republicans of my State for Allison,
and in loyalty and honor as well as from
personal choice l shall vote for Allison at
St. Louis. The Mckinley boomers who
say they desire and expect nearly three
hundred instructed delegates to dishonor
their instructions at st. Louis or who are
threatening to Danish them under a posi-
bic Mckinley administration for honor
able fulfilment of their instructions from
heir States in the National Convention
simply betray their own lack of a high
sense of honor. Further than this none
of the Allison, Morton, Quay, Reed, Brad
ley, or Cullom instructed delegates has
either desire, motive, or excuse to break
his instructions. For all these candidates
have passed through the contest unscathed,
are sound and outspoken on all the vital
issues OF the day, have no weak spots in
their records to conceal and no lack of
courage to face squarely all the issues now
uppermost in the public mind and vital to
the public welfare. If there are any in
structed delegates wavering it is on the
Mckinley side or among delegates who
are now finding that they cannot represent
the views of the Republicans of their own
States and the interests of the country and
vote for Mckinley without knowing where
he stands on the supreme issue-the
money question.
There will be 918 votes in the conven-
ton at st. Louis for prot ection. As to a
majority on the currency question, it is
not so clear; and this will be the supreme
test for the nomination. In view of this
fact, 1t is low estimate to say that at
least hundred of the delegates now for
Mckinley land half of them perhaps in
structed for him) are now hating between
duty to early instructions for him and
duty to their own convictions and to the
party interest and the public credit. Per-
haps should say that there are two sets
OF delegates wagering as to Mckinley on
this question. For, while there are q hun
dred gold standard delegates undecided
to-day because Of his indecision on this
question, there are perhaps nearly or quite
as many other silver or bimetallic dele
gates who are beginning to waver for the
same reason. 1t has been easy enough to
make pledges to delegates as to silver in
the far West and pledges as to gold to del
egates in the East; but when the McKin-
ley managers meet the silver and gold del
gates together at st. Louis the conflicting
pledges will be exposed and one set of del
egates or the other will be lost"
"Does the gold-standard question not
most largely affect the delegates from the
Eastern States who are already for other
ca ndidates than Mckinley"
NO, lOI the WnOle country east of the
Missouri River is as stanch on this oues-
ton OF safe currency and the preservation
OF the public credit and the prosperity of
the business interests of the country as
are New England, New York and Penn
sylvania. The States of Illinois and Wis
cousin, whose delegates are largely in
structed for Mckinley. are as sound and
as firm on this great question as New
York and Massachusetts, and their dele
gates, when it comes to the test, will not
vote for candidate doubtful in record or
purpose on this question. The silver
country is beyond the Missouri River.
Thirty-one of the States, including all the
larger ones except Ohio and Michigan.
have declared unequivocally for sound
money and practically the gold standard.
There will be from $50 to 600 votes stand
ing for this sort of a platform at St. Louis.
and the candidate chosen by this sound
money majority Will inevitably be beyond
question a sound-money man. The States
of the Mississippi Valley are as sound on
this question as the States of New Eng
land, and their votes at st. Louis will be
cast in the end for platform and a candi-