Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-26
ILLINOIS DEMOCRATS
@ "A
To Play Prominent Part in the
Campaign.
GOV, AL3GELD AND,Ez-MAYoR HOPKINS
Opposition toilCIesyeIand Tolerated,
ST 7.
but Not Encouraged.
COL. MoRRIsoN's ATTITUDE

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
CHICAGO, May %, 1896.
Illinois gives promise of playing part
in democratic national politics fully as
decisive as it seems to have done in fixing
the republican presidential nomination.
With the democrats, however, it is not a
question Of candidates. The state Is the
battle ground Of the anti-silver campaign.
President Cleveland is said TO have been
given the word that Illinois would stand
with the administration for sound money
and to be greatly rejoiced at the news.
Probably the President is rejoiced because
what promised to be limp and aimless
| canvass for the administration policy has
been turned into an aggressive one. Meth
| er Ben Gable nor Controller Eckels nor
| any other of Mr.. Cleveland's friends, who
| are supposed to know the state, would
| be justified in making such statement.
| They don't know what the outcome Will
| be. Nobody knows, not even Col. w. X
| Morrison or Vice President Stevenson, both
| of whom are candidates for the presidency.
| If either of them could guess, ne wouid
| be able to gain a marked advantage IN
| shaping his campaign In other states
| The convention meets at Peoria June -,
| and the delegates are already being CHOSEN
in the various counties. There Will be
| 1909 delegates, Of whom 53o form ma
| jority. Cook county. which means chi
cago. has 1862. Here is the problem in
political arithmetic which Is to be solved:
| Take 362 Chicago delegates, add 173 from
| the county and there will be an anti silver
majority in the democratic convention.
| Governor Altgeld is at once the soul ana
| the brains of the silver movement. Mr.
| w. H. Hinrichsen, the secretary of state,
does most Of the public work, but he is
| simply the arm of the governor.
Defeated on Silver.
| Last October when a vacancy occurred
| in the eighteenth congressional district
Gov Altgeld insisted on ex-Consressman
| Lane, the democratic candidate, making
| free silver the issue. Lane did SO. 1t was
| understood that the result would determine
whether the party should keep silver to
| the fore in Illinois. Mr.. Hadley, the re-
publican candidate, made a square anti
| silver campaign, and was elected by an
| unprecedented majority. Many democrats
| congratulated themselves on the outcome.
They wanted the party freed from ms silver ksr
! been done. But 1t was the testimony of
the men who had taken part In the can
vass on both sides that the people were
| thinking only of the tariff. These were not
! so sure that silver had been side-tracked.
! Gov. Altgeld took this view. Now he is
| bound to commit his party definitely to free
| silver.
The state administration has entire con-
| troll of the central committee and the party
| machinery. 1t also seems to have the best
| of the local organization in Cook county.
| Thomas Gahan. an officeholder under the
| governor is chairman of the county COM
| mittee. Under these circumstances the
| outlook for the anti-silver democrats was
| not encouraging unless they could find a
| leader. or more properly. a boss. An Hon
| est Money Leaglie had been in existence
| for several months, and by great exe--
| lions had managed to keep its landlord
from turning the league out Of doors for
ron-payment of rent, The federal office
| holders of President Cleveland were rails
| ing a feeble and decerous voice in behalf
| Of sound money, but the mass of demo-
| Gratis were liStless.
| Ex-MnyOr Hopkins Position.
| Now all this has been changed. Elk
| Mayor John P. Hopkins, whose talents as
| an organizer are unequaled. is at the head
of the movement. A year ago Mr.. Hop
kins was for free silver. Until month
| ago he was charged with coquetting with
| both sides. When the proposition was
| heard to intrust him with the manage
| ment Of the honest money campaign obJec-
| ton was made, but these objections disap-
peared when some one cited the members
| of President Clevelands cabinet. who after
| being intrusted with responsibility, have
| seen new light on the money question.
| Hopkins enemies charge that he is now
| against silver because Governor Altgeld
| would not give him everything in sight.
| He is to be a delegate-at-large, and he
| also wanted Ben. Cables place on the ma
| tional committee. Mr.. Thomas Gehan
wants that place for himself.
Whatever the cX-mayor's motives, he
| has to be reckoned with as important
| factor in the contest that is waging. It
| Is said that personal request from ex-
| Secretary Whitney was the real means of
placing Hopkins in charge of the anti-sil-
yer movement, and this is not unlikely
They are warm friends, and Whitney was
| the first of the national democratic leaders
TO no iy1o,
| organizer. With Hopkins in command the
| men back of the honest money movement
| are sure of fight on the lines of practical
Politics.
Gov Altgeld processes contempt for the
movement. He could have reduced its ul-
| innate influence by issuing the call for the
| state convention on basis which would
have given Cook county fewer delegates
| but he was willing it should have a full
quota. lie has made some sharp personal
| attacks on Hopkins, which the latter Is too
| wary to answer. The governor, however
| does not depend on generalities He re-
| an offset to the Honest Money League he
is organizing the Altgeld Legion. The
| legion will draw to itself the masses of the
| democratic party. Nobody can question
| national administration is powerless to in
| terfere with him.
Altgeld in the Convention,
| The unit rule will be vigorously applied
in the county and the state convention, so
that If Gov. Altgeld wins he will be sure
Of the forty-eight votes of Illinois in the
| national convention. He has been credited
with the purpose Of having the Illinois
convention pass a resolution censuring
President Cleveland, but he is too good a
politician to press that point. He will be
| content to make a speech in the national
| convention setting forth his opposition to
| Mr.. Cleveland. The democratic party in
! Illinois tolerates, but does not approve
! these attacks of the governor on the Pres
ident. Many free silver democrats in the
| state, while not enthusiastic or exuberant
over their national administration, will
not submit to what locks like personal
| insults to Mr.. Cleveland.
! Not much will be heard Of anybody ex-
cept Governor Altgeld and ex-Mayor Hop
| kins, during the canvass One reason for
| this is that the struggle will be waged
| chiefly in Chicago, and the governor will
| take command In person of the Altgeld
| legion Senator Palmer, Vice President
Stevenson and Col. Morrison may take a
hand out through the state, though 1t is
understood that the Vice President prefers
| to sit on the fence. Senator Palmer is
"for gold and the administration" but he
| has ceased to be a controlling influence in
| the councils of the party.