Evening star., 1896-02-20
RESIDENTIAL BOOMS
They Have Not Been Frozen Out by the
Cold Weather.
No Real Silver Democrat Talked of
for the PresiIcncy-EIcmen to
BE Harmonized at Chicago.

The cold weather has not frozen out the
various presidential bocms floating around
the Capitol.
The Morrison boom, described in The
Star last week, Is bigger than it looks on
the surface. and the managers of the other
booms and boomlets are getting in shape
to do something to counteract the Morri-
sen affair The Stevenson boomlet spoken
OF in Mondays Star, is feeling around
cautiously, and is likely to get a foothold
before a great while. Stevenson has al
ways been regarded with esteem among
southern men, and If his views on silver
should meet the occasion, there may be
neck-and-neck race between the two Hi
ncis hooms before Congress adjonrns.
A boomlet. however, which is edging its
way around is that of the Indiana man,
Matthews. He has all along been looked
upon as the natural candidate OF the silver
men, His boom began a good while ago.
but the men in charge of 1t do not seem to
have been as swift as the Morrison man.
a gers. They will try to retrieve lost
ground. Indiana is claimed to be a bona
nde silver state, much more so than IN
nos, ard the Matthews men VIII use ms
as en argument to head off the other
boomS.
No Real Silver Man Talked OF.
A curious thing about the conditions sur
rounding the democratic party at this time
is that there is no really pronounced silver
man talked Of for the presidency. 1t is
hard to find one who will come up to the
standard This is what brings around the
bComs for sound money men from silver
people. They seem to have either no con-
f:dence or faith in the election of one Of
their own men, and are ready Tor dlckerS
with their opponents, always, however, ty-
irg up their advocacy with some kind of
reservation. This shows more than any
thing else that the silver men are at sea.
They really don't know what they want,
and they are going to Chicago in the same
chaotic condition. On one hand is an ele
ment which says 1t Is going to have its
way at Chicago or break up the party. On
the other is the conservative element. which
is disposed to be reasonable in its demands,
and thus insure the holding together of the
party. In the sound money ranks there are
two similar elements. One is favorable to
compromise and the other is not. The COM
promise people count such a stalwart as
German with them Leading the conserva-
tive element among the silver men are
Crisp and Harris.
Four Distinct Elements.
At Chicago, therefore, there will be four
distinct elements, and the shrewdest men
cannot see how they are going to be united.
1t is regarded as an impossibility. Cor
man and Hill and Crisp and Harris will
have to undertake the job, and if they
succeed they will rank higher than any
men ever did before in the party. Be
sides the momentous question OF uniting
the turbulent and conservative at the con-
vention Is that Of uniting them SO that
there will be a chance of winning in the
November election. Can it be done? The
populists and the new party men answer
in the negative, and that is why they are
so hopeful and SO jubilant.
Much the same state of affairs will exist,
it is alleged, at the St. Louis republican
convention, but the leaders there will not
have the task the democrats will at Chi
cago. AT st. Louis there will be no kick
ing or bucking south, and the disorganiZers
can be brought into line it is said, with
judicious tariff plank in the platform.