The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-30
A NEW POLICY.
To Split the Two Wings of the Free Sill
yer Combination
(WaShingtOn Stur.O

DRIVING the entering wedge between
the two wings of the free silver combina.
tion is to be the policy of the sound
money Democrats during the brief period
which remains before election. The
ignominy which they believe has been fas-
tened upon the Democratic organization
by surrender to Populism in nearly
thirty States is to he brought home in Il
forcible manner to those Democrats who
are for Bryan and Sewall because they
bear the stamp of party regularity Sec
rotary Carlisle struck the key note upon
this issue on Thursday night ut Coving-
ton when he pointed out that the So
called Democratic State committee of
Kentucky had usurped the functions of
the party and struck its flag to Populsm
by putting several Watson electors on the
regular Democratic ticket, making it i'm.
possible for Il Kentucky Democrat to
vote, if he wished, for thirteen Bryan
and Sewall electors. The similar comb-
nation which has been made in Indiana
has driven the recent chairman of the
State committee out of the BRYAN ranks
and will be made Il powerful lever for
separating self-respccting Democrats
from the combination ticket 1t is de
clared that many Democrats who are will
ing to vote for Bryan and Sewall will re.
fuse to roll in the mud ut the feet of the
ulst electors If this policy should be
pursued by Democrats in every State
where fusion ticket exists it would
greatly diminish the vote of the combine
in Illinois. Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan
Minnesota, Missouri Nebraska, Ohio,
Oregon and Wisconsin. These are mt
the only States in which the aag OF
Democracy has been struck to Populism
but they are the more important States,
where the reduction fof the combination
vote might affect the result. 1t is not
possible for Democrats in the sc States to
vote IL full Bryan AMI Scwall ticket; but
they can ut least content themselves with
voting for Democratic electors where
they have been named, and scratching the
names of the Popuist electors. This
policy may invoke retribution on the side
of Populists by leading them to scratch
the Democratic electors This, the gold
men declare, is .one of the inevitable re-
suits of the attempt to absorb the Demo
cratic party into the Populist party,
which will not cause grief among certain
classes of Democrats. =.
The suggestion that the issue he put
plainly before the voters whether they
wished to vote for Populist electors and
put Tom Watson on the high road TO the
White House, was made to the national
lJtlllOClullN committee SDlllt uuNS ago.
The idea was warmly welcomed. but some
doubt was felt whether time remained to
bring the names of the Popuiist electors
properly before Democratic voters, in
order that they might he scratched
Sound money papers will be asked, how
ever to post these names in their several
States and to invite the attention of self
respecting Democrats to the list. 1t is
believed that some Journals which are
supporting Bryan and Scwall because
they are the nominees of IL regularly
called convention will take up the issue
and advise their readers to scratch the
Populist electors. The number of Popu-
lists who are to be foistcd upon Demo
cratic voters DIFFUSION tickets in different
States is between sixty and seventy
Some of these are in States which are
surely Republican, like Connecticut and
New Jersey, where it would seem that
surrender to Populism might have been
avoided. Some of the Populist clectoi :
also are in States which are safely Demo
cratic under ordinary conditions, and
their acceptance by the Bryan Democracy
indicates the degree of terror which the
bolt of sound money Democrats has in
spred. The humiliating feature of these
deals in several doubtful States is the cX-
ccssive proportion of the electoral ticket
given to the Populists. In Minnesota
and Nebraska each party gets four cleo
tors. In Michigan the Populists get fonr
ont of fourteen, ard in Missouri four out
of seventeen. In Ohio the Populsts yet
five out of twenty. three and in Illinois
four out Of twentyfour. The climax Of
humiliation for the Democrats is attained
in North Dakota and Oregon where the
entire ticket was conceded to the popu-
lists. \ Democrat, therefore, in either
Of these States has no opportunity to vote
for Bryan and Scwall, but must take his
choice between the Populist ticket of
Bryan and Watson and the sound money
Democratic ticket of Palmer and Buck
ner. There has been some discussion in
Oregon which may result in giving IL
place or two to Democratic candidate
for elector, but in any cventa democratic
voter will have to vote for IL majority of
Populists unless he prefers the sound
money ticket named at INDIANAPOLIS
The measure of the number of Populst
| electors put upon Democratic tickets in
| the place of Democrats is the measure of
| the weight which has been thrown into
| the scale with the consent OF the Demo.
cratic national committee. and in most
cases by its orders, against the possible
| election of Mr.. Sewall as Vice. President.
| The measure of the sincerity of Chairman
| Jones, of Arkansas, and the other free sill
| yer leaders in putting New England
man on the ticket may be Judged from
the fact that he cannot possibly be elected
unless Mr.. Bryan beats Mckinley nearly
two TO one and receives seventy more
votes than are necessary to his election.
| Bryan might sweep the solid South and
| the silver West, might add Kansas and
| Nebraska and Michigan and Minnesota
\ to his vote. winning hV tynnt, II va N,
| jority in the electoral college, and the
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