Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-07-22

! 1Ourn, GO Home, and WORK 1Or
Success-The Populists, Rent by
Internal Dissentions, May Work a
Week on a Platform and the
Selection of Candidates and Then
Split-Several Factions, Each Of
Which Wants It's Own Way.
St. Louis. Mo-. July 21.-The Populist
and Silver Conventions convene to-mor-
row. the former in the hall in which
the Republican National Convention
was held five weeks ago, and the latter
in Music Hall, where Grover Cleveland
was renoninated in IS.
Interest in the Silver Convention has
been completely eclipssd by the bitter
struggle among the Populists concern
ing nominating or endorsing Bryan.
The program of the silver convention
is cut and dried. There is no division
| of sentiment. Congressman Francis
Newlands, of Nevada, will be tempor-
airy chairman, and Wm. p ST. John, the
| New York banker permanent chair
man. They will deliver their speeches,
q platform of a single plank, in favor
OF the free coinage of silver, at 16 to l,
will be adopted; Bryan and Sewall will
be endorsed and the convention will ad-
journ.
The Populists on the other hand are
rent and torn by internal discussions
and the cOntending factions will plunge
Immediately into a fierce and deter
mined fight which may be prolonged
| for four or five days and which. from
! present indications, will probably re-
suit in bolt no matter which faction
prevails.
The heterogeneous composition of the
convention, comprising as it does many
whose opinions on all questions seem
10 be Numerically opposed and who
! hold and advocate those opinions with
/ bulldog tenacity that neither argument
! nor persuasion seems able TO shake, the
conflicting interests and the conditions
! that hedge the situation about would
| ste.gger The oldest political prophet were
he TO attempt to forecast the result with
anything like detail.
The Bryan men still appear to be il
control and the leaders are very conf
dent that they are in the majority.
| Practically all the trained and eXper-
fenced generals are aligned with them.
/ They have the advice and counsel of
] Senator Jones and the shrewd Demo-
| cratic managers who are diligently
watching every point in the battle, and
able allies in the silver boilers and the
! delegates to the silver convention. They
have very thorough organization for
| systematic and effective work. To-day
they were reinforced by the arrival of
/. 500 Bryan Populist shouters from Ne
! braska headed by Governor Holcomb;
150energeticPopulist workers fromKan-
sas and many from other parts OF the
West. They are pressing upon the MID
die of the Road" delegates the view that
the situation presents the silver issue,
| Mckinley or Bryan: that the western
! Populis.s insist on grasping the oppor-
tunity TO vote on the silver issue where
their votes will count and that failure
to nominate Bryan will split the party
wide open and cause d.ssensions that
Will never heal. They confront the
| southern delegates and scattering
squads from other sections who want
to keep the middle of the road and have
no truck" as some of them express ii,
with either of the parties, especially the
| Democratic party, with which they have
been at war. While strong OF conYlc-
ticn and voc.ferous in their determina-
tions that they will never surrender, the
Middle of the Road delegates are
practically disorganized crowd. They
keep up a great deal Of enthusiasm at
their meetings. and loudly claim as
high as 600 majority in the conven-
son. The hotel corridors ring with
their oratory and the applause OF their
| followers. but their claims OF victory
cannot be figured cut on paper unless IN
the final contest those who insist upon
! COMPROMISE should side with them. In
certain quarters. however they appear
to have unQuestiOnably gained strength.
In Washington State, for instance, out
Of seventeen Bryan men who came in
the delegation, they claim TO have cap
tured ali but two. They argue that they
have disrupted both the old political
plrties and with four more years OF old
Marty rule they will be able to sweep the
country. Their meetings are the lea
ture of the convention thus far.
Al the meetings to-day some one rails
Oh he CRY that man named Silas Ross,
of Buffalo. was here in the interest OF
the Republican managers to prevent the
endorsement of Bryan and fight was
only averted by the discovery that the
man ar whom the assault was leyelled
was some one else.
The National Reform Press Associa-
tion is backing the Middle of the Road
deIegates with all the power il posses
ses Altogether they are making a
deafenng noise which, as Senator Al
len said. creates an impression OF
members and strength"
a few frogs in pond, said he, can
make the night resound with their bel
! lowing -,......
DesDite the wild claim of the shouters
II was apDarent that some OF their lead
| ers we're weakening. They were talk
inc in more temperate strain and were
suggesting compromises as the best way
orf of he tangle. Cyclone Davis. for
irstance. prepared a resolution which he
said he would offer, declaring that in
order TO defeat Mckinley and the gold
! Standard. the Pcpulists should agree up
ON common electors. Riffs in the lines
of several of the Southern Middle OF the
Road delegations were also discovered,
nots.5lv in Texas. The out and cutters,