Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-21
Massachusetts Democrats Cannot
Dwell in Harmony.
RUSSELL MEN AGAINST WILLIAMS
Impending Struggle in the State
Convention.
GEORGE FRED'S CHANCES
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

| Ben Butler was running Tor ONCE ana
breaking down party lines, SO that the
state was divided into Butler men and
anti-Butler men, and the names "republi-
| can" and democrat" had no significance
| whatever
1t Is political civil war that is being car
| ried on here now. The war is in the demo-
| cratic ranks, and bitter one 1t is Hard
| names are banded with wonderful free
| dom, and it is a fight that admits of no
| compromise. This year 1t Is ex-Congress-
| man George Fred Williams against the
| machine" the latter headed by Josiah
| Quincy, who appointed the consus for the
present Cleveland administration, and ex
| Mayor Matthews of this city. The trouble
has been growing with each year. and the
Chicago convention famed 1t into a bright
| flame. To appreciate the force of the pres
| ent circumstances 1t must be remembered
that only four years ago a democratic
governor was elected in Massachusetts by
| a round majority.
| RusselPs Popularity.
| Ever since the day William z. Russell
| was elected governor of this state he was
considered the leader of the democracy Of
| Massachusetts. His party was proud OF
| him. was fond of him and willing to work
| behind him and to follow where he LED.
| He broke all Massachusetts records by be-
| ing elected three times as governor on
| MdSSa
| chusetts has had a democratic governor,
| but before the time of Russell there was
| 10 such thing as reelection for a men,
| Der Of the democracy
| After Russell went out Of Office he was
still the leader of his party. But here he
| encountered opposition from George Fred
| Williams, who had ambitions of his own.
| Williams is a remarkable political figure.
| He Is intensely ambitious, very vain, a
| man who has an overweening confidence
| In himself, AID certain that he is man of
| destiny. He would never be content to
| play the second fiddle no matter how dis
| tingu1shed the political orchestra.
Williams is believer in the dramatic
| He Is never happy, never satisfied unless
| ne Is leading something. In 1854 he was
| republican, but bolted Blaine and led the
| movement in Massachusetts that brought
| SO many of the young men into the Cleve-
| land camp. He was elected to the legisla-
| ture OF the state and at once attacked
| the most powerful corporation in the state
| the West End street railway of Boston.
| which has a monopoly of the lines of
| travel in this city. He charged them with
| corruption, with buying legislators, with
! prostitutins the service Of the state. He
| brought charges, he demanded an investi-
| CATION, ne kept the legislature In session
| all summer hearing evidence that he col
| lected.
| George Fred WillIams' Luck
| He was nominated for Congress al a
| lucky time. In 1880 the anti-r.publican
1
and he was swept in on it. No sooner were
The votes counted and his election declared
than he jumped into the fight for the
| speakership of the House. He espoused
| the cause of Mills and started out on a
| missionary journey through the New Eng
| land states in the interest of the Texan.
He went to Washington and worked for
| Mills there. When Crisp was nominated
| Williams attracted attention to himself by
| refusing to vote for him in the House be-
fral Gil
| The currency fight came and Williams
| jumped to the front Of the sound money
| side. He fought the silver men desperately
| he made speeches and he worked. There
was nothing he could say or do against
| silver that was left unsad or undone
| When he got back to Massachusetts he
found that the legislature had made up new
| congressional districts and he had been
| placed in a republican district. He was de-
| feated for reelection and for short time
| was quiet
| But he jumped to the front again and
carried off the nominate for governor in
| the democratic convention last year. Then
| came the actual ruture with Russell. The
ex-governor was then giving his time to
| law. He said that he had spent a number
| of years in politics and that it was time he
| paid some attention to his own profession
So he declined to make speeches in the
| campaign. Williams was angry at once
| He considered himself insulted because
| Russell would not make speeches in his be-
| half. There friction and there was
| soreness. w ltllamS was defeated Tor gov
| ernor by over $1,000 votes In the state
| which Russell had carried only three years
| before.
| Rupture With Russell.
| From that time the rivalry between Rus
| sell and Williams was open. 1t grew strong
| er and stronger, and the democrats took
| up the fight and the different cudgels.
Williams was elected a delegate to the
national convention. Russell announced
| Williams stated very frankly that he would
| never vote for him in the convention Rus
| sell saw that he could not get the solid
vote of his state at Chicago, and took
| himself out of the race, and devoted his
time to working for the defeat of free
coinage plank at Chicago.
| Williams had been elected a delegateat-
| large at the state convention, which at the
| accepted the election. Then came the SEN
| saton of Massachusetts, politics. After the
| convention, and after his election, Will
liams came out for free silver. The man
| Speaker after he had been selected by the
| democratic caucus because he was free
silver man, was himself shouting the
| praises of the white metal with all the
| earnestness of Stewart or a Jones. The
| state was dumfounded and his friends
thunderstruck. They labored with him, but
| Williams was firm. He declared that ne
| had been living a mistake when he was
| gold man. and that he had finally seen the
| error of his way.
The Vice Presidency Bee.
| Nor was he content with being for silver
I himself He labored with members OF the
Massachusetts delegation. and went out to
| Chicago as another leader, this time the
leader Of the free silver sentiment Of Mas
sachusetts. He went to the Chicago con-
| yentton with tremendous ambitions. He ex-
| pected to be nominated for Vice President.
| 1t is now an open secret that he had re-
| ceived assurances from the silver men be-
| fore he started for the convention. They
| thought well of the idea Of taking young
| man, brilliant and eloquent. right from the
| heart of the gold bug region. and putting
| him on the ticket
| But when the critical time came the Mas
| sachusetts delegation declared that under
| no circumstances would they support him.
| No silver man, no traitor to the platform
| upon which he was elected. they said,
| would get their votes. He labored with
| them, he showed them how impossible it was
| for him to get the nomination II his own
state openly repudiated him on the floor of
| the convention. But nothing he could say no
| appeal to state pride, could move the bay
| state delegates. Russell was at Chicago,
working for the gold standard, and neither
| he nor his friends had forgotten how Will
! 10 l,f~