The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-23
What Leaders of the Two Great
Parties Have to Say About
rlajor rlCKinley.
GENERAL GARRISON AND CHAIRMAN HARRITY
REVIEW THE SITUATION
Democrats Expect to Capture the Country With a
Sound Money Candidate, While Republicans
Are Confident of Victory.

NEW YORK, N. Y, May 22.-William
F. Harrity, chairman of the Democrat,
National Committee, reviewed the Demo
cratic outlook in the country in CONVEX
satlon with reporter at the Fifth-avenu,
Hotel to-day.
1.-THE Democrats" said Mr.. Harrity
'are by no means so hopeless as the Re
publican newspapers picture them. Or
the contrary, they are hopeful and grow
ing more hopeful every day. With every
advance of the Mckinley movement tn,
chance of the Democracy has been i'm
proved. If Mckinley is nominated at St
Louis 1 am confident that Democratic
success next November will be not only
possible, but extremely probable. Bust
ness men throughout the country have g
profound distrust of Mckinley on acco uni
of his record on the currency question and
his present silence, and l don't believe
that that distrust can be removed by the
adoption of sound-money platform by
the st. Louis convention. Even if McKin.
ley should speak out later the distrust
would remain in greater or less degree,
for business men cannot understand why
any man should hesitate at all to give mis-
views on such an important question as
the currency.
There is no doubt now that the Demo-
cratic National Convention will name 8
sound-money candidate and adopt sound
money platform. Going before the country
with such candidate and such platform
we can, 1 believe, carry New York, New
Jersey, Connecticut and Indiana-which
means that the country will be carried by
the Democracy"
lis it certain that the sound-money mer
will control the Democratic National Con
vention ?" vas asked
81 believe it is, Harrity replied. "There
will be spirited contest, no doubt, but
sound money will prevail. One element o.
the convention will be in favor of fres
coinage of silver; another will favor com
promise TO catch both the gold and silver
men; but the honest-money men, 1 an
sure, will be in the ma jority, and the plat
form will contain square declaration ir
favor of the gold standard. And l wish
to predict, too, that the platform, in Will
the end, be adopted by the whole conven-
ton. l consider the talk about boiling as
nonsense The Democrats will express
their views and fight till vote is taken.
Then all viii fall in line with the ma
jority."
''Some delegates have declared that they
will bolt in case a gold-standard plank Is
put in the platform. How are they to be
kept in liner" asked the reporter.
81 have only this to say" said Harrity
with significant emphasis, delegates who
say beforehand that they will not abide by
the decision OF the majority of the conven.
ton should not be admitted TO it."
ut is too early yet to talk of candidates, y
continued Harrity. "At present no candi.
date has 100 delegates back of him. ONLY
one thing as to the candidate is certain,
aud that is that he will be man of clear
financial record, man whose views on
the currency are not doubtful and who will
not be afraid to express them--a man who
will be all that Mckinley is not on the cur
rency question. No straddling will be per-
mitted in the platform and no straddler
will be nominated by the convention"
How is Ex-Governor Pattison's candi-
dacy getting along2" was asked.
VERY vel" replied Mr.. Harrity, "but ]
am not making any predictions about the
winner at Chicago just yet"