The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-06-16

st. Louis. June 15.-on the eve Of the
national republican convention, St.
Louis resembles bride decked for the
coming OF her liege lord. The build
ings flame with bunting. the windows
are adorned with pictures Of the vari-
Gus candidates, the air beats with the
pulsating Of martial music as parading
clubs 30 sweeping by. the streets surge
with people borne along In resistless
streams. while the hotel corridors are
choked with a jostling. pushing mass
OF humanity. 1t Is estimated that 75.-
00O strangers are the guests of the
Mound City tonight. The Southern
and Planters hotels. where headQuar-
tiers OF the principal delegations are,
were thronged to the doors all day.
The most remarkable feature about
the convention SO far has been the alb
sence OF bad blood among the parti-
sans OF the various candidates, The
triumph OF Mckinley has been 30 COM
plete thus Tar that his friends can af-
FORD to be magnanimous and his op-
ponents can do nothing but acquiesce
In the ascertained will Of the majority.
The partisans Of Reed. Quay, Morton
and Allison still wear their buttons
and are as staunch as ever In their
loyalty. but they realize the hopeless
ness OF making shrieking or offensive
demonstrations In favor Of their cham
plons, and the managers Of the anti
Mckinley candidates have practically
sheathed their swords. This does not
mean that they have abandoned the
field.
The Reed men to-day have labored
assiduously to rally the followers of
the Maine man. They have appeared
to his friends to 80 down with colors
nying. So, too. with the followers Of
Morton. Allison and Quay. But no
one ventures to suggest the possibility
Of McKinley's defeat.
The real struggle that Ii going on Is
over the financial plank In the plat
form. 1t is the real battle ground. In
phrase and word Il Is all important.
Upon the tariff and all other questions
there is substantial unity. Free silver
and gold are as irreconcilable as the
poles and the radical silver men are
prepared to stake their all upon the
issue. Knowing they cannot succeed,
they ore even now formulating the
manifesto that will sever their alle-
glance to the republican party. Head
ed by Senator Teller Of Colorado, they
have only mustered flve states and
perhaps one territory-less than 80
delegates In all-out Of total of more
than 300. The real struggle Is be-
tween those who favor a bold declara-
tion for the maintenance of q gold
standard, except through an interna-
tional agreement. and those whose
friendllness TO silver. although op-
posed to free coinage. makes them seek
to avoid a specific declaration for the
gold standard. The meetings of the
state delegations to-day demonstrated
emphatically that the convention will
not dodge the issue or equivocate in
language. Twenty-eight states, COM
prising the territory east of the Mis-
sissippi and almost the entire South,
elected members of the resolutions
committee and instructed them to vote
for O gold declaration. Wisconsin,
Minnesota. Nebraska. Oregon and
Washington also took strong grounds
for gold.
In Indiana. General Lew Wallace
was chosen a member of the resolu-
tions committee after he had declared
he would not stand on the Indiana
plank, and the utterance In favor OF
the gold standard could not be made
too strong for him.
Minnesota, with her IS votes, in
structed Ex-Governor Merriam to In
sist upon a declaration for the gold
standard. Michigan and several OF the
Northwestern states, notably Iowa and
the Dakotas and several OF the south.
ern states. announced their opposition
to free coinage. but did not favor too