The evening times., 1896-10-26
It HANGS IN THE BALANCE
Life of the National Silver
Party in Debate.
CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK
Messrs. Diffenderfer, st. John ana
Stevens VIII Determine Whether
ed After EiectiOn-Little Going Oh
ut the Headquarters-The Gossip.

The life OF the National Silver party
hangs in the balance these bright October
days.
Secretary K. l.. Diffenderfer, OF tine Ma
tional Silver committee in this city, went
to New York on Saturday night to hold
a conference with l. n. Stevens. OF the
national committee in Chicago, and Hon.
w. z. ST. John, treasurer oil the national
organization. lie will return here Wed
ncsday, and by that time It is supposed
the fate OF the party as an independent
organization will be settled.
The three gentlemen named, with their
ASSOCIATES and sympatbizers, will go over
the whole field in the Intervening days
and determine whether il will he possible
to maintain after the election an orGaniza-
ton on the present lines, and If they find
it possible they will have to deeide-whether
it Will be advisable.
THE PURPOSE
The party was maie up at the beginning
or the campaign to provide a place Tor
advocates OF silver, such as Senator Teller,
who did not care to go into either the
Democratic or Populist ranks 1t mas
been suspected all along of existing
mainly for the purpose of affording
channel for contributions of silver mine
owners TO the Democratic campaign funu IN
such a way as to hide the bold fact That
tn. mine owners Were trying 10 purchase
legislation that would greatly enhance the
value of their properties. The present move
apparently oonllrms this view.
The propostion To allow tne new party
to go to pieces when Mckinley is elected
Mr Rrygn'S neat eel
statement that the silver fight must 90 on
even after his defeat, except upon the
hypothesis tnat its existence is merely 10.
The purpose OF blind.
Little was DONG at any of the cam aiGn
headquarters this morning. The hal IS
growing lighter at each place, and the cher
business besides winding up AFFAIRS al
ready under way, is the issue OF papers
giving voters half rates on the railroads IN
gong nome to cast their ballots. As stated
IN The Times, the numbers OF Repubiicans
applying Tor these is three or four times
as the number of all the other parties put
together.
wATSoN'S LETTER.
Secretary Edgerton, of thclfopulist party,
was at his desk early, waiting Tor that
letter of Tom Watson that never comes.
lie was in good SPIRITS and satisfied with
his Job and the results of his lahOrs. With
the freshness of you'll. he explained why
Tie Republicans are claiming that every
thing is going their way.
.It is an effort" he said, "to prepare
for the control by purchase OF the election
machinery in the cities. They have plenty
of money, and they propose to use it for
the purchase OF Judges when this is pos
sible and the preparation OF frauds that
VIII give them such maiorities as they
need.
THAT is the meaning OF Mr.. Hanna's con-
troll of the betting by dumping money into
the field and of the claims OF 4 sweeping
| majority for Mckinley in the Electoral
College. They certainly haven't anything
more to base such claims ON now than they
had two weeks We're ago when they were
not making them.
las for Mr.. Apsley, he doesn't know any
| thing about the matter. His estimates are
of no consequence. He is light" eight in
politics.