The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-04-24
4 Growingly Mixed situation.

-
Rcformer predicted more than Il ye,
4 ago that the silver question was lab
to throw other or both Of the parti'
=, into II confusion from which the issl
could not be predicted, and this is jul
what is happening, with further con
d plication from the A. Z. A. movemer
Il whose size and potency is matter {
n guess work and whose method of =,
= crccy and apparent deviousness are pat
o urally inspiring politicians with dread
Tho \. p. \. is Of course mainl
4 within the Republican party and If il
2 power is Il fraction of what it claims
. is sufficient either to control or wrccl
} it, 1t claims. with its allied organi
cations, to have 1000, 600 votes and t.
control 100 of the elogatcs alrcad,
elected for Mckinley. All the indica
tons early in the canvass were that i
was putting in its work for Mckinle,
and that was generally admitted. Blu
last week declarations that seemed t.
be official were made that its strength
was TO be thrown against Mckinley
because an investigation" had shown
that he had appointed Roman Catho
lies to Office and was even member OF
the Friendly Sons of st. Patrick,
while only recently he was charged
with being an \. T. A., himself. But
now come denials, that seem to be
equally official, including one from
A. j. Boyer of the national advisory
board of the \. p, A., Of the whole
story and the theory is advanced that
it is shrewd dodge on the part of tho
Mckinley managers, who having got
the benefit of the A. i. A. support in
the sections where that organization
is strong, are now attempting by a
double game to draw the opposing sen
timcnt to his side. The whole business,
whatever the truth may be, is an illus
tration of the curse of secret organiza
tions in politics. The citizen who is
led to support purposes in public affairs
that are hid from him is simply
cheated.
Another of the A. L. l. announce
ments is that if it cannot control the
convention of either of the old parties.
as of course it cannot the Democratic. it
will put a ticket of its own in the
field. This, at least is easily believable
The free silver issue, according to all
present appearances. contains the like
lihood Of still more splits. The Dem
ocrats are getting the worst of this
Just now. The sound money men have /
taken alarm at the way state convcn |
tions have declared for free coinage at |
IL to l. 1t is true that they have all
been in the south and west, but it |
would not be candid to deny that their
nave been more en-
)hatic and with heavier maiorities
han was deemed possible. The silver
men are already Boosting that they
will sweep the Democratic conven
ion with a rush. and there is grave
hanger that they will control the plat
orm. where only majority vote is
equircdl though they cannot the nom
nations, which require thirds.
The Missouri convention last week
openly announced that it would bolt
f the 'goldbugs" controlled the con
cntion and the few men who protest
d against such radical action were ,
uthlessly swept aside. The Colorado
Democrats seem to be overwhelmingly .
n the same mood. On the other hand 4
the free silver men control. halt q
5 equally inevitable from the sound :
honey clements of the Middle and a
EASTERN states. With such a determi. Y
alton on both sides. in party that a
as never been skilfui in COM 3
questions of principle, il is 4
division that will put two Demo- b
attic tickets into the field.
Int ltcIubiiGdIlS nave u butNdTu II
opcarances been sailing under the "
cKinley acgis towards successful \
raddle So far in the state conYen r
on declarations the contest seems to n
: more c ween straddle and gold D.
andard than between free silver and =.
I'D But there is an inheren. ditficul- 90
in the situation in the fact that al
It'll sides claim, as is the fact. that b'
ey have been cheated 10y all the q, a.
'addles of the past and the free sill
rites declare unequivocally that
ey vii! tolerate no more of il. The m
stes that they control. Idaho, Mon RI
IA, Colorado. Utah, Nevada and Oh
yoming, are practically all counted &C
the 'sure" Republican column and su
arly all manufactured into states for at
: sole purpose of adding to Republic as
q electoral votes. Their leaders ia
emily threaten a bolt if the national br,
lvention does not pronounce for free de
mage and Senator Teller says even lu:
: straddling Mckinley could not ne
pc to carry Colorado. Senator Don in
mcron of Pennsylvania has been in ira
at work for several months vii
get the nomination for president on low
latform of silver and protection and cor
ugh he has not himself gone SO far the
his supporters promise positively sep
t the delegations from the extreme az !;
terl anu sohie oi inc southern be
es. will if beaten in convention ing