The Forrest City times., 1896-07-24
ALL FOR FREE SILVER.


siamese Twins Otherwise Hopelessly
Divided-The Convention in St Louis
and the Discordant Elements that Com
pose Them-strongly Opposed to Sewall.
ST. Louis, July 22.-The Siamese
twin conventions which will meet here
to-day in different halls, but at the
same hour, will have as the ligature
that binds them together in settled
purpose only the free-silver plank of
the,Chicago platform. There is no at
tempt to disguise the truth that on all
other issues the two conventions will
be hopelessly divided.
The national silver party, whose call
was issued January 4, 1896, stated that
the paramount issue it had to consider
was 1.-The gold standard, gold bonds
and bank currency on the one side,
and the bimetallic standard, no bonds
and government currency on the
other"
On this platform representation of
LBS votes was proposed for the ma
tional silver convention" This repre-
sentation was apportioned with basis
of one for each senator and represen-
tative in congress, and then additional
delegates added in accordance with
the silver votes of the several states as
recorded by the Bimetallic union. Not
more than 300 of these straight silver
delegates are recorded as present in
the city, and scarcely more than that
number are likely to be present when
DIR. j. j. Mott, of North Carolina, calls
the convention to order to-day.
The representation of the peoples
party" or as it is generally termed,
the 'populist party of the United
States" was established on ratio
which should have yielded 1856 dele
gates and 676 alternates-a total of
2,034 Chairman Taubeneck (who is
not the least sanguine of the executive
officers of the peoples party does not
venture to anticipate a larger attend
ance than 1000 delegates and alter
mates.
The national silver party is to meet
in Music hall, Exposition building.
Its course will be all plain sailing. 1T
has only one purpose in view-the in
dorsement of free coinage of silver. 1t
will listen with more or less attention
to long, scholarly addresses from Mr.
Francis q. Newlands, of Nevada, the
'silverite" congressman, its chosen
temporary president, and from Mr..
William p. st. John, of New York, ex-
banker, who will be the permanent
president This body will in all prob
ability closely follow its programme,
which is to indorse the Chicago nomi-
nees on one silver plank. issue an adj
dress to the people and either adjourn
in short order or prolong its session by
speeches until its more turbulent
neighbor has concluded its proceed
ings.
The peoples party will assemble in
the same hall which recently ech oed
with the name of Mckinley" as the
repu blIcan nominee. AS to what its
course of procedure will be the claims
of the two factions are quite as diver
gent as they have ever been. The
presence of Senator Jones, of Arkan-
sas, chairman of the democratic execu-
tive committee, and his frequent in
terviews with prominent populistic
delegates has naturally given rise to
rumors that deal" was on which
would secure the Endorsement of
Bryan and Sewall by the convention
and such a recognition of the ''peo-
pies party" as would induce them to
sink for the time being their own
identity.
Against this theory Mr.. Taubeneck,
chairman of the peoples party, inter-
poses the strongest kind Of dis
claimer, asserting with vehemence
that the populists intend to nominate
candidates of their own upon a plat
form of their own.
There has been strong talk of NOM
mating a southern populist for the
second place on the ticket, even il
Bryan should secure sufficient strength
to be Endorsed for first place. But the
shrewd manipulators who are manag-
ing matters say that 1.-The tail goes
with the hide" and that if they carry
Bryan through (of which they have
no doubt, Sewall will follow.
The Middle of the Road" men, on
the other hand, are claiming to have
carried every thing before them.
Both sides seem at loss to estimate
the significance of the selection OF
Senator Marion Butler, of North Caro-
lima, by the national committee as the
temporary chairman of the conven.
ton. He has been claimed by each
faction, and appears not to have com.
mitted himself irrevocably to either.
This may possibly expla in his unan.
imous selection as the temporary pre-
siding officer of the convention.
That it will be picturesque and
curiously interesting gathering is al