Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-07-13
THE DEMOCRATS IN CONVENTION

Never in the history of the demo-
cratic party, with one possible excep-
ton, has there been so exciting, crazy
and harmful convention of one of the
great parties, as that held at
Chicago last week. The great struggle
was between the silver clans of the
West and South, and the level-headed
and conservative men of the North
and East. 1t turned out on test vot-
ing that the silverites numbered five
to three. They were elated with their
strength and used it arbitrarily and
defiantly. In the case of contested
elections of delegates, they unseated
gold men where it was necessary to
do SO in order to obtain a two third
majority, and in so doing resorted to,
as the gold men declared, some very
high handed proceedings. Their ma
tional committee undertook to place
Senator Hill of New York in the po-
sition of temporary chairman, but the
convention voted him down by about
200 majority. After voting out the
sound money delegates, defeating
Hill, and establishing their absolute
control of everything, which the most
enthusiastic silver men demanded,
they were ready to promulgate a
platform, which embraced almost
every fallacy that populist, fat
money man, silverite, or crank of any
sort could invent. There was long
debate over the platform in which
different theories were advanced, and
the spirit of the factions was shown
by an angry debate. The platform
makes the old party go back on it's
traditions and on the boasted princi-
Piles which democrats claim to have
been the doctrines of the party since
the days of Jefferson. 6 The DID, true,
4soanon pure democracy is completely
swallowed up in the populistic and
fat theories Of the day.
The convention was all at sea for
several days on the matter of candi-
dates, half dozen at least having a
good following. Among the most
Missouri, Gov. Pattison of Penn, Ex-
Gov Matthews of Indiana, Bryan of
Minnesota, McLane of Ohio and
others. The nominating speeches
were made on Thursday, and the bal
loting commenced on Friday.
Among the great episodes of the
convention was the delivery of sill
yer speech by Bryan of Nebraska,
who is called the boy orator, though
he is 36 years of age. His speech was
a masterpiece of oratory, and the sill
yer side of the convention and of the
immense audience went into ecstasies
over it. 1t is thought that he would
have been nominated for president at
the close of the speech, had that been
the order of business. Senator Hill
of New York made a big speech, but
his following among the delegates
about 300-was not such that facts,
good sense or oratory availed any
thing. Five ballots were taken, Bland
leading until the fifth, when the con-
vention stampeded to Bryan, and he
was nominated by two thirds vote
of the quorum voting. The gold states
following the lead of New York re-
Trained from voting, except that four
votes were cast by Vermont and a
scattering one here and there from
other states for Bryan.
The convention was at sea for
long time in the matter of candidates
for vice president. After four ballots
and the withdrawal of Bland. who
had been a prominent candidate, the
choice fell on Arthur Sewall of Maine,
a prominent free silver man of pop
ulistic tendencies. He is millionaire,
and a man of considerable promin
ence.
Unlike any presidential contest
which has heretofore been had, the
battle will hinge on the silver issue to
a large extent, and will be waged by
the East and Central states against
the West and the Southwest. If the
gold democrats do not bolt outright
and nominate a new candidate they
will support Mckinley and work hard
for his success. Already large num-
ber of influential newspapers have
declared that they will support no
candidate on a platform which one of
them calls an" "Anarehist crazy quilt"
The battle will be a furious one on