The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-29

do so. The rule is simply usage, and
majority at any time may change the
usage. They are not going to allow gold
man to head the ticket, no matter what
contingency may arise, and it seems likely
that Mr.. Bland, who has been so promi-
nently the champion of silver, will have
the advantage over all the other candi-
dates for the Presidential nomination for
that reason.
The friends of Boies of Iowa and Mat
thews of Indiana are putting up good
fight and are hopeful, but the best infor-
nation that 1 can gather is that Bland is
in the lead, with Boies a good second.
There is also some Cleveland smoke in the
air. and from the large quantity of it
should judge there was considerable third
term fire behind it.
1t will be remembered that Cleveland
has never yet announced himself as being
opposed to the third-t term proposition.
He would, of course, be acceptable to Wall
street and the goldbug crowd that fought
against Mckinley in the ST. Louis conven-
tiop, but if his name ever leaves the ips
of any of the speakers in the coming con-
vention there win be demonstration the
reverse of fattering to Cleveland and his
friends. That divinity that doth hedge in
king does not hedge in President dur
ing hard times and under the baleful infiu-
ence of a tariff for revenue only. From
all indications, it will not hedge in this
Democratic National Convention.
Such is the temper of the few delegat es
here. Such are the forecasts ticked over
) I,o 81 r%- - ,
Mr.. Bland has 106 delegates instructed
for him, and in this respect he is better off
than any of the other gentlem en- who are
named as his competitors. 1t is under
stood that he is opposed to such revolu-
tionary proceeding as the abrogation of
the two-thlrds rule. 1t will hardly be nee
essary, however, to resort to so violent a
procedure.
Notwithstanding the array of mum bers
against them, the gold men are going to
make a shrewd and determined fight
under mask. The scheme is to announce
themselves as bimetallists, and to try to
convince the convention into the adoption
of plank declaring for bimetallism by in
ternational agreement. This will satisfy
the gold men, and at the same time will
be acceptable to the conservative element
of the silverites-if such an element shall
appear in this convention.
William c. Whitney of New York will
be put forward as the standard-bearer of
the bimetallists, but he has a rocky road
to travel, for the majority sentiment of
the convention is free coinage on basis
of 16 to 1.
Henry Teller of Colorado does not make
even a ripple on the surface of the politi-
cal pool. He has no more chance of
nomination than cat in Helvetia without
claws on the smooth side of a glacier.
There are enough rabid silver men in the
Democratic party to choose from without
going over to shelved Republican or a
raw Populist.
Up to the present writing, the aspect of
things political is thuswise: Bland in the
lead, the silver men in complete control
and the New York Democracy in a condi-
ton similar to that of the New York Re-
publicans in the st. Louis Convention
without hope and without influence.
Myron D. King, private secretary to
Governor Matthews OF Indiana, is early
in the field in behalf of the Presidential
aspirations OF his friend and employer. !
had talk with him at the Palmer House
to-day, and found him full of hope, and
energlzed with full head of boem steam.
He said, in answer to questions, that sill
YER was going to dominate the convention,
but he did not expect that any of the gold
men would bolt. His confidence in the
true blue Democracy of all the delegates
was such that he felt assured that they
would abide by the will of the majority.
He had heard that the idea of resembling
the two-thirds rule had been mentioned,
but he was not aware that it was being
considered. Tie convention by
majority vote could make its own rules,
and that matter would probably be the
first to come before the convention after
the report of the committee on creden-
tials.
Mr.. King was of the opinion that the
contest cases would be but few in number.
The most important were between silver
and a gold delegation in Nebraska, be-
tween two silver delegations in Nevada and
a contest in Michigan between silver ana
gold. His latest estimate of the strength
of the two factions was 578 silver and 328
gold; but in case the unit rule should be
broken the silver men will have 610 or 612
votes. 1t is likely that the unit rule will
be broken, silver being in the majority.
Mr.. King did not think that Vice-Presi-
dent Stevenson had any strength. The