The Indianapolis journal., 1896-02-02
Ii VIII Seat 10000 peopIe, when Fin
fshed, but Is seven Miles from the
Central Portion of the City.
HARRITY NOT OPTIMISTIC
HE REALIZES DEMOCRACY HAS A
ROUGH ROAD TO TRAVEL.
The Pathway to Success Barred with
SiIver-PIated Rocks-Building
Hopes ON a Change.

CHICAGO, Feb. 1.-The subcommittee
of the Democratic national committee
has selected the Coliseum as the
place for the convention and has
chosen the Palmer House as it's headquar-
ters. Early this morning the committee
started out to view Tattersalrs and the
Coliseum, the two buildings offered for the
convention. They chose the latter by unani-
nous vote. The Coliseum is at present un-
finished, but Colonel Dickinson, ex-secre-
tary of the worlds fair. who is the man.
ager Of the structure, informed the commit
tee it would be entirely ready for the con-
vention by April 1. 1t is now being COM
pleted with great rapidity, gangs of men
being employed night and day.
The building stands on the ground occu-
pied by Buffalo Bills wild West" show
during the worlds fair and is tri1e over
seven miles from the Palmer House. The
means of reaching it quickly are numerous,
however, cable lines. the elevated roads
and the Illinois Central railroad pass by
the door. Colonel Dickinson says 1t will
seat 1900 people when finished.
Chairman Harrity said tonight: 1--WE will
do nothing more at this meeting. We have
chosen the hall and the hotel for our head
quarters, and the rest of the details will
go over until the next meeting of the COM
mittee which will be held at the Palmer
House in five weeks from now. The SER
geant-at-arms will be chosen at that time.
We are going to do one good thing at this
convention, and that is to take care of the
newspapers in good shape. We are going
to give them better facilities and more of
them than were ever given at any national
convention ever held" The committee ad-
journed tonight for five weeks.
Mr.. Harrity Is not mortgageing his future
as political prophet. Il em not the most
sanguine person in the world Mr.. Harrity
said tonight, "but 1 have hopes. Some of
the members of our party have taken
too dismal view Of the conditions. Political
situations have changed, are changing all
the time, and will change again. We are
yet long way from election day. The
financial question will be the leading issue
of the coming campaign, in my opinion"
Mr.. Harrity continued.
'Will it take precedence over the tariff
issue?'
well, there is no doubt the Republicans
will try to push the tariff to the front as
the main issue, but do not think they will
succeed. The tariff question will be consid-
cred in the Democratic national platform
anu discussed on tHe stump, Out l. DelieES
1t will be overshadowed by the financial
question. 1t has been pretty well demon
strated," said Mr.. Harrity, with laugh,
thai our financial system is wrong.
The changing of that system will
be one of the issues OF the
campaign. A great many of our
soundeSt thinkers believe the change should
come in the way of retirement of the
greenbacks. just how the change shall be
made has not been determined. / doubt If
the delegates in the national convention will
go quite so far as to indorse specific plan
in detail for the change The financial
question will come before the people, 1
think, on the direct proposition for or
against the free coinage of silver
What position will the party take?"
Speaking for myself, l not in favor
of free coinage. What the party will do
is another matter. j believe the majority
of the Democrats are opposed to the free
silver doctrine, but there is a very, COM
pact and very able and very earnest and
very energetic minority in favor of that
proposition. We know the situation might
be more encouraging, that We are en-
barraSsed by conditions and circumstances
for which we are in no way responsible, but
that is no reason why We should sit down
and admit that we are already whipped.
We are still long way from that.
The Democratic national administration
has been in the position of the assignee
os bankrupt or the receiver of an insol-
vent corporation. The receiver is in no
way to blame for the insolvency. but he is
blamed"
If Mr. Harrity has a personal choice he
is keeping ii to himself at present.