The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-02
NO POWER TO NEGOTIATE.
MIR. HARRITY EXPLAINED THAT
THE FULL COMMITTEE ALONE
HAD AUTHORITY.
THE SILVER MEN MADE IT STRONG
Said They Would be Heard From ii
Their Wishes Were Not Fully
Consulted.


committee convened at the Palmer
House promptly at IL o'clock today,
with Chairman Harrity and Messrs
Wall, Sheerin, Shelly, Prather and
Wallace present, Mr. Cable being the
only absentee. The committee went
immediately into executive session,
with a Gordon of guards at the various
doors. The silver committee, consist
ing Of Senators Jones, Daniels and
Turpie, and Cows. Altgeld and Stone,
were promptly admitted, and were clos
eted with the executive committee for
some time. The question of temporary
organization was under discussion.
The two committees were together
for an hour and a half, when the sill
yer men withdrew. The silver men
first asked that 1t should be definitely
understood that they did not come as
the representatives Of the silver COM
mittee, but as delegates representing
the majority Of the convention. They
expressed a desire to have an under
standing upon the various questions
OF temporary chairman, seats for dele
gates and alternates, procedure in re-
gard to contesting delegations, and the
arrangement of the temporary roll call.
Referring to the temporary roll call,
the members of the executive commit
tee intimated that they would expect
to consider the contests as the national
committee had done on all previous
occasions, and make up the temporary
roll call. Attention was called to the
fact that there had so far been no
notice Of contest except in the one
instance of Nebraska The silver men
did not indicate whether this would be
satisfactory or not.
The principal part of the conference
was devoted tc the question of tenn
porary chairman, and upon this point
no understanding was reached Chair
man Harrity stated that he had had
no opportunity for conference with
other members Of the national commit
tee, and he did not feel prepared to in
dictate the policy of the committee. He
said he would be pleased to confer with
the silver men again and asked them
TO meet the committee next Monday. if
not before, by which time he hoped to
be able to speak authoritatively. He
said he had no candidate, but declined
10 say whether the committee would
De disposed to act upon it's own re-
sponsibility or accept the advice of the
silver men,
The silver men were not precisely
pleased with this statement, but there
was nothing for them to do but to ac
cept the situation as it presented itself.
Ihis they did, but not without making
their position very clear All the visf-
tors talked, and all agreed in making 1t
clear that they would expect to be con-
suited, and that in case of failure to
consult them, and the selection Of
presiding officer whose views were not
In harmony with those of the majority.
they would be heard from in the con-
vention. This was spoken in courteous
language, but it was put so plainly that
the members of the executive committee
did not fail to comprehend its full
meaning. The silver men also stated
that they would be satisfied with and
would accept any man designated by
the national committee, provided he
was man Of recognized standing in the
party, and that he was a man whose
views were understood everywhere to
be in accord with their own on the finan-
ciaI question.
In that event, they would not insist
upon naming the individual as they
were Indifferent on that score. They
were only concerned, that the convent
ion should be recognized from the be-
ginning as silver convention and they
felt confident that many would draw
their conclusions as to the character
of the convention from the standing of
this temporary presiding officer in the
silver ranks. Mr.. Harrity and his as
sociates listened patiently to all this,
but gave no sign of any inclination to
yield to the request. All the members
of the executive committee expressed
desire to preserve the utmost harmony
in the convention, and among individ-
uals. In this expression, they were
heartily Joined by the silver men, with
the mental reservation that the rule of
the majority should be made manifest
from the start. Nothing was said as to
individuals for the craftsmanship
Chairman Harritys exact position
was that the full national committee
would have to pass upon the temporary
craftsmanship and that he had no
means of knowing how the members
of the committee would regard the sub
Ject. He ventured the prediction that
they would be controlled by their con-
victions and their judgment. If con-
trolled, by conviction alone, they would
probably select man holding the same
financial views which they might indi-
vidually hold. If they consulted their
judgment, they might select a man
whose views would be in harmony with
the sentiment of the majority of the
convention. He did not, he said, sup
pose that the executive committee
would feel called upon to imakeua recon-
mendation. If not, there. would be no
use for the silver committee Ito meet
the executive committee again, and
they could call upon the national COM
mittee Monday.