The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-05-27

PITTSBURGH, Pa, May 28.-NeaFly
~ The delegates to the national Prohi-
SI,,on convention have arrived and
,s,u,ands OF visitors interested in the
srocsedIngs have come with them. AS
',,b state delegation arrives the friends
=, both factions, free silver and gold
',,ndard,G go after them with arguments
cr persuasion. Each faction Is doing
#, utmost to proselyte supporters Of the
otber principles. Each faction claims
q majority Of the delegates, but from
tbs eagerness of the various leaders
% win converts, it Is as yet anybody's
fght.
The intercollegiate prohibition as
ISOLATION held business meeting to-
day and heard the reports of the ofi-
rsrs and mapped out work for the en-
splnr year. In the preliminary fight
between the broad guage and single IS
sne factions, there has been much acri-
n5nious language used. National
Chairman Dickie is a gold standard
man and has been soundly berated for
not tayoring a free silver plank in the
Ex-Governor st. John and the othes'
broad guage leaders have accused Mr..
pickle OF being a traitor to his instruc-
films. The Michigan state convention
Instructed for free silver and Dickie Is
violating them.
The women delegates to the conven-
ton held acaucus to-day and decided
10 take no part In the discussion Of the
female suffrage plank for the platform.
but to leave the matter Of inserting 1t
entirely with the men. ''If they refuse
10 put this plank in" said one OF the
two men, we will leave the party and
have no more to do with i"
Joshua Levering, OF Baltimore, the
single issue or gold standard candl-
date for the nomination for President
and Charles L. Bentley. of Nebraska,
the broad guage or free silver candi-
date, both arrived in this city to-day.
With each came large delegation or
supporters. Tie free silver factions
claim TO have an overwhelming major
lty Of the delegates. Governor st, John
Is Of the belief that the broad guage
candidate viii be nominated on the first
ballot. we have a majority OF a num-
Grcd now and think 1t viii be In
creased by tomorrow" he said.
Samuel DIckis, of the single. issue fac
ton. is equally sangline that free Sill
yer viii be defeated
But whichever way II may result, MT
DIckie is Of the belief that the outcome
Nni be split in the party
Asplit sure.
That there win be a split in the Pro-
hibItIon party as a result Of to-morrow's
leaders OF both factions
freely admit tonight. The split VIII
come, they say, over the money plank
in The platform. As yet scarcely a
word has been said regarding prohibi-
,ilu. Money, the root Of all evil, has
brcn the all-absorbing topic Of dis
russion. And 1t has come TO be a bitter
and acrimonious discussion and the OPP
ojsing factions have said many unkind
hlnEs Of each other In the hotel Hobbies.
Tbe 'i, bitterness OF feeling increases
louriy and when the convention meets
{ promises to be battle OF exterminR-
Ion.
II a gold standard plank should be
ldOpted in the party platform by the
lelegates from the cast. then those IA
,nring the coinage OF silver at ratio
u l6 TO ]. will secede. If. on the other
hand, the sO-called free silver dele
gates adopt a free coinage plank, then
the gold standard crowd will leave
and should thee onventlon fail to de-
alare for woman's suffrage, the feml-
nine portion Of the convention Will
sever its connection with the party.
There were three caucuses to-day.
One was held by the woman who deci-
ied unless a suffrage plank was incor-
porated in the platform. they would
leave the party; then the free silver
wing caucused and declared their
leader should run upon n broad
guage" platform or none at all, and
finally the single issue crowd came to-
gether and announced that neither free
silver, wOman's suffrage nor anything
else but Prohibition should be mentions
ed in the platform.
All factions claim a majority.