New-York tribune., 1896-09-28
PLOT TO REJECT MR. FRANCIS
SILVER SENATORS THIRST FOR REVENGE
UPON HIM.
HE CAME OFT FOR PALMER AND BUCKNER AND
so INCURRED THEIR AvERsIoN-THElR
SCHEME NOT LIKELY TO SUCCEED
inv TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l

IBy TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrBUNEI
Washington Sept. 21.-Thero is movement
on foot among the Free Silver Senators OF all
parties to reject the nomination Of Ex-Governor
Francis Of Missouri. for Secretary OF the IN
terror when it is sent in the first week or the APP
preaching session of the Senate for confirmation.
This is not mere rumor. Several conservative
silver Senators have declared recently that they
intended to vote to reject Mr. Francis Their
grounds follows:
When the primaries for the election or dele
gates to the Chicago Cony ention were held, Sen
ator West headed the free ecoinage Democrats III
Missouri and Mr.. Francis the sound-money Dem
ocrats The free-colnage people won. The Con-
vention declared for free silver and nominated a
free-slver ticket Governor Francis came out
afterward in favor Of the boting Of the Indanap-
oils ticket and platform The free-sver folks
say that, having gone into the contest and nav
ing been defeated fairly Francis is not entitled
to the support Of regular Democrats when his
name is presented to the Senate for confirmation
to an ofice-even thlt Of Cabinet adviser.
The custom Is 10 confirm without question the
members of the Presidents Cabinet. but the Sill
yer Senators point out that there have been ex-
ceptions 10 the rule, and they insist that 1t Is
great administrative office, with party response
bilities: that Democrats ought not to be expected
to overlook treachery to their organization; that
Governor Francis's conduct Is fiagrant ana not
to be con1oned. AS another reason 1t Is urged
that he is a candidate FOR the United states SEN
ate TO succeed Senator Vest. who is "true-biue
Democrat and that for Democrats to confirm
Francis would be TO give him an advantage IN
the Senatorial contest. II would be rehabilita-
ton OF the Ex-Governor as a Democratic leader,
and not TO be thought of for a moment. They
S,,,tt hat
shades OF party OPT lon have stood together In
the campaign now being waged, and II would DE
unjust to other silver men a. well as senator
Vest for Democratic Senator'S to bolster up
Francis an open and able foe TO free silver. In
this Judgment Senators Butler. Allen. Stewart
and other POpulists concur. and the silver re
publlcans are quoted collectively as indorsing IT.
No doubt there will be attempt 10 reject the
nomination of Secretary Francis 1t Will he on
the lines above indicated. but there is certainly
much doubt OF its success. FIRST the senate IL
the most conservative body Of Legislators in any
Republican nation Of the earth. II would be
hard to induce it to reverse its traditions and
set aside it's usages. Second. there is such an
obvious fitness in a President having around him
men who think as he does that the most violent
partisan. except In time Of the most extraordi-
Eary excitement. has n ever seriously considered
II to be polite practicable to vote against the
nomination Of a fairly well-quafed man or
character whose name Is presented as one or the
Presidents Cabinet It VIII be hard. therefore.
If not impossible. to unite the silver Senators in
this policy Of visiting resentment upon the head
OF Secretary Francis for what he did as citizen
Of Missouri and a member Of the Democratic
party.
The silver Senator'S could hardly assume the
role of debating to President Cleveland whom he
should have for Secretary Of the Interior by tax
ing the untenabIe ground that he must not have
in that office any man who opposed the candi-
dacy OF Mr. BRYAN. The President himself op-
poses that candidacy strenuOuslY. and 10 exact
from him the nomination Of some unfriendly
10 his Administration seems indecent in any
rational view Of the matter. 1t will probably 80
strike thc majority Of the Senators. no matter
what may be the alignment Of individual Sem
ators on the silver question.