The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-03
Politics IN CHAUrAUOUA.
James y. Fowler, Free-siIver Republicans u,
Nominated for the AssembIJ.

ALBANY, July 1.-The New York Assembly
for 1899 will contain one free-silver Republican,
a classification which has become even more of
an anomaly than that of gold Democrat. At
their convention last Tuesday the Republicans
of the First Assembly district of Chautauuua
county made James |. Fowler the regular party
candidate. This insures his election, as the dis
trict is Republican by nearly 5 to /. This &C
ton may have an important effect on the cleo
ton of a United States Senator next winter, if
the Democrats succeed in making any gains in
the Legislature.
Last years election cut down the Republican
majority in the Assembly from 50 In 1897 to 10
in 1893. The Senate, standing SO Republicans
TO Ii Democrats. held over, giving the Republi-
cans n good majority on joint ballot. This
year, however, n new Senate is to DO elected,
and the Democrats are confident of gaining sew
eral seats. especially In some of tho New York
city districts now represented by Republicans.
The election Of a United States Senator is one of
the very few functions OF the Legislature into
which national politics enters directly and vi
tally. If AssemblymRn Fowler stands to his
convictions on the money question. he may he
expected to vote for Edward Murphy or some
other avowed free-silver man, instead of for the
Republican. gold-standard candidate.
This will not be the lirst time that The Repub-
leans of the First Chautauqua district have
differentiated themselves from the rest of their
party in the State by sending u free silverite to
sented by Jerome Babcock. When he was
elected, in 1895. the silver question was already
becoming tho diyiding line between tho two
vass as u silver man, not incidentally, but par
ticularly. Ito emphasized this during his
speeches on Monday nights, whom the GAL
leries and seats on the floor are filled with
OF %0% oiPcrlh NJ w rsso! !nH M0H adyisi night co S%stS%
on questions, of national policy In order
to make spread.eagle speeches which fixed tho
occasion for Mr.. BabcoGk's speeches and not his
desire TO entertain tho l4dios: he was q ven
erable,looking man, over 60 years old. full
in earnest. At that time The Democracy Of
New York had not been. Organized, and after
listening with long suffering grins to Mr.. Bah
cocks reams OF statistics. his colleagues of both
parties invariably laid his resolutions ON the
table by q vote upproXimatlng ii9 to l.
sole contributions to the deliberations of tho
body. except u bref one explaining his vote
turned out on this occasion that he was u Pro
hioitionisi aS well ns a free sllverite. His in
supcrHble objection TO the ltalnes bill was that
II would permit the sale OF liquor on the steam
boats on ~ChnutauQua Lake.
The election Of BabCock and tho nomination of
Fowler by the Republicans, az freesilyer men
distinCtiYely, are manifestations of tho peculiar
political conditions that have long prevailed in
a county which Ia tho summer home of that
form OF education known as the ChautauGua
Scientific and Literary Circle. Some OF the
reasons that have been suggested for these 20,
westernmost of the state and is chiefly agrarian.
The farmers, at bottom, are greenbackers rather
than silyorites, but. like their fellows elsewhere
are willing to accept half u loaf OF reputation.
The First district, however. contains a good
sized city in Jamestown. which has nearly
10000 population. Socialism 10 said to have
mado considerable headwsy In tho district
in tho last few years. and Chautauqua is one OF
tho few counties of the State in which the Popu,
lists have regularly run candidates for the Lcgis
lature.
After 1900 Mr.. Babcock dropped out of the
Assembly. He had been q member once before
in 1886. when tho money question was ROT
prominent in national politics. He was sue
ceedod, by Fred {; Peterson, a jamestown law
comes MIR. Fowler, free s~ilveritc. to succeed Mr.
Peterson.
Tho Second Chautsuqua district. also largely
rural, Is represented by no less stalwart a Re
publican than the Hon. 8. Fred Nixon OF West
Held. who has served eight terms and is TO b
Speaker OF the next Assembly except In the un
likely event OF It's hR ying aDSmocratie majority