The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-04
A Modification Of the Platform
Proposed by Mr.. Croker.
RECENT ACTIVITY OF SILyERIrES
SAID TO BE DUE TO Mr.. GRO.
KER's SUGGESTIONS THAT IF
THE PLATFORM WAS PRUNED
DOWN MANY EASTERN STATES
WOULD RETURN TO THE DEMO
CRATIC COLUMN.

was uiuSIOu, Jun. o.-In0 Out-anu- out
free silver men have been remarkably ac-
tive during.th holiday recess in arrang-
ing for their Congressional campaign of
next year. All these ARRANGEMENTS have
been with view to having pronounced
free silver silver men In command every
where and in having the Chicago plat
form adopted word for word and line for
line in every State and Congressional dis
trict.
The arrangements have been made with
view, almost solely, to the campaign
of 1900. The leaders of the minority
nave deiiberated concerning proper run
ming mate for Mr.. Bryan and Represent
alive Bailey has been on visit to Mr. 10.
seph G. Sibley in Pennsy Mr..
Bailey refuses to talk about his mission
to Pennsylvania, but another prominent
Democrat of the House, who is thoroughly
IN touch with the situation, announced
yesterday: "Mr. Sibley will be'a ca ndidate
for Vice. President, and will be nominated
in 1900" Mr.. Sibley, IA is we'll known,
is radical free silver man, has sufficient
wealth to furnish "slnews OF war" would
be acceptable to the ma IS of Bryan sup
porters throughout the country, particu-
larly in the West and South, and would
give the East representation on the ticket
The same policy has been pursued re-
oPSStii% thC hCNI OODBTcSSlOudl commit
tee. 1t seems to be the purpose to put in
charge only radical free silver men who
are entirely in touch with Mr.. Bryan
Representative "Buckn Hinrichsen, of
Illinois, who is most spoken of as chair
man of the Congressional committee is
close friend of Mr.. Bryan. the two hav-
ing been reared together and reflects the
Nebraskan's financial views
This activityssof the silverites is an
effort to take the bit in the teeth anu
commit the party unequivocally on the
financial topic. 1t is more significant
because it is n movement to disregard
some suggestions that were thrown out
to the minority leaders by Richard Gro
ker. of Tammany Hall, during his recent
visit to Washington, looking to modifi-
cation of the Chicago platform. Those
suggestion have been disseminated among
the Senate and House Democrats, and
have not been cordially received Mr..
Croker urged upon the party men near to
him the prospect of sixty three electoral
votes in the next Presidential election il
his plans weIe followed out. New York,
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and
West Virginia, he argued, could be re
deemed o the Democracy if the princi-
pies of the platform were made so moder
ate that the Eastern Democrats could
support it. In such case it would he
worth while to undertake an aggressive
paign both next year and in 1901 in
these Eastern States which.voted for NJ
Kinley.
The hostility of Mr. Cookers ATTEMPT
to inject himself into nat! onal notifies is
stimulated because it means a backward
step from the stand taken at Chicago be-
cause it might hazard the chances of Mr..
Bryan, and because i1 would probably
mean the disintegration Of the fusion for
ces. The radical free silver nd vocates say
II the matter OF platform were yielded to
Mr.. Croker and he were allowed free
hand to undertake vigorous campaign
in the Eastern States named, il would
not be long before he would also wish to
dictate the candidate for the party in 1900.
Representative Jerry Simpson, the pic
turesque Kansan, who assumed the lead
ershlp of the Democratic minority for n
while during the extra session. said yes
terday concerning the attitude of the
Populists:
''If the Democrats show disposition
to take q step backwards and let in the
oldbugs, that they spewed up at Chi
cago by modification of their platform,
the Populist party will take independent
action. And if they nominate an Eastern
man that is not fully in accord with the
free silver movement, in my opinion, the
free silver Democrats, the free silver Re
publicans, and the Populists will nomi-
nate Bryan and elect him. I think The
country is ready for revolution of that
kind, and if the Democratic party is wise
it will keep step with the progress of the
people. and Instead of modifying the
platform make it still mole radical"
Mr.. Simpson would be better pleased
with more determined leadership of the
minority in the House.
II hope after the holidays he said,
that we shall develop some leader over
here that will take active part in oppos-
ing the Republican policy and not let
everything go by default, as we have
heretofore. They bury the Populist party
every year but people do not seem to I'M
derstand the difference between n party
name and the principles party stands
for. think the Populists have every
reason to rejoice over the progress of
their principles, which include the crea-
ton and maintenance of AN honest meas
ure of values, free coinage of gold and
silver, government ownership and opera
ton of railroads, telegraph and telephone
lines, municipal control or ownership of
gas water works, street cars-in fact.
general opposition to the concentration of
wealth, which n cans the upbuiding of
trusts and coniIo! of public utilities.
when L came.here seven years ago il
was rare thing to flnl a man who alvo-
Gated any OF these principles. Now nearly
all the leading men in both houses 20 a
long way in support of them. In fact,