The age-herald., 1898-02-24
For Harmony in Democratic Ranks Without Silver Issue.
ELLIOTT DANFORTH RETURNS
To New York From Tour of the South With Cold Comfort for the Sage of Wool fert Roost Who Aspires to
 the Presidency.
Special to The Age-Herald.

Special to The Age-Herald.
 New York, Feb. 23.-Elliot Danforth, chairman of the democratic state commit tee, has returned from a two weeks trip through the south with little or no encour- agement for the Hill plan to modify the Chicago platform in 1900 It is well under stood that he made the trip for the pur- pose of sounding the party leaders of the south on the question of union and har- mony without free silver and with Hill as the candidate for president.
 MT. Danforth says frankly that he found the democrats of the south committed to free silver and a great majority of them in favor of the renomination of W. J. Bryan. Party leaders are rarely so frank as Chair man Danforth has been and he must have found cold comfort in the south for the plan of eliminating free silver from the next national platform. He says that while Senator Hill has many friends and admirers in the south they not pleased at his silence in the campaign of 1896.
 MT. Danforth is an active candidate for the democratic nomination for governor next fall and he says that the state cam- paign will be fought state issues alone. He is quite sure that the state conven- tion will ignore the Chicago platform of 1896.
 strang1e Silver
 It Is evident that no matter how. strong the free silver sentiment may be through out the country or in the interior of this state it is to be strangled in the state cam- paign next fall. Messrs. Hill, Whitney, Flower, Belmont, Cumnins and Croker are going to dictate the party policy and they are in too close touch with Wall street to yield point to the silver sentiment at this time. They believe that a democratic state ticket can be elected in November on purely state issues and that such re- suit would give black eye to the silver agitation. Like all professional politicians they calculate that many strange things may happen in two years and by steering clear of the Chicago platform this year they will be free to catch the early drift of the tide in 1900.
 A revolt against the Mclaughlin political machine has broken out in Brooklyn over the distribution of the local patronage. The younger members of the machine who have worked and voted according to ders for several years say they have not received any of the rewards. They have made public a list of McLaughlin's leuten- ants and relatives who have been appoint ed to office by Mayor Van Wyck and op posite each name appears the mans record as an office holder and estimate of his fortune. From this list 1t appears that every man who got a good office has been drawing @ salary from the city, county or state almost continuously since McLaugh- lin came into power as a. leader. It also appears that most of these men are sup posed to be worth from $100,OO0 to sl0OO,oO0. W01cn goes 10 snow that BrOOklyn DOlltl- clans are thrifty and saving.
 Actually Patriotic
 The Maine incident has surprised the average New Yorker by arousing some real patriotic enthusiasm in the city. The most astounding manifestation of the dor mant spirit occurred in Daly's theater, which is English in all it's traditions and draws its patronage almost exclusively from the British loving persons compelled to live in New York; The orchestra played the Star Spangled Banner night and the audience actually applauded for al- most minute. All things considered this was really remarkable demonstration.
 The average New Yorker talks of the possibility of war with Spain merely as an incident that would affect the stock mar ket, therefore something to be deplored. At the same time he thinks that war would really furnish some excitement and diversion for a time and for that reason might not be so bad after all.
 glance at the advertising columns of the local newspapers will disclose a rea- son why Wall street is emphatically op- posed to a war at this time. The big banking houses that market railroad bonds and other new securities are now offering for sale more than $20 900 of new bonds If there is declaration of war there will be no market for these securities at home or abroad, large commissions will be lost and much railroad building and general improvement throughout the country would De luueHniteiy ueldyeu
 It Is Bosh
 During the war talk there have been various reports about the formation of a Wall street syndicate to provide money for the government to buy Cuba from Spain These reports have had no foundation whatever and the leading f1nanciers would oppose the purchase even if the govern ment contemplated such @ move. Spain has outstanding $450,0000 900 of bonds for which the revenues of Cuba are pledged. If this government purchased the island it would have to assume this debt in addition to the bonds issued to pay the purchase price, say $200, ,000, ,000. That would add the sum of $650, ,000, 900 to the interest bearing debt of the United States and the customs and internal revenues of Cuba would for some years to come be insufficient to even pay the interest. From other sources tse government would have to provide a sink ing fund.- The first result of such tren-- action would be a material decline in tho price of United States government bonds and that would hit Wall street harder than shell from Spanish warship. All this has been very carefully considered in New York financial circles and any suggestion of buying Cuba would arouse instant and emphatic protest.
 While an enormous mass of sensational stuff has been printed in the local papers during the past week and two afternoon papers have averaged eighteen extra edi- tions per day, there has been less public there is in talking match between Cor bett and Fitzsimmons. The most allurng and startling displays on the newspaper bulletin boards have failed to draw any such crowds as watch the same boards