The Saint Paul globe., 1898-03-06

New England. 1t was not known that
he had been studying the intricacies
of finance at the feet of Bryan or
Stewart or Carter. And even if he had
been so engaged nobody would, for {,
moment, believe that the convictions
of lifet time could be overcome and
stifled in a few short weeks.
The truth Of the matter is, and it
may as well be told now for it helps
to throw a useful light upon his char
acter, that Mr.. Williams became a sill
yer man through pique. Like Lucifer's
his fall was caused by pride. The in
cident may justify the disclosure of a
bit of secret political history. The
Democratic leaders of the Eastern and
middle states, as is well known, began
in the spring ofs1S96 to prepare their
plan of campaign against silver. The
man around whom all the sound money
forces were willing and eager to rally
was William c. Whitney, of New York
In making up the lists of men of in
f1uence in the several states Mr.. Will
liams was not SELECTED as member
of the inner circles. Mr.. William E.
Russell, Mr.. John E. Russell, Mr.. P. A.
Collins and Mr. John w. Corcoran, with
the late Mr.. Patrick Mcguire were the
representatives of Massa chusetts. No
body suspected treachery on Mr.. Will
liams' part, but he never stood high in
the judgment of the leaders here, be-
cause he was always arrogant, DOM
1neering, self-cpinionated ard dogma tic
After he learned that he had been left
off the list he Jumped over the fence
and became a. loud and bosterous
champion of the white metal.
Mr.. Williams was Shrewd enough to
foresee that the silver forces would win
at Chicago. Itsoccurred to him that
he could successfully square accounts
with the old-time leaders by deserting
at an opportune time and thus at
tract the attention a6f men who seemed
destined to control affairs. His prom
lnence as silver man before the con-
vention would give him prestige with
his new allies. 1t would make him the
party leader, and if the party should
win he would be sure to gain a seat in
the cabinet and with full power to re-
ward his friends and punish his enc
mics. That he calculated correctly the
later results clearly proved. He be-
came one Of the conspicuous figures in
the convention. 1t was he who caused
Gov. Russell's right to seat with the
Massachusetts delegation to be chal-
lenged. He would have been placed on
the ticket with Bryan had his asso-
ciates from the Bay State permitted it.
They put a veto upon the proposal and
so defeated it. This was an additional
grievance, for which the party has been
long suffering.
When Mr.. Williams returned to Bos-
ton a week after the convention, he
entered the city with the same pomp
and display that were wont to char
acterize the triumphal entry Of Ro-
man conqueror. He was viewed as
hero and martyr. By whom? Not
by the Democrats who clung to prin-
ciple and who held to their self-re-
spect; not by the men who had fought
the battles of the party upon many
bloody field. No,-but by the great
turbulent elements that congregate in
all large cities. Every Socialist, every
anarchist, everyoenemy Of social order,
every advocate lof revolution and every
opponent of stable. conditions, hailed
him as the Moses zIWho had arisen 10
lead them out Of bondage and into the
promised land Of social and industrial
topsy-turveydom. Democrats who had
been cast out Of the. party councils for
dishonesty. for corruption and for base
treachery jumped to the front as lead