Evening star., 1898-10-17
REGARDED AS TIMELY
The Address Issued to the Gold Standard
Democrats.
Shows the Risk of Uniting for a Time
Only With the Silver
Men.


the national committee of the gold stand
ard democracy calling on those democrats
Who supported Palmer and Buckner at the
party organization and to beware of the
regular democratic organization which car
ries silver shield, is regarded as timely
THIS action of the gold democrats is in
response to very peculiar situation. Poll
tcans are now in doubt as to whether this
organization, which at its convention in
indianapolis was christened the national
democracy" has any substantial existence
except in name. large number of the
members of this new party voted for Nc
kinley at the last presidential election,
wisely coming to the conclusion that the
best way to defeat Organism was TO vote
directly for the candidate of the party upon
Which the country must depend FOR the de-
feat OF free silver and BryanIsn.
Division Among Gold Democrats.
In the election this fall, according to re-
ports from various sections of the country
the gold standard men who have been
democrats are either going over to the re-
publican party, or under the excuse of be-
ing interested in local elections merely, are
renewing their affiliatIon with the old
democratic party. Bynum. who was The
hrst chairman of the national committee Of
the gold democracy, has taken the stump
Tor the republicans and is counted as hav-
ing gone over to that party.
On the other hand, such men az Roswell
+. Flower and others who affiliated with
him in the New York wing of the gold de-
mocracy, the gold democrats of Massaclu-
setts and of Pennsylvania, are working
with the regular democratic orga aizalion in
support of local candidates and he candf-
oates Tor Congress in those states.
Inc reports at campaign headquarters
mere snow that in these locations the two
wings of the democratic party are nomi-
nally working together as is the money
question was no longer an issue. This ad-
dress OF the gold democratic committee
Will probably serve as a reminder to these
people that the money question is still to
the front and Will be at the next election,
and that whatever they Go to assist or
strengthen the old democratic party will
be just SO much service to free coinage
and Organism 1t is not believed that any
Of the gold democrats who are acting with
the regular democracy in this congressional
election have any intention of supporting
the free silver candidate for the presi-
dency in 1890 but they are risking their
interests as well as their consistency in an
effort to acquire influence in that party at
this time.
Aim of Eastern Gold Democrats.
There appears to be very general idea
among the eastern gold democrats that
the change of condition resulting from the
war with Spain opens to them an oppor
tunity, by re-establishing their influence
in the democratic party, to effect some
sort OF compromise by which the free
coinage of silver may be shelved as an
issue in 1900. With the idea of getting con-
troll of party affairs in their states and
electing a considerable number of conser-
vative men to Congress they are overlook
ing the silver question for the time being,
hoping to be strong enough in the next
Congress to SO direct the course of the
party as to obscure the silver question,
and then to be able to secure the election
OF enough delegates to the next demo-
cratic national convention to prevent free
silver from being made the issue of the
presidential election, and to secure the
nomination Of some man less extreme than
Bryan.
The only way that they can become a
factor in the democratic primaries is to
act with the party at this time, and they
seem to be indulging in the forlorn hope
that by participating in GemoC ratio prima-
rieS they may, within two years. be strong
enough within the party to tnrn 1t from
its present course. In Massachusetts the
gold democrats have been compelled to
take, to them, the very nauseous medicine
of an Endorsement of the Chicago platform
by the state convention, but they have
been spared this in the other states. They
hope to send enough conservative men to
Congress to hold the balance of power in
of that body, and to so exercise the fnflu-
ence thus Obtained to get control Of
the democratic primaries later on in all
the districts whsre the silver men won
by narrow margin in the struggle for con-
troll Of the last national convention and
where there are signs of a falling off in
the silver sentiment.
Apparently, the situation is such as to
give them some encouragement, but the
silver men have absolute control Of the
democratic organiZa ton, and the gold DEM
ocrats who eXpend their money and efforts
now in the interests of that party ara felt
to be taking a very great risk upon but a
venting the nomination of Mr.. Bryan again,
but even this is doubtful and If they sue
ceedsd some other advocate of the free
coinage of silver would almost certainly be
nominated