The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-18
DEMOCRATS LAYING TRAPS.
OUTLOOK FOR THE NATIONAL COM
MiTTEE At CHICAGO.

xv.,oru Members to Annihilato Eastern
Members -Gorman Keeping Out of It
.r,.Id irving to Roundup Harrison
pr,,p Doesn't Know What to DO Now.
cYtrAGo. July 1.-THE Chicago idea tonight
.,,bo sccnns at the meeting OF the Democratic
T,.ioroI Committee. to be held here on Thurs
dav Is that the Western members OF the COM
r,i,,ea are to annihilate the Eastern members
and smash any and all propositions for modi-
pca,ion OF the platform OF 1898; furthermore
that the National Convention OF 1900 must
,nnor,iratc the Hon. william Jennings Bryan
,tIlnro,u, Nch.. L $. A. The few members OF
the committee now on hand seem to believe
tho, rho Eastern representatives, OF the Ma
t,,rol democracy arc coming here loaded
down with gold bricks. and while it is admit
tot,hat there are some mighty clever Demo-
,,,tic rnIitlcians east OF the Alleghanies. the
oninion prevails here that few il any gold
bricks will be palmed of on the Western mem
hers Of the democratic National Committee.
nh out.and out Free Silveritcs sneer at Van
Vet and German, and for that matter so do
,bev AZ MAYOR Carter Harrison OF Chicago. who
bosa lurking suspicion that the nomination
NAV come his way. notwithstanding the violent
opnoslt.on Of cx-Gov John 7. Altgeld who is
rae,r,led nv many out this way to be the ablest
Democratic politician alive.
Word came to-day that the Hon. Arthur Pue
German Of Maryland will not be able to attend
the meeting Of the committee on Thursday.
hut that he will be represented by Col. l.. Vic
Tor Baurhman OF Frederick. 1t may be inter-
astirc 10 recall that Mr.. German also sent a
rroyy 10 the Democratic National Convention
IN 1896 The meeting OF the committee. like
the convention in 1895. is to be momentous
event in the history OF the national Democratic
party,
Ex.Gov. Atged's speech yesterday after
noon told exactly where he stands. II posi-
bic he is for an even more drastic platform for
the Democratic National Convention in 1900
than he was in lS" He is regarded as king
devil in disturbing the peace. He detests
Mayor Harrison. and yet he has smilingy
invited Mr.. Harrison to be one OF the
speakers at an Atgeld free-silver demon
stration to be held In the Auditorium on
Thursday evening. Atgeld got up this meet
ing. 1t is declared. for no other reason than to
mt Harrison on record. Mayor Harrison has
been out OF town and on his return to-day he
and his secretaries were too busy to hunt up
and acknowledge Mr.. Atgeld's invitation, and
tonight it is proclaimed that Mr. Harrison
secs nothing" in Atgeld's gathering on
Thursday night for him and that he proposes
to remain away
Nobody seems to know yet whether that
peerless leader" william Jennings Bryan. will
turn up in Chicago this week. He wants to
come badly enough. but he doesn't for the life
OF him want to become mbroiled in the Harri-
son Atgeld fight. as he feels that he needs
every man in the Illinois delegation to the
Presidential convention next year. Yet AltGed
discovered" Bryan in 1893 and built him
up and Altgeld's friends believe that Bryan
should remember old favors and come here
and stand by his Christopher Columbus. These
ideas. however. are regarded as Utonan by the
more experienced OF Altgeld's friends. who
recall the old maxim ESPECIALLY true in
politics that gratitude feeds upon the
favors that are to come" Without the slight
est doubt. at the moment the Harrison fac
ton dominates the Democracy OF Illinois. and
1t is said that Bryan may Join hands with Ait
geld il for no other reason than to destroy Car
ter Harrisons chances for the Presidential
nomination next year. Should Bryan decide
upon such policy he will. it is asserted. speak
at the Altgeld meeting on Thursday night,
There Is no harm in saying at this time that
II is because Of these serious differences among
Democrats like Bryan. Harrison and Altgeld
that the Eastern Democrats hope to sneak in
somewhere and overturn the structure upon
which some II Bryan's alleged friends now
roost Just why the Democratic National Com
mIttee was called to meet in extraordinary SEES
sion in Chicago. the hotbed ofthe Harrison Alt
geld factionalism, can only be explained BY
the Hen. William Stone OF Missouri. who. in
the absence Of National Chairman James X.
Jones In Europe. is the great man OF the COM
mit'"e. and Mr. Stone hasn't yet arrived. 1t
has been whispered by stones friends that
stone himself would not run seventeen miles
u escape the Democratic national nomination
next year. He comes from what he Is fond Of
describing as the keystone State OF the De-
mocracy