The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-11-21
Bic DEMOCRATS
ARE IN SESSION
Democratic National Executive
Committee Meets.
SENATOR JONES PRESIDING
Looking After Success of De-
mocracy in 1900.
FREE COINAGE ISSUE NOT DEAD
Sulzer Says Trusts Will be an Impor-
tapt Consideration in the Eastern
Campaign MIXTURE Wants
Bryan Visit New Jersey
FREE COINAGE ISSUE NOT DEAD

Chicago, November 2O.-The democratic
national executive committee, with Chair
man J. X. Jones in the chair, spent most of
today in a room in the Sherman house dis
cussing matters pertaining to ways and
means and the administrative affairs of
the organization. The committee will meet
again tomorrow and it is expected will get
through with the business ON hand before
night Nothing was said about the meeting
of the national committee, but it is the
opinion of most of the executive committee
men that the full committee will be called
to meet in Washington February %, and
that the democratic conventions will be held
the latter part of May or the first part of
June.
Senator Jones Uncommunicative
Senator Jones would say nothing about
were extremely uncommunicative as to
what was done at the meeting. Secretary
Charles A. Walsh said the committee had
transacted no business of interest or i'm
portanee, and had only considered admin
istrative affairs After the meeting had adj
journed, however, some of the committee
men continued the discussion of the proba-
BILE situation next year. They disclosed the
fact that a considerable part of the COM
mittee's time had been devoted to discuss
ing the probable effect of high prices on the
campaign of 1900.
1t is the purpose of some of the commit
,seemen to organize a bureau of Information
and education, whose duty ut shall be to
gather accurate and definite Information re-
lsting to trusts, cost of manufacturing,
selling prices to jobibers and middlemen,
selling prices to consumers, wages paid
and cost of raw material They believe
they will be able to show that THE present
high prices are the result of trusts and
combinations and that the workingmen
have been given but small proportion of
the increase in selling values.
Harvey VIII Direct
This idea has assumed such tangible form
that 1T is predicted w. H. (Coin) Harvey
Will be placed at the head off the bureau.
None of the committeeman would admit
this maater uraoil it had been discussed. 1t
is proposed to employ a large staff of men
to gather information which can be used
in an ari-trust campaign. There does not
seem to be any disposition ito shelve free
coinage as an issue, all the committeeman
saying free coinage was in the plat to
stay, but none of them said 1t would be the
dominant issue.
Congressman William Sultzer of New
York appeared before The committee. He
said trusts would be the issue In the east.
James r. BIi,surn of New Jersey told the
committee practically trae same thing. Sem
n
Charles A. Towne of Minnesota, both sill
yer republicans. sold the comm, iatee that
free coinage was still live issue In Their
states.
The members of the executive committee
who We're in attendance today were
Senator j. X. Jones. Arkansas, chairman;
Charles A. Walls. Iowa; Judge johnson,
Kansas; H. d. Clayton, Alabama; Thomas
Gahan, Illinois; Judge Shanklin, Indiana;
d. J. Campau, Michigan; w. H. Thompson,
Nebraska; T. D. O'Rrien, Minnesota, and
Norman f. Mack, of Buffalo, who held the
proxy of George Fred Williams, of Mas
sachusetts.
p Stone ConspicuDusiy Absent
Chairman w. j. Stone, of Missouri,
was the conspicuous absentee. He sent a
telegram WHICH Sdlu ne WIS SICK anu WOuiQ
not be able to come to Chicago,
Among the prominent outsiders who
were on the committee are: l.. A. Rossing,
chairman of the Minnesota state commit
tee; B. D. Shavely, of South Bend Indiana;
Congressman w. D. Davis, of New York;
Allen w Clark of Indiana, and DIR. f. j.
Vanboris, of Indianapolis.
Ex-Governor John p Altgeld called on
Senator Jones during the day and met with
a warm reception. Mayor Harrison did not
call on Senator Jones' Congressman
Sulzer, of New York, called on Mayor Har-
rison. to solicit his influence toward get
ting the democratic congressman from IL
linois. to vote for him for the leadership
of the minority in the house of represen-
tatives.
James F. Minturn, of New Jersey, asked
the committee to help the Bryan democrats
Of his state He said the New Jersey
democratic committee did not have the con-
hdence of the Chicago platform democrats
| and that some of the members had voted
| Bryan to visit New Jersey and help
straighten things out
Holding Earlier Convention
| There was strong feeling among the
committeeman in favor of holding the ma
tiona1 convention earlier in the year than
has been the custom heretofore. A number
of the committee expressed themselves as
being in favor of holding the convention On
April or May, preferably the latter month
A strong delegation was present from Mil
waukee to press the claims of that city, and
the Wisconsin men did some very energetic