The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-09-28
NEWS FROM THE ENEMY.

NEWS FROM THE ENEMY.
The Minneapolis Journal contained
a few days ago an article which gives
the inside gossip on political affairs in
the country:
tives at the Democratic conference neld
in Chicago in July. When they came Dack
they mostly" knew nothing. AS mat
ter of fact, too, very little news OF a den-
mite nature was extracted from the meet
ing, even by the Chicago papers OF the spot;.
But time has loosened the tongues OF some
of the Minnesota delegates. At any rate
the story Is abroad that with the approval
and indeed active assistance OF at least
oae member Of the Minnesota delegation,
an understanding was fixed up at Chi
cago between the gold and silver Demo-
Coats 1t is stated that this understand
ings Is in line with some advice given to
MIR. Bryan in letter written to him by one
of his Minnesota admirers just before the
conference. AS the report has 1t, the bas
is Of the compromise is neglect of free
silver by the Eastern Democrats, in re-
turn for permission from the silver men
to do which the Fasteners are not to OPP
pose. Bryan for renominatfon In other
words the Fasteners will favor Bryan for
president provided the Gold Democrats are
to be permitted to name the congression-
al nominees in the East, or wherever sill
YER Is at discount among the Bourbons.
The credit for bringing about this ar
rangement is given to exGov. Stone, of
Missouri. At a previous conference of the
Democratic leaders at ST. Louis, the men
from the East demanded as a price of the
return to the fold Of the Gold Democrats
the elimination Of both Bryan and free
Gil al
this demand was scornfully rejected and the
outlook for Democratic union was very
gloomy After this st. Louis meeting, Gov
stone went Eastrand conferred with Whit.
ney and other Gold Democrats of influence
from the East he went to the Chicako con-
ference WIN MS plan ready. It's nature
mas been indicated. The gold men did
not not object to Bryan personally What the,
oio OBJECT to Was his free silver infatu-
atlon: But other issues had arisen which
YOU'D permit it's observation. The Gold
democrats didn't care If Bryan were pres.
Sie..,h ~. they ala care most decidedly about
u.s.Ni ping financial legislation. On tho
0thcr hand the rabid Western free s,,, ~
n melnTcrats as well as the Populists. both
paEs1onately devoted to Bryan and TO-. o ~,
YER fac to be considered LICE sii-
so Governor Stone proposed, and thew sav
tue proposition was accepted by the confer.
49, Incluoing Bryan himself, that free
eHVeI as an issue should be relocated to The
rear IN the East and the gold Democrats he
.o,. 70 lame the congressional nominees. In
return Tor this, the Eastern men nledpod
themselves to nominate Bryan. to readont
the chicago platform of SO in it's entirety
anu TO ADD strong antitrust and anti-ex,
pansion planks.
The object of the Eastern men is plain.
BY naming the Democratic congressman
from the East they can count upon having
enough votes, even if the Republicans be in
the minority In the house of.representatives
enectua!ly to repress any dangerous fnan-
cial legislation. Phey can ignore free sill
yer altogether and talk the new issues OF
anti expansion and anti-monopoly They
can tnus unite the party In the East In the
West Bryan and his admirers can shout free
silver and point to the fact that it is in the
piat1orm: they can also proudly remind the
has been reaffrmed intact
Some observers of recent political events
profess to see confirmation Of this story Of
. compromise in the way Bryan and the
Democrats generally have been steering
their courses since the conference. Free
silver is practically ignored in the Iowa
campaign, but in Kentucky it is to the front
Speaking at Des Moines, Bryan made
statement which was generally construed
to mean that free silver would have to take
a back seat for new issues. But few days
later, when he is across the Missouri in his
own state, where the worship of the white
metal still fourishes, he puts it to the front
again as the issue of issues and explains
his Des Moines speech. Then Richard Gro
ker, who had been against Bryan and early
in the year gave out red hot expansion
interview, suddenly Topped He all at once
became a warm admirer Of Bryan and
changed mind
local silver Republican, upon being
asked how he liked this program for himself
as a man who had left his old party on
substantially admitted that now
that his lot has been cast with the Demo-
Gratis, he, like John Lind and the rest of
them, is more interested in victory over the
Republicans on any issue than the attain
ment of free silver. And this statement by
the way, indicates fact that has not been
brought out very plainly. The men who
have left the Republican party and large
portion of the Populists are now SO welded
to their new-found political friends that
they have become the rankest kind of par
tisans and will stand by whatever the party
does. =,
We have no doubt there is a great
deal of truth in this gossip; 1t formu-
lates the whisperings of politicians and
they make mighty shrewd guesses gen
orally as to what is going on. ~
What can you expect of a party that
is half Democratic and half plutocratic?
You might just as we'll have looked to
the Wing party in 1860 to fight slavery,
while many of its leaders owned slaves
and others represented slave owners.
We might have had bushels of resolu-
tons and tremendous enthusiasm for
liberty, in New England, but when it
came to remedial action it would not
have been there. sa. ..-~
You canot give the Democratic party
power without adding to the influence of
Croker and David B. HILL and Whitney,
and all the rest of them. Would it be
right for Populist editors to invite their
followers to such banquet where every
dish was poisoned? We had to have a
new party to fight slavery, and have to
have another party to fight plutocracy.
/. d.
A METALLIC ROTTOM.
Elsewhere in this issue we print an.