Arizona republican., 1899-08-06
The Gold Democratic Party Is
DiSintegrating.
ALiGN[NG WITH OLD PARTIES
Democratic Leaders Say That Large
Numbers of The Boilers Are Now
Seeking an Excuse TO Return 10
the Ranks-The Silver Question
Will Not Be r1ade OffensIveIy
Prominent.

PFOminGnIs
Washington, Aug. s. Careful in
that the gold democrats will nomina.e
a presidential ticket next year. On the
contrary, there is every indication that
this third ticket will not be named. At
the headquarters of the currency re-
form committee in this city, where
constant correspondence is maintained
with all friends of the gold standard
irrespective of party, there have been
no hints of the rumored nomination
1t was the opinion of members of
the democratic national committee
from states in which gold democrats
are most numerous, at the recent meet
ing in Chicago, that the gold demo-
Gratis would not have an independent
organization next year. 1t was stated
that the gold democrats, as a separate
and distinct body, had gradually dis
appeared, and that those who affili-
ated with the republicans in 1896 had
gone completely over to that party,
While the democrats who had remained
Hteadfast through love of regularity
would be found next year again sup
porting the nominee and the platform.
1t was also asserted-and the fact is
borne out by information obtained IN
Washington-that large numbers of
the gold democrats of 1896 are ex-
tre1nely anxious to again identify
themselves with their party if the
slightest excuse is given them for SO
doing. They are mostly free traders,
and the passage of the Dingley bin
was bitter dose They are also anti
eXpansionists, and the position of the
republican administration upon this
question is not at all to their liking.
Some of them, like Senator Caffery of
Louisiana, are SO emphaticaEy op-
posed to the expansion doctrine that
they regard the election of a free sill
YER president as the least of two evils
1t is with the hope of attracting
these eXpansGonists back again to the
democratic party that the hitherto
radical free silverites have determined
not to make the silver issue para
mount in the next national platform.
There is considerable foundation for
this decision. 1t is true that the gold
democratic ticket, headed by Palmer
and Buckner only polled 1872, 900 votes,
but this did not represent a tithe of
the democrats who refused to support
Bryan. Henry C. Payne, of Wiscon-
sin, whose intimacy with the inner
workings of the republican campaign
committee is not questioned, recently
gave it as his judgment that at qeasa
100000 gold democrats voted for Nc
Kinley, and added that the number
had been placed by other observers at
not less than a million When it is
remembered that Mckinley carried
many doubtful states by very close
margin, the Importance to the demo-
Gratis of reuniting their party is ap-
parent. A change of 1000 votes in
California, of 1000 in Delaware, of
5000 in Indiana, to say nothing of the
marrow majority of 2S0 given to Nc
Kinley in Kentucky, are few figures
which illustrate that under other cir
cumstances the total vote of the cleo
'toral college might have been differ
ent The democratic leaders now hope
that by emphasizing the fight against
trusts and imperialism a large proper
ton of the bolters of 1896 can be re-
captured, and they claim to have in
formation that 'these boilers only de-
sire the least possible concession to
return to the party
At the present time the fight to Sc
cure the nomination of a conservative
democrat is being made entirely with
in the party, and is seconded by those
who are with the party on every issue
except silver. 1t is realized, of course,
that the effort now seems hopeless, but
it is argued that a great change may
come in the next twelve months The
anti-Bryan wing of the party would
like to see Olney or Whitney named,
but as this as an impossible contin-
gency, they will accept any good dem
ocrat. Senator Germans chances
Maryland this fall. If his state goes
it will give him a. pro-
prestige, and this win bey esq
pecially the case, as John Walter
Smith, the candidate for governor, is
a gold democrat This will lbe a pr-ac-2
teal demonstration of the ability Of
the democrats to carry doubtful states
next year ii the democratic party does