Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-21
HARD LUCK FOR DEMOCRATS
Present Good Times Cause Them to Establish
Bureau of Education.
WILL TEACH FARMERS AND woRKlNGMsN
with Good Prices and Plenty of Work
IL VIII he n Hard Task To Show
Them that They Are
Not Prosperous.

CHICAGO, Nov. 2O.-The democratic ma
tional executive committee, with Nationa
Chairman j. X. Jones in the chair spen
most OF today in a room In the Sherman
house, discussing matters pertaining to or
ganization, ways and means, and the ad
ministrative affairs of the organization. Tho
committee will meet again tomorrow and II
is expected will get through with the busl'
ness before night. Nothing was said about
a meeting OF the national committee, but
it is the opinion of the most of the execu
tive committeeman that the full committee
will be called to meet in Washington Febru'
airy % and that the national democrats
committee meeting will be held the latter
part of May or the first part of June.
Senator Jones would say nothing about
calling the committee. The committeemen
were extremely uncommuncative as to
what was done at the meeting. Secretary
| Charles Walsh said the committee had trans
acted no business of interest or Importance
and had only considered administrative af-
fairs.
After the meeting had adjourned, however
some OF the committeeman continued the
discussion of the probable situation next
year. They disclosed the fact that con-
siderable part OF the committees session
had been devoted to discussing the probable
effect OF high prices on the campaign OF
| 1900.
| 1t was said that several members Of the
committee are of the opinion that IL the
present prices of manufactured products are
maintained next year, with plenty of work
! in sight, the democrats will have a hard
row to hoe unless they can show farmers and
workingmen they are not getting an equiv
alent increase for their products.
| 1t is the purpose of some of the commit
teemen to organize a bureau of information
and education, whose duty it shall be to
gather accurate and definite Information re-
| lating to trusts, cost of manufacturing, sell
| ing prices to jobbers 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 workingmen have been given but a
small proportion of the increase in selling
values.
Harvey to Head Bureau.
This idea has assumed such tangible form,
that it is predicted w. H. (Coin) Harvey
will be placed at the head of the bureau.
None of the committeeman would admit this
matter had been discussed. 1t is proposed
| to employ large staff of men to gather
| information which can be used in an anti
trust campaign. There did not seem to be
any disposition to shelve free silver as an
issue; all the committeeman said free coin
age was in the platform to stay, but none
of them said it would be the dominant is
sue. Congressman William SulZer of New
York appeared before the committee. He
said trusts would be the issue in the east.
James F. Mnturne of New Jersey told the
committee practically the same thing. Sena-
! tor Pettigrew of South Dakota and Charles
A. Towne of Duluth, both of them silver re-
publicans, told the committee that free sill
yer was still live issue in their states
The members Of the executive committee
who were in attendance today were: Senator
]. K Jones of Arkansas, chairman; Charles
A. Walsh, secretary; j. G. Johnson, Kansas;
H. d. Clayton, Alabama Thomas Gahan,
Illinois; j. G. Shankln, Indiana; d. ]. CAM
pau, Michigan; W. H. Thompson, Nebraska;
T. D. OBrien, Minnesota, and Norman E.
Mack of Buffalo, who held the proxy of
George Fred Williams of Massachusetts
Vice Chairman W. ]. Stone of Missouri was
the conspicuous absentee. He sent tele
gram which said he was sick and would not
be able to come to Chicago.
Among the prominent outsiders who
called on the committee We're: l.. A. Res
sing, chairman of the Minnesota state COM
mittee; B. D. Shively of South Bend, Ind;
Congressman w. d. Davis of New York,
Allen w. Clark of Indiana and DR.. f. ].
Van Voris of Indianapolis.
Former Governor John p. Altgeld called
on Senator Jones during the day and met
with a warm reception. Mayor Harrison
did not call. Congressman Sulzer of New
York called on Mayor Harrison to solicit
his influence toward getting the democratic
congressman from Illinois to vote for him
for the leadership of the minority in the
house of representatives.
Trouble in New Jersey.
James F. Minturne of New Jersey asked
the committee to help the Bryan democrats
of his state. He said the New Jersey dem
ocratic committee did not have the confidence
of the Chicago platform democrats and that
some of the members had voted the repub
lican ticket. He wanted W. ]. Bryan to
visit New Jersey and help straighten things
out.
There was a strong feeling among the
committeeman present in favor of holding
the national convention earlier in the year
than has been the custom heretofore. A
number OF the committee expressed them
selves as being in favor of holding the con-
vention in April or May presumably the lat
ter month.
A delegation was present from Milwaukee
to press the claims of that city and the
Wisconsin men did some very energetic lob
bying during the day. No delegation was
present from any other city. 1t was not
within the province of the executive COM
mttee to take action regarding the con-
vention, but it was freely admitted that the
offers of all expenses paid and a bonus OF
$4,000 to the campaign fund. which had
been made by Kansas City and Milwaukee,
are leading to a very favorable consideration
of both cities.
Congressman Sulzer of New York managed
during the day to put some strong props
under his ambition to be the minority leader
OF the house in the next session Of con-
gress. He received promise OF aid from
Illinois and other states and number of
southern votes were promised him. When
he left for New York tonight he claimed
he had sixty-four votes fifteen short OF the
number necessary to give him the place
1t was announced at the conclusion of the
meeting that gathering of free silver re-
pubicans will be held in Chicago on or be-
fore December 1.
Sheri6 ReDuIses Mob.
CONVICTION, Ga, Nov. 2O-A masked
Jail here at II o'clock tonight in an effort to
secure William Collins a white man.