The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-22
ARE FIGHTING
FOR THE HONOR
Republicans Wrangling Over
St. Louis Platform.
DISPUTE AS TO WHO
PREPARED GOLD PLANK
Senator F0raker's Claim to the
Credit Is Contested.
Henry c. Payne Asserts That the
Great Idea Was Conceived In His
Own Brain and He Is Backed Up
by Mark Hanna, Governor Mer-
riam and Senator Proctor, Who
Had a Hand In It's Production
Mckinley Approved of It.

Washington. Dec. 21.-The following
is sent by the Associated Press by re-
quest:
Senator Foraker published some time
ago a long article concerning the ori'
gin and adoption of the gold plank al
the Republican national convention OF
1886, in which he maintained that tbs
plank was prepared by the committee
| on resolutions, of which he was chair
man, after much discussion and out OF
divers materials
H. H. Kohlsaat, editor of the
Chicago Times-Herald, published
an article in reply. in which
he claimed that the gold plank was
framed by the friends of Governor Nc
Kinley at a conference held in Mr..
Hannas rooms at the Southern hotel
four days before the meeting of the
convention, and, therefore, long before
Mr. Foraker was elected either a
member or chairman of the committee
on resolutions.
Mr.. Kohlsaat claimed, furthermore,
that there were present at this confer
ence Mr.. Hanna, Henry c. Payne, Sen
ator Proctor Myron T. Herrick, ex-
Governor Merriam, NJ. E. Stone and
himself, and that the gold plank pre-
pared by them was submitted to vari-
Gus Republican leaders and also to the
committee on resolutions, by which II
was adopted with minor change OF
phraseology, and presented to the con-
vention-
The following statements by Messrs.
Hanna, Payne, Merriam and Proctor
furnish an important contribution to
the history of the gold plank:
Mr.. Payne's Claim.
'"The original draft of the so-called
gold plank was taken to St-Lonis by
Mr.. Hanna IL was the subject OF ear
nest consideration at the hands of Mr..
Hanna, Myron T. Herrick and myself.
who were in st. Louis some ten days
before the meeting of the convention
and closely associated in guarding the
interests of Governor Mckinley. After
many informal discussions the plank
was entrusted to me for the purpose
of drafting substitute for the original
and several substitutes were so drawn
and discussed.
.Soon Governor Merriam of Minneso-
ia and Senator Proctor of Connecticut
Joined this informal conference of Gov
ernor McKinley's friends, who were en-
deavoring to phrase this particular fea-
ture of the coming platform. Many
changes were made in phraseology and
probably a dozen different forms were
til at the meeting on Friday morning
substituted the text of the gold plank,
which was substantially the one final
ly adopted by the convention.
AT that meeting Mr.. Kob;saat, who
had arrived in st. Louis that morning,
was present and was strenuously in
sistent upon plain, unequivocal dec
laration for the gold standard, and
his insistence did much to end any di-
vision of sentiment which might have
previously obtained among the friends
of Governor Mckinley as to the wis
dom of the course.
Approved by Others.
"a copy of the resolutions as thus
agreed upon was shown on Friday TO
the Hon. Joseph H. Manley of Maine
and Governor w. Murray Crane of
Massachusetts, who were at the con-
ference in the interest of Speaker Reed.
and it was also submitted to Senator
Lodge of Massachusetts and Senator
Platt of New York, who all gave to it
their unqualified approval.
THE resolution as agreed upon was
given to Myron T. Herrick of Cleve-
land, who telegraphed it in full to Can
ton for the approval of Governor Nc
Kinley, which was soon obtained. and
then copy was given to Governor
Merriam, who had been selected as a