Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-05-08
Special to the Register.

OF POLITICAL NEWS.
Special to the Register.
New York, May THE retirement
from active business of Andrew Car
negie, and his avowed intention of de-
voting his time and his $150,Oo0, 900,
which he received for his steel interests,
to philanthropy and the political better
ment of the people, is causing great joy
among the Bryanites The story is
told to-day that a Bryan boom of prod
igous proportions is about to be releas-
ed and that back of it will be Mr.. An
drew Carnegie and Mr.. o. H. P. Bel
mont, whose DETECTION from the gold
standard men and whose recent open
support of Mr. Bryan has caused COM
ment from one end of the country to
the other Added to these two power
full personages will be the money and
influence of other eastern millionaires,
among them a large number of New
England Republicans, who are biSerly
opposed to the present administration
expansion policy.
But for the support of these men Mr..
Bryan will have to pay price, which
Is that he shall cease the active advo-
cacy of free silver, and temporarily, at
least, retire the 16 to l propaganda in
favor of live issues. 1t is alleged that
Mr. Belmont's open and free adherence
ri
only on the condition that the Nebras-
kan would shelve the silver agitation in
favor of issues raised by the Mckinley
administration and existent conditions
in the industrial world. Carnegie has
also been brought over on this basis,
and the fight will now be made on a
platform against expansion, Algerism
and trusts.
Bryan's New England support will
come in particularly strong on the
anti-expansion plank. Mr.. Carnegie,
as is well known is also a rabid anti
imperialist, and thinks the coming
presidential campaign will be fought
with the antitrust and anti-expansion
people on one side. AS chief
stakeholder in the Carnegie
Company, and that company a
member Of trust monster
he would occupy an illogical position
in the antitrust, anti-expansion party.
BY selling out his interest he will be
able to devote his time and attention
and money to endeavor to bring about
the success of his anti-expansion
propaganda. To tbs suggestion that
the hatred entertained toward him by
union labor may cause his advocacy of
any public question to be of doubtful
utility to the cause, his friends reply
that it was not Carnegie, but H. C.
Prick, who conducted the Carnegie
Company's end of the Homestead
strike, and that his approval of Mr.
tricks course was only demonstra-
tion of loyalty to his business partner
and that he considers himself really a
very good friend to labor
Mr.. Carnegie, of course, could not
associate himself with any party be-
lieving in free silver at a ratio of 16
to l, but Mr. Carnegie has confidence
in himself and may perhaps expect to
be able to eliminate that troublesome
question from the next campaign.
Indeed, it is declared that his de-
cision to retire from the trust-threat-
ening business field was born at the
conference which he and W. j. Bryan
held in New York last winter. AT that
time, Mr.. Carnegie, who was quite sick,
sent for Mr.. Bryan to visit him. The
conference lasted several hours. and
when the Chicago standard bearer
came out he told the reporters that
his interview with MIR Carnegie had
been very pleasant and satisfactory"
few days later Carnegie declared
publicly that Bryan was the only man
who could lead the American people
out of the wilderness into which they
had been guided by the Republicans.
Senator Chauncey Depew, who re-
turned from his Western tour Friday.
said to the newspaper men that no
uman power could keep Mckinley and
Bryan from being nominated again in
1900, and he added that from his OBJ
servations, East and West, it looked
like Bryan would this time have
united Democracy behind him.
Mr.. O. H. P. Belmont, by the way.
was nominated for the Vice Presidency
on the Bryan ticket by a speaker at
the dinner last week of the New York
newspaper correspondents club. The
suggestion was received very enthusi-
astically and Mr.. Belmont, who was
present as guest, did not take the
trouble to deny that such an alliance is
a possibility.