The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-28
az UNsErrLnn auEsrIoN.

4 ~ t-NSA@A
| 1t is of course an unsettled question as
to what the Gold Democrats will do
in the presidential campaign. but if
| is not such an important question as some
of the Republican papers seem to think
| it is. They appear to be much more in
| terested in the talk of Gold Democrats
than the leaders of the Democratic party
are. There has not been a great deal of
this talk yet. In Indiana some Gold Dem
| ocrats have taken the position that Gold
Democratic ticket ought to be nominated.
but if there have been sufficient responses
TO their action to justify the conclusion
that the Gold Democrats will put presi-
Dental ticket in the field the fact has es-
capped the attention of the newspapers.
There will be a great deal of talk be-
tween now and the meeting of the Demo-
cratic National Convention as to what the
Gold Democrats will do, and the talk may
continue for time even after the adjourn
ment of that convention, but there Is
nothing in the political situation at pres
ent that leads to the belief that there will
be any other Democratic ticket in the field
this year than the one that will be named
at Kansas City.
The number of Gold Democrats may be
as great now as in 1896, but the number
that win vote against the regular Dem
ocratic ticket is not nearly so great 1t is
fair to assume therefore that there will be
no organization of Gold Democrats in the
campaign. 1t is undoubtedly a fact that
a great many Gold Democrats have vir-
tually decided TO vote for Mr.. Bryan.
They know of course that he is just as
much a believer in the free coinage of sill
yer as he ever was, but they are satisfied
that it would not be in his power to dis
turb the gold standard if he were to be
elected President-that is. unless he should
be given second term. They like him
in other respects, and. with the exception
of his views on the silver question, APP
prove the position he takes on the lead
ing questions before the country.
Those Gold Democrats who are still
against Mr.. Bryan will vote for Mr.. Nc
Kinley If they vote at all. While it is i'm
possible TO give, even approximately, an
| estimate of their number it is safe to as
sumo that it is not large enough to affect
the result of the election.
1t looks now as if there would be a pref
ty square contest between the Democratic
and Republican parties. 1t is the under
standing that the great majority of the
Silver Republicans have gone back to the
Republican party. Senator Wolcott when
he returned from the Republican State
Convention of Colorado recently, stated
that more than half of the delegates were
men who had left the Republican party in
1896. The fact no doubt is that the Gold
Democrats and the Silver Republicans
have to a very great extent returned to
their respective parties. There is not
therefore much reason for the Democratic
leaders bothering themselves about what
the Gold Democrats are likely to do.
And ii will probably turn out that the
Populists are not by any means as strong
in numbers as they would like to have it
thought they are. Mr.. Warrior Barker, in
an interview in Washington recently, said
that he expected to receive between 1,5O0.-
900 and 100000 votes. He will be FORUM
ate If he receives 100000. There are ex-
treme Populists who would vote for him
if they felt sure that he would not get
$1,000 votes, but it is pretty safe to say
that the majority of Populists have gone
back to the Democratic party and will be
found in this campaign in the ranks of
the great army of voters that will sup
port Mr. BRYAN