Evening star., 1900-05-03
GOSSIP FROM GOTHAM
Loyal Bryan Democrats to Hold an
Important Conference.
PRELIMINARY MEETING ARRANGES IT
Advice Of a Leader Regarding the
Money Plank at Kansas City.
NITED ACTION RGED



NEW YORK, May 2. 1900.
An informal conference of some of the
friends and supporters of William Jennings
Bryan was held in this city yesterday The
conference of private character. and
was intended to be merely preliminary to
larger and more important gathering which
will undoubtedly be held in this city during
the month of May. To this May meeting
of democrats only men who Loyalty sup
ported Mr.. Bryan in 1896 will be invited.
Representative democrats like George Fred
Williams of Massa chusetts, Farmer Mar
tine of Plainfield, N. j.; Norman f. Mack
of Buffalo, N. Y; W. E. Ryan of Roches-
ter, N y; Senator Howard of New Hamp-
shire and John Brisben Waker-men in
whom Mr.. Bryan mas CONFERENCE.-THE be
invited. The idea of these Bryanites is not
to antagonize the powers that be- as rep
resented by the various state democratic
organizations in New England and the
north Atlantic states. The movement is
entirely separate and distinct from the con-
testing delegation which the Chicago plat
form democrats have announced they will
send to Chicago from New York state. The
idea is that the platform at Kansas City
will be written by Mr.. Bryan's friends.
They recognize the fact that ex-senator
Hill, because of the course which he pur-
sued during the campaign in 1896, will not
De able 10 secure any concessions from lne
Kansas City convention which will make it
easier to carry on the campaign in New
England and the north Atlantic states
AS one democratic leader expressed 1t to-
day:
That Kansas City convention is going
to act on the principle of the old clergy
men-fnd out which way the devil is going
and then go in the opposite direction Mr..
Hill is personal friend of mine, but if l
wanted to get anything through that con-
vention at Kansas City l would have him
oppose it. and if / wanted to defeat any
thing there would have him champion it."
Will 16 to / he Dropped:
The chief subject of discussion today
and always the chief subject of discussion
during these latter days was whether there
was any likelihood of the IL to 1 plank be-
ing dropped from the platform. 1t was the
Consensus of opinion that the Chicago plat
form would be reaffirmed the 16 to propo-
s:tion with it. no matter whether not
ex-senator Hill repeated at Kansas City
the brilliant fight that he made at Chicago
in 1896.
There was division of opinion as 20
whether The Chicago platform would be
affirmed in general terms or whether the
l. to l clause would be honored with
specific reference. But whether a general
or specific reference is indulged in, it
agreed that the democratic party would be
in an equally hard way during the closing
days of the campaign when the lines Were
tightly drawn. In case of a general in
dorsement the party would be charged with
cowartlice and evasion. and votes would be
lost where they will be most needed by the
democrats in the south and west. If d
specific Endorsement is INDUCED in il was
acknowledged that the campaign in the
east must open with gloom and end in dis
aster.
Advised to Tell the Truth.
Finally a New York state democrat who
had been a personal friend OF Cleveland
during the old days. though now a warm
adnirer of William Jennings Bryan, said:
why not tell the truth in the money
plank at the Kansas City convention? Mr.
Bryan and the democrats of the south and
the west. as honest men, cannot object to
our writing into the platform a truthful
statement of conditions they exist today.
l know that if Mr. Bryan's friends in the
east will meet Mr.. Bryan's friends of the
west half way that there will be no trouble
We can reaffirm our belief in the doctrine
of 16 to l as enunciated in the Chicago
platform. We can even pledge ourselves to
use our best efforts to bring about resto-
ration of silver to the place that it occu-
pied before the demonetiZation in 1873. We
all know that nothing can be done in the
matter until 1904 or 1906, anyhow, and there
cannot be the slightest objection to our
declaring in favor of 16 to I and in oppo-
sition to the gold standard a funda-
mental principle of democracy. But it is
only fair and just and right that we should
recognize conditions they exist today.
As Cleveland would say. "A condition and
lot a theory confronts US.