The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-01
Croker, Hill and Pennsylvania Del
egation Here Last Night En-
Route to Kansas City.
GRIDlR0N CLUB IN SPECIAL CAR.
Hill Would Not Talk POlitics-Ths
General Expression Is That
He VIII Be Favored for
the Vice Presidency.

has entertained in many day. None tar
Red long. for all were speeding TO Kansas
City. They were the forerunners of tie
! great rush of the unterri;ed that will set
in in earnest to-day and continue until .he
| Democratic Convention is called to order
next Wednesday.
Among the notables were Richard Croker
and David 3. Hill of New York, both of
whom are presumed to have axes to grind
and want to be on the ground early They
didn't travel together and they did not
| meet in St. Louis.
The arrival of Senator Hill at Gas p. nj.
set tho ball rolling. and from that time
until II p. m. the Midway OF the great sta
ton became an impromp:u lobbyroon.
The Gridlron Club of Washington. all
weli-known newspaper correspondents, fol-
lowed Senator Hill in twenty minutes and
. its members were hardly seated at dinner
| in the Terminal Hotel before special
| train loaded with the Pennsylvania dele
cation rolled in. Mr.. Croker and his party
came last. at $40 p. m.
HILL HAD NOTHING TO SAY.
| Senator Hill wore a preoccupied air when
he stepped from the regular Big Four
| train. He said he was tired, and that's
| about all he did say that was at all to the
F., point The Senator has grown stouter ana
less careful Of his personal appearance
| than when he was in st. Louis last. He
| has lost the suavity Of the politician since
he retired to his law books four years ago
] When asked TO let the West into his con-
| fldence. to a limited extent he declared
! that he had nothing to say.
Asked TO give his views on the trama ING
! of the platform, he remarked that the
! crops In Illinois and Indiana seemed in
| excellent condition.
| When the question OF MS canoiGafy r rcf
| marked that the day had been q pleasant
| one, but limited that the train-shed at Union
| Station seemed TO lack ventilation. ,
Then he picked up his gripsack and head
! ed for the lunch counter. His last year 8
straw hat, sadly used frock coat, BLACK
| trousers and dusty shoes served as a dls-
| guise and there was no sign oil recognition
| from the crowd.
After he had supped he was again asked
| to talk to the readers Of the st; Louis pa.
| the crops and weather. Not word of poll
| ties could be got out of him by any process
known to the newspaper men of the city
With Senator Hill were his secretary,
tary, Colonel j. S. McEwan of Albany.
| They were equally as uncommunicative.
CROKER NONCOMMITTAL.
Richard Croker. the Tammany leader ar
rived at the Union Station at $40 p. m. on
the vandaiia road. The party of which
he was a member occupied the private ,s, car
Convoy and consisted. besides Mr.. Croker.
of ex-Mayor p J. Malloy of Troy. Andrew
Freedman of the New York Baseball Club:
former Senator Edward Murphy OF New
York; Doctor j. b. Crosby and Lewis
Nixon
A number of local politicians had assem-,
bled at the station to meet the party, and
came TO a standstill. Doctor ]. B: Crosby
was the first to alight, and was followed by
ex-Mayor Malloy. The two confined them
selves to remarks about the trip which they
had had. explaining that they had run into
storm early in the day which had cooled
the air sufficiently to make travelling very
comfortable. They both declared that they
knew of no candidate for Vice President
who was being doomed by the followers OF
Tammany.
descended from the train. He stepped down
in a leisureiy manner and was closely fol-
lowed by the rest of the party. He was
a blue negligee shirt. with a small string
tie and q rundown collar. He wore tan
shoes and, straw hat Of Fedora shape
and looked in perfect health. Accompanied
by Andrew Freedman, he walked slowly
through the gates and stopped for a few
minutes to talk with the members of a par
ty who met him on the Midway For the
remainder of his stay he walked slowly up
and down the Midway with Freedman and
paused only at short intervals; A number
all he returned the same answers about the
coming convention.
"Wiil the New York delegation support
any special candidate for Vice PRESIDENT"
he was asked.
we expect to support the man whom the
convention chooses" he replied.
Whom do you like for the pos!tion?' .
az cannot say We expect to abide by the
decision of the convention he repeated.
rs there any man you consider especially
fitted for the positionT' he was asked
again. ~ :. ., WAN ;. =.
responded:
Won expect TO abide by the decision of the
convention on that point also?'
We expect to- replied Mr.. Croker.
fiptn -, Iar
sponded in the same manner. merely stat,
ing when asked if he had any individual
preference for Nice-President. that ne
would look around after he got to Kansas
City. He talked freely on other subjects,
Union Station and responding to questions
about the trip to the West. but did not
commit himself on any political point
The other members OF the party preserved |
the same department. They all said that
they had choice for YicePresident, and
that Tan:many had no candidate for the po-
sition When asked their opinion about
SulZer as candidate for the position eX-
Mayor Mallcy smiled and said: We'll, you
also stated that they expected to abide by
the decision of the convention on the sub
ject of the coinage question. and that they
would support the platform.
Andrew Freedman talked on general
topics and referred incidentally TO baseball.
He said that he was taking little interest
In the matter just at the time and asked
who had won the game in St Louis in the
afternoon, he saying that he had not known
of the result previously.
After strolling up and down the Midway
for ten minutes with one or two members
of the party. he walked back inside the
gates and re-entered the car. The train
left the station at 1905
While the party was in the station the
Philadelphia delegation on the Wabash, and
David Il; Hill, walked UP and down the
Midway for time. and then went to .heIr
own train. which departed at 1910. Before
leaving the station a number of the delega-
ton set off roman candles and other small
fireworks in the shed of the station. ac-
companying the performance with cheers.
PENNSYLVANIA FOR HILL.
The Pennsylvania delegation, 143 strong,
made things lively around the station for |
the best part of three hours After dis
around looking for Democrats from other
parts of the world to talk to; and seemed |
disappointed that st. Louis had sent no. |
body out to meet them, save few news |
traffic men.
Colonel J. NJ Guffey, national committees
man, acted as spokesman for the delega- |
ton and the Colonel has the knack OF |
putting what he has to say in few words |
Here's what he said:
Pennsylvania is unanimous for BRYAN |
for first place, and for Hill for Vice Presi- |
dent. if he is candidate.
We want the Chicago platform reas-
firmed. but do not want a special plank in |
sisting on the coinage of gold and silver at |
the ratio of 10 to /. There YOU have Penn
sylvania's views in a nutshell, and you
may say there will be no division |
Ex-Governor Pattison was besiegsd by a |
party of friends as soon as he stepped from
the train. He managed to find time how
ever to tell Republic reporter that he |
proposed to insert some spice into the con-
vention by insisting on the presence of Mr.. |
Bryan. His plan is to have the convention |
invite the next President to come to Kansas
City while the convention is In session, TO !