Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-09-09
THEY APPEAR LONELY
4 Peculiar State of Affairs in
the Democratic Party in
Iowa.
Strange Change Of Front in Con.
trast With Ohio and Other
States.
Old Time Democrats in Doubt
as to What the Outcome
will Be.
'peeial to TImes-Republican

Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines. Sept 9.-Such a peculiar
ty has not been witnessed for a num-
ber of years in Iowa. The more the
work of the last convention Is consid-
cred the more startling 1t appears,
with the democrats of Ohio deliber-
ately presenting a candidate for the
presidency on. a free silver Platform
the democrats of Iowa appear lonely
in their strange change of front. This
matter has been receiving the thought
full consideration of some of the old
time democrats hereabouts the past
week Some of them are in doubt as
to what will be the outcome. While
it was presented to the convention in
session in Des Moines that il the party
would only stop reiteratins its declara-
ton for 16 to ] as the one and only
ratio at which silver and gold might
be coined it would have the effect OF
strengthening the party in Iowa. yet
this is only possible on the theory that
those Who Went into the party because
of Is to ! and for no other reason will
remain with 1t when that is eliminated
Some of the incongruities of the party
record this year and last will bear men
ton.
Last year the free silver men won in
the platform and lost the ticket; this
year the free silver men lost the plat
form and named the candidates.
1t is stated that every candidate on
the democratic state ticket this year is
free silverite who desired the sue
cess of is to ! in the convention. John
Dalton. for instance. The snappy and
fearless editor Of the Manson Democrat
has been upholding free silver with
fright and main for some time. Sam
McLuen who was named for auditor OF
state was three times elected sheriff OF
Guthrie county. but his nomination OF
Ia platform without any free silver in il
stsi be 2 great disappointment to him
DR. Chapman. of this city, who is on
the ticket, is a rank free silverite. and
was put forward by the siverte faction
of this county The candidate for att
torney general. talllative Irishman
spoke bfore the Third district caucus
and avowed. himself Il strong believer
in l6 to L. 1t is believed that all 9TH
ers are in the same fix.
On the other hand the party organi
zation got away .from the silver men,
and this means certainly that Charles
Vol l.h I, ,,ct },a ,oii II
democratic committee, will not even be
on the national committee next time.
In this district Huffman. free silver
itnan. was exchanged for Likes. whose
brother was committeeman during the
first Cleveland regime and tie is not
much of silverite. The committee
was so changed that Jackson was made
ehairmaD and he has not affiliated with
the silver men.
In regard to the candidates for con-
gress there is a strange medley of facts.
In the First district John NJ. Craig
has been quite free silver man, but
the convention made him the whole
platform. He can make a fine speech,
but is said to be not very popular as a
mixer.
In the Second Judge Wade, anti-free
silver. will be nominated tomorrow.
He issa silver-tongued orator, but it be-
lieved to be less formidable as cant1i-
date than a democrat from the east end
of the district.
In the Third Horace Boies will be
named His financial views are mixed
He Is certainly not an original is to
man. An attempt was made at the con-
vention to leave the impression that he
was responsible for the 1896 platform,
but this is not true.
In the Fourth Col. Sorter is anti-free
silver, and free silver was cut out at
the convention which named him.
In the Fifth there is talk of the DEM
ocrats running the prohibition candi-
date, Malcolm Smith.
In the Sixth the candidate is running
on a platform of being head of the coal
miners.
ln the Seventh the democrats nomi-
mated Farley Sheldon, an avowed gold
man. He refused to state. after he was
whether he would run, and
put it off until he saw that the state
convention refused to indorse silver.
He Was a Cleveland postmaster.
There are no candidates in the other
districts. Several have been nominate
ed i'll the Eighth and Eleventh. but
none are candidates. The Tenth district
convention will be held on the 18th. 1t
is probable a gold man will be named.
So far as can be ascertained here
there has been no movement 10 have
democratic state headquarters opened
in this city. The republican commit
tee Went to work promptly, hut there
has been nothing done by the demo-
Gratis. None OF the members of the
state committee last year remained in
Des Moines during the campaign, but
the headquarters We're in charge of
Frank q. Stuart. of Charlton. lnas-
much as he is candidate for county at
torney in his county this year it is
probable he will not be available this
time.
Incidentally it might be mentioned
that absolutely nothing has been done
by the democrats toward starting a
daily newspaper in Des Moines. Am eff
fort was made to induce William II.
Hearst to start a paper in Des Mofnes,
but this is too close to his Chicago bus
mess and he shook his head. 1t is the
purpose Of Hearst to start several other