Show 1 T DEMOCRATS J j r ARE ACTIVE It x It A Financial Policy With Free I L Silver as Its Keynote Key-note f A UNITING OF FACES 1rr rrI Chief Instigators Are Bland I Bryan and Coffeen t ZTlieir rnper at Iresent Tentative t Hut iA Psvvot of Coinage oC Gold I jiml SllTcr on Terms ot Ciiunllty at the 3l tlo of 7G to ij Xon IntoiestneMrI iE Bonds Vttlott of Currency rvml Oi > x > t > iiivn io Intercatnetrin llonilv IUumt Autliorltr at a Special Ant of ConPreuDr SfjxUcs n Sini mcnt Washington Feb 26 Routine matters I mat-ters on the floor of the House were overshadowed In Interest today by the Initiation of a brisk movement to secure se-cure a majority of the Democratic members In favor of a financial policy pol-icy having free silver for Its key note I For some time there has been a discussion dis-cussion carried on by the free silver leaders or the party over the practlca blllty of a plan t unite their forces and to crystalize their Ideas Into some sort of a platform or declaration The net result has been the draft ota ot-a declaration addressed To the Democrats Demo-crats of the United States and outlin inffi financial policy for the Demo vraf par This paper has been circuited cir-cuited on the Democratic side of the Uoico 5nd Is being vigoiously discussed discus-sed im the object of obtaining the concensus of opinion or silver emo crats upon its expressions The chief instigators of the movement are Mess Bland oC Missouri Bryan of JvrebraJca Sibley of Pennsylvania and Coffeen > Wyoming Their paper Is at present but a tentative ten-tative expression they say and not yet ihform lor publication since none of its details has been definitely agreed ased upon In substance it tivtes the financial policy of the party to be for the free coinage of gold and silver on terms of equality at a ratio of 16 to lj for the issue of all paper money by the government gov-ernment wUhout intervention of banks and opposition to any issue of interestbearing bonds without authority author-ity of special act of Congress Attention is celled to L movement said to be under way through the efforts ef-forts of the opponents of free silver in the party to secure the election of gold men as delegates to party conventions and particularly to the next national convention for the nomination of a single sin-gle sold standard man for the presidency presi-dency Democrats are charged to op pos rthe movement and to see to it that n6ne but free silver men are elected elect-ed iti positions of influence in the parties par-ties if represent them in 1 conven in 4 K 9itie support of a majority of the party In Congress can be pledged to G financial platform it is intended t issue the manifesto to the Democrats of the United States within a few days At present the declaration is in I but a formative stage Mr Bryan eayg and It is intended to secure the I i views of members and make such I changes lu it a the majority of them I 4 may dictate There I a possibility < thai they may not be able to agree upon any form of address because diversity versity of opinion has developed today on the details of the statement Eat few eastern members have been approached and the Populists are entirely en-tirely ignored with the expectation that they will come Into the Democratic Demo-cratic party I It declares for free silver ver How far this canvass has been Inspired by the meeting of the executive execu-tive committee of the bimetallic league ive cmmtee te blmetlc leaue at is impossible to say for while the prime movers say they are entirely independent In-dependent of the league it is noticed that they are men who have been admitted ad-mitted to the councils of that body during this session Hepresentatlve Davis of Kansas T ho is a prominent Populist says that the more conservative third party men could adopt a platform for a national currency of gold silver and green baclcs with the single additional plank of soyernment control of public ivories Sccresr Enjoined ict of the Democratic members t have been presented with the first draft of the manifesto maifesto arc more or less reluctant to discuss the move en because secrecy has been enjoined en-Joined upon tem until Q definite agreement shall have been cemented Mr Bryan also made an incomplete canvass of the silver democrats In the Senate He did not present any prepared pre-pared declaration such a he thought it would be wise to make but merely submitted to them the nuestion of the advisability of such a movement and suggesting among other things that I joint meeting of the silver Democrats be fteld before adjournment for the consideration of the matter It is un dertsood that while many of the Democratic Dem-ocratic senators expressed Interest In the auestion and stated that i struck them favorably upon first thought they should prefer to have time to I think It over in all its beaing before ftaally committing themselves to the nroject |