Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-06-16
CLEVELAND'S FRIENDS.
New York Democrats in Line for
HIM at Syracuse.
AntI-Rin Men Condemn the February
Convention and Resolve to Sup
port the Ex-President at
Chicago.

The Cleveland democrats of New
York held an anti-Hill convention at
Syracuse on May 81, and proclaimed
their determination to work for their
candidate at the coming national con-
vention, and denounced the Hill con-
vention in February last as an abuse
of trust and violation of democratic
rights in the state. During the meet
ing John d. Herman, of Oneida county,
temporary chairman, spoke as follows:
This convention is a halt in the march TO the
national democratic convention at Chicago OF an
army OF 2OO,Ooo New York democrats, and OF as
many moro enlisted sympathizers. They go to
wage war against their Acknowledgement in that
convention by leaders who have made unwiSe
and crafty use OF party machinery for personal
encs, and who have oyerrldden time-honored
customs AMI usages of the democratic party.
We claim that the call for and manipulation
of the February convention was an abuse Of
trust ana violation of democratic rights in this
state; that its proceedings then misrepresented
q large clement of DISTINGUISHED democrats and
now misrepreSeEt an overwhelming sentiment,
which since then has grown to vast proportions
throughout the state. If our strength did not
lie in the viii of the people the would shine
at midnight before the loyal democratic rank
and file Of this state would don the garb OF con-
testants and give to this cause its unprececent-
ed growth and its clearly marked intensity Of
purpose
The February convention was mistake from
every standpoint; in some respects it was a
crime, indictable at Chicago. Such conventions,
according to party usage are held n April late,
or more usually in May; none in modern times
was ever held SO early No one before ever at
tempted to put the party in a hole by such
device February convention
At that season of the year caucus material is
scarce and generally confined to the bad quality
that does some ones bidding. When days are
short, nights long, roads drifted, ind the ma
tional convention four months dista al, the duty
and political occupation of democrats in this
state, elsewhere is to watch anu weigh the
drift of events, to be students OF every phase OF
passing political history, to seek conviction and
| to draw inspiration from the air currents OF
democratic sentiment that sweep over the
| country.
| The delegates of that convention go to urge
| what the politicians wanted in February; the
delegates of this convention to state what the
people in New York want now. They viii
| shout for sham regularity, and the forms,
shadows and coverings OF things. We VIII
plead that justice, equity and the substance of
! democracy be recognized as having the better
| title. They will suggest that danger Of defeat
| in November will darl1en the pathway which
| they do not dictate We will insist that the as
surance of certain victory will brighten the
| road whereon democrats will march after that
| convention, behind its banner, upon which shall
| be written in letters of living light sound demo
| cratic principles and the name of candidate of
| whom those principles shall be bone of his
| bone and flesh of his flesh, whoever he may be-
If we to fight our guns for all they are
| worth, who but Cleveland should command the
battery? Who should stand al the helm when
! the old ship sails into safe and pleasant waters
| in November next, with yictorys flag flying at
her masthead, but he who stood upon her prov
| in the midst OF danger. when the winds and
| waves of tempeStUous days sought her destruc-
| ton!
AS drove one night with Gov. Seymour from
| a political meeting I asked him whether he ever
| feared that universal suffrage would be q fall
| ure. Speaking with that earnestness which has
| so often aroused democrats when he stood be-
| fore them in this very city in all the genial
grandeur of his magnifcence manhood, he
said
mo, sir, have such fear; the ballot box.
under universal suffrage, is the safest tribunal
for the decision Of political questions ever de-
| viSed By the wit of man; the people are slower
in their perceptions, but, in the end, are nearer
right in their conclusions than any selected body
of men ever can be.'
| That is the kind OF democratic faith that actu-
! ated Grover Cleveland when he trusted the peo-
pie in 1887!
| The demands of those who believe IN these
democratic principles, which are a century old
F, and have been forged in contests from Jefferson
to Cleveland, these:
| They demand sound currency, in which silver
shall have fair play, but not policy which
shall attempt to protect against gold bugs" by
creating 'iSilver bugs nor pay such a bounty
to silver producers as to force day laDorer to
| accept s1.2o worth of coin for work worth
g. 90. Labor must be paid par in value, no mat
ter what metal is used.
They demand not the prayerful and sniveling
pretenSeS OF Wanamaker, but practical civil
service reform, wherein fitness shall be tn
| chief recommendation for official position
| wherein offensive partiSanShip shall be cause
| for removal, and whereunder an administration,
| subject to these limitations, shall be in the
! hands Of its friends and not of its enemies.
They demand broad and Just pension policy
which shall, however, protect the treasury from
! frauds and sharks
striking difference between the republican
and the democratic party is this: The republic
an press and party sang hymns Of praise and
thanksgiving during the orgies of the billion
dollar congress, because the policy of the party
was being carried out, the surplus left by Cleve
land was vanishing the need for tax reduction
was. disappearing, and the conscience Of the
party approved, and was serene When, how
ever, a democratic congress takes a step in that
direction the democratic press and its followers
| growl and call a halt
| Such extravaganza goes against the grain OF
democracy and is regarded as a sin to be re
! pented of; for this reason is it that the demo
| cratic party is at heart treasury guardian
against eXtravagant tendencies in or out Of
| itself.
After denouncing republican fraud
corruption, political tyranny and the
Mckinley tariff the platform says:
\ The recent change in the policy of the repub
lican party from a general system of high tariff
| of the vast benefits to be derived from the eX
tension OF our foreign trade and Of the justict
| of the tariff reform principle.
! We approve the use Of both gold and silver az
money, and we demand that all dollars, whether
gold or silver, shall be equal in value to eacf
other in fact as well as by declaration Of law
| We are opposed to the free coinage OF silver by
| the United States alone at the existing rate OF
| sixteen to one, because believe that fre<
| coinage at that ratio will result in the fmmedt
; | ate disappearance OF gold from the business o.
| this country, and the of silver viii entail
/ loss to every wage-earner and every saving:
bank depositor, with impairment OF credit anc
| disastrous disturbance OF business Of ever!
kind We demand the repeal of the Sherman
| silver bill Of 1890 as obstruction on fnterna
tional bimetalhsm and because it Is rapid,
bringing this country to silver mooometallism
| with all OF its attending evils
} l. We recognize the necessity Of an organization
, through which the party may direct its energies
but when such an organization claims to be tn
| party itself instead of its instrument, when
l | suppresses the voice and represents the desIr'
| OF the party when il calls the caucuseS at unac
. cuStoned seasons and upon insufficient notices
| when, regardless of the votes cast, II place
| upon the convention and admits to the conyen
ton only those who, without respect to tn
2 voice and wishes Of their constituents VII
| agree in advance to support the scheme an
oligarchy it has established when II gives nc
. | tees in advance that they who VIII not agree .
1 be as sUbServient will lot be admitted-fhen
| ceases to be representative, creates discomfort
d arouses resentments and impe-hs me success