Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-08-24
Mr.. Cummings on Southern Demo-
npa1s

During his speech in favor of the re-
peal of the silver purchasing act in the
US. House of Representatives yester-
day, Mr.. Amos Cummings, of New
York, said
More than two-thirds Of the vote
from the South was given for the NOM
ination OF Grover Cleveland for the
Presidency. These votes were cast IN
the face of letters from Grover Cleve-
land defining unqualiiedly his attitude
upon the propositions before the House;
will not quote them. You Will all
recognize them. No man, friend or foe
of Grover Cleveland, has ever accused
him of going back on or abating one lot
or title of his convictions. He is as
firm here as the rock of Gibraltar. Yet,
in the face of the protest of the seventy
two delegates from New York, over
two-thirds of the Southern delegates to
this convention forced Mr.. Cleveland's
nomination to the Presidency. Mis-
souri, and Arkansas voted solidly for
him, and committee from the New
York delegation tried in vain to obtain
a hearing before the Arkansas delega-
ton. On that committee were two
delegates who had voted for free silver
in the South to preserve the South from
the horrors of the force bill.
"Sir, the time to entera protest on the
part of the Missouri and other southern
delegations was then, not to-day. The
time for you men from Missouri to say
that YOU would desert the standard Of
the democracy unless free coinage was
accepted was then, not today. The
New York democracy bowed humbly
to the will of that convention. They
LOYALTY accepted its candidate and its
platform, and say to you men of the
South here to-day that it was her vote
that gave you the plank for tariff for
revenue only. They have never de-
serted the South in her hours of trial.
They stood by her years ago up to the
brink of rebellion. They stood by you
in crucial moments in the Fifty-frst
Congress. Common honor, let alone
chivalry, requires that the South shall
not desert them after placing them in
the position that they occupy to-day.
We are supporting your candidate and
your President honestly, Loyalty, and
proudly.
II will except one SouthernssState,
Mr.. Speaker, and that is the plucky
State OF South Carolina. Her dele
gates, recognizing apparently the situa-
ton III Chicago, cast every vote but one
against the nomination of Mr.. Cleve-
land. They ought to bow to the
will of the conventions,as New York has
done but she has an apparent excuse,
if she desires to avail herself Of it.
South Carolina in this House to-day
occupies the same attitude. All but
one of her Representatives in this Con-
gresa refuse to accept the recommends
ton of the Presidents message.
"The New York democracy obeyed
the mandate of the Chicago convention.
They went to the front in the line oil
battle. They pierced the enemy's cen
ter, and the democrats of the West and
South closed in upon their flanks and
routed them. Sir, the New York de-
mocracy to-day stands by the pledges
that were required of her at Chicago.
She accepted not only the nominee, but
the platform.
what is the platform ? Did it de-
clare in favor of the repeal of the Sher-
man act, with free coinage at l6 to | or
II to !, or any other ratio? No, sir.
Then, why is it that gentlemen who
advocate this qualification Of the Prcsi-
dents recommendation are accusing
New York democrats Of repudiating
the platform
'Y-ou, yourselves, are the repudia-
tors. You, yourselves, are responsible
for the President of the United States,
and YOU, yourselves, in view of his let
ters before the nomination ought to
have the manliness and common hon
esty to stand by the delegates from
New York in carrying out his recon-
mendations after you selected the can
Gidate for us.
"But you are unwilling to trust the
President you selected, in the face of
the protest of the New York de-
mocracy. We are. You are not. And
YOU take us to task for it. Is this hon
orable? l thank the southern democ-
racy, who, while reading the New York
democracy lesson, are teaching them
selves the lesson they are receiving to-
dav. 1t is dishonest doctor who re-
pudiates his own medicine.
"Take it like men. Stand by your
party. Don't show lack of sand
Don't get up here, as we have seen
southern democrats day after day and
night after night, coached by guerillas
from Colorado and populist jawhawk-
ers from Kansas, arraigning and con-
demning the President OF the United
States for standing by the people.
Stand by the New York democracy as
the New York democracy have stood
by you"
YIRGINIANs AT GETTYsBURG.-Six-
ty members of the Generel Turner
Ashby Camp of Confederate Veterans,
of Winchester, Va, paid visit to the
battlefield yesterday They were met
at Hagerstown by General Forney and
Colonel Bachelor, of the United States