The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-04-23
Senator Morgan's Speech.

| OF Alabama. The senator ndl us all
audience Il thousand democrats OF that
section. and his speech was peculiarly
eloquent and impressive.
| His effort throughout was devoted to
urging democratic harmony and unity,
with the democratic platform as the me-
dunn, in the face of the great emergency
! that confronts the party, and he warned
the people that the effort to compllcate
the political situation in Alabama was
/ movement calculated to betray the state
| into the hands of the republicans He
compared it to the Malone movement in
! Virginia, and urged the democratic
! voters to stand by their party and their
/ party's principles.
! The speaker earnestly and eloquently
/ advised the people to have the courage
! of their convictions and to rCaSsert once
more the spirit and principles Of local
self-government He suggested that
| there was a disposition among men who
had thoroughly tested the strength and
value of democratic principles to lay too
much stress on views expressed at Wash
ington, and to acquiesce in them too
readily.
Senator Morgan touched on an i'm
portant subject when he said that there
ought to be more Independence OF
thought at home and less subserVlency
to the views of public men at Washing
| ton. In Alabama, in Georgia, III every
part of the south and in every state OF
! the union there is today tendency
among men who know what democratic
PRINCIPLES are to shave and trim thelr
on;niOns and convictions to suit the ru-
mors aud whimscalities that flutter
forth from Washington. The people of
| the south-the humblest as well as the
/ highest-have suffered enough in the
! cause of democracy to have their CON
| victions grounded in the very marrow OF
| their bones. They refused to surrender
| these convictions to the bayOnctS OF re-
/ publicans. Shall they now surrender
/ them to the emissaries Of the republican
| nlutocrats Of the east who are masquer-
/ aiding in congress and out of it as demo
| Gratis?
Senator Morgan said that the demo
| Gratis of Alabama shoul be united on
| the repcal of the 10 per cent tax on
state banks and for the adoption of an
income tax. lie declared for the free
coinage Of silver, and prayed for the era
of democracy to be restored.
With respect to the attempt to stir up
an administration fight in Alabama the
senator said he c0uld see no reason why
the state convention should endorse the
administration in a contest which was
purcIy local The reason for the Sena-
TORS advice is manifest There are dem
ocrats in Alabama-thouSands OF them
who do not endorse Mr.. Cleveland's
financial views. There are other demo
/ Gratis who. for reasons best known to
/ themselves. do endorse them. In view
of this situation, it is the policy OF wis
( dom for the convention to refrain from
/ injecting such bone of contention INTO
/ its proceedings.
/ The speech Was powerful one from
/ first to last and. made a deep impression
on those who heard it.
While the cucl1oos are abusing HtH for
( refusing to vote. for the income tax, they
/ sho,lid remember Mr.. CIevelands veto OF
the seigniorage bill We condemn both
Hill in the South.
The Richmond Times, quite unnocessa-
I rily we Think Is discussing why Mr..
David Il. Hill has played out at the
/ sonth The Times is of the opinion that
if is hecause the senator has been found
ont to be a machine politician and moth
ing more"
The Constitution is Of the opinion, how
ever. that the democratic people Of the
south. who have found party organize
lion TO be 50 necessary to their safety
| and success, would be the last to OBJ
iect TO a machine politician The term
is supposed to be contemptuGus one,
and it is SO employed by the mugwumps
of the east who have aided in the be
travail of the democratic party, and by
their imitatorS elsewhere. But we see
nothing objectionable in ~ machine
politician" and if that was the only OBJ
lection to Senator Hill, lie would have
lost no supporters in the south.
"A machine politician" in the mug
wump vernacular, is simply Il man whose
convictions are strong enough to bind
him to his party organization. and who
believes il to be a patriotic duty TO put
in operation the principles aud purposes
that bind it together. 4 man who stands
by his party is, in the eyes of the east
cru mugwumps and their southern imi-
tators, villain indeed; but if The Rich
mond Times thinks that Senator Hill has
played out" in the south because he is
n good party man, it takes but Il super
fetal view OF things.
The trouble with MI Hill goes deeper
than that His former friends here have
dropped him because TO all intents and
purposes he has taken his stand with
those who are willing to repudi0te the
democratic platform-bccausc in The face
of Il great emergency he has shown that
he is as willing 10 sacrifice the Interests
of the people to the sectional demands
OF the east rs Mr.. Cleveland himself.
He is tarr2d with the eastern stick. The
very newspapers nat have been loudest
in their applause of Mr. ClevcIand's at
titude, are l0udest il their praise Of
Senator Hill. The senator had the OPP
pOrtunity Of choosing between the career
OF q statesman devoted to the true i'll
terests of the whole country, and that Of