St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-22

hall was elaborately decorated, but
was too small to accommodate all
holding tickets. It was 1890 when
the chairman of the state commit
tee, M. A. Smalley, called the conven-
tion to order. Prayer was offered
by Professor Breckinridge, after
which Senator Brice was introduced
as the presiding officer and spoke as
follows:
BRICE'S OPENING SPEECH.
Gentlemen of the Convention:
recognize the honor and responsibility
Of the position which has been as
signed me, and snail endeavor to fill
1t TO the best of my ability, with per-
feet impartiality and due regard for
the right Of each and every delegate.
l can only succeed with your forbear-
ance and assistance, upon which l
shall rely, knowing that we have all
come Tor the same general purpose
the success of the Democratic party in
the state. we may, as we often have
have warm controversies as to the
manner in which we may best accom-
plish our common purpose; but the
ONO Democracy must fight with un-
broken ranks and against the common
enemy We must recognize the gray-
1ty OF the situation. 1t is now less than
year since we were beaten in this
state by nearly 10000 majority. Nor
was this a local disaster, affecting only
the party in thesstate. We suffered
from the Atlantic to the Pacific and
from the lakes to the gulf. We were
beaten in our strongholds as well as
IN doubtful places, and il is idle to
talk of its being the fault of any one
man or any single act of the party, or
any of the minor causes that affect
political success. The shadow of the
great, worldwide panic; the indus
trial and financial depression; low
no wages, for workingmen every
where; despair for farmer and me-
chanic, terror and ruin for banker and
merchant; and at the bottom of it
all false tariff system, running in
turn manufacturer and consumer, and
an unWise and fatally weak currency
situation, had thrown over the whole
nation reSen tment against the party
the disaster came. Millions of Dem
ocrats remained at home-hundredS of
thousands in our own state-aS a mute
protest aga-nts the powerlessness of
prevent or protect them from these
disasters. Men from all parties and
everywhere We're freely saying that
the Democratic party was dead, dis
solved, gone OFF into the camps Of the
PopuilstS and socialists, and had be-
come mere wandering bands of fugi,
t.veS, without union and without hope
There was wild, fierce clamor against
the senate and against the Democratic
house. So widespread was the feeling
of hopelessness among our party, that
we have already lost our majority in
the senate, not to be regained in many
years. Our majority of more than 100
in the house of representa- tives has
been reversed, and our membership in
that branch of the present congress
is a mere handful.
PANIC AND FEAR HAVE PASSED.
rs this the time for those who re-
main steaofaSt and loyal to the great
party Of Jefferson, Jackson, Tilden
and Cleveland to indulge in quarrels
and Fecriminations? Should we not
rather gather together all people who
are willing to join hands, and build the
Democratic structure, on which, as we
believe, lies happiness and safety for
this government and its people? But
gentlemen, doesn't this convention and
the intense feeling manifested by those
who attend 1t, and those who have
sent their delegates here, tell the story
that a change has come over the pub
lie mind--that the Democratic party is
no longer PROSTATE; that its fortunes
are rising, and that 1t is quite worth
the while 10 be in the Democratic army
which already has the assured and con
f1dent step OF a march toward victory?
Pan1c and fear have passed away.
The benefcence of Democratic legisla-
ton has already produced. and is pro-
duclng, its effect. Faith is rapidly
being restored, confidence re-estab-
HShed and business everywhere reviv-
ing, and IL is now clear that it is only
a question of time, either in November
Of this year or of next year, when the
American people will reward the Dem
ocratic party for its profound service
to the republic. The three great
promises made to the American people
IN 1892 have been more nearly fulfilled,
and carried more nearly into execution
than any three promises ever made by
any party In any platform. What We're
they? They We're summed up by Sam
uel j. T1lden forty years ago, as home
rule, sound money and free trade. as
nearly as government requirements
permit; and under the very shadow of
the disaster brought on this country
by the Republican laws, against which
we protested and whose repeal we de-
manded-the force bill, the Mckinley
bill and the Sherman bill-these prom
1seS were fulfilled. The Democratic
party met and wiped from the statute
book the force bill, and gave home rule
to this country as far as your national
legislature had anything to do with the
question; and next repealed, uncondi-
tionally, the Sherman silver law. and
thereby prevented the absolute bank
ruptcy Of the United States treasury
which was imminent. There is no
human being, whose judgment is en-
titled TO the slightest weight, who does
not know that the gravity of the situ-
alton and the imminence of the peril
were averted by the repeal of the Sher-
man law,