Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-25
CT EVELAND AND HILL
Both Heard From at the New York Editors
Banquet.
The President Writes n Letter on the
tor Says He's n Bfmetallist.

tors in New York city came to an end last
night, when banquet was rendered them
at Delmonico's. The banquet hall was
taxed to it's utmost capacity, covers being
laid for $50.
COL William M: Brown played the role
of POSTMASTER. Near him at the table
were Mayor ]. H. Huxley of Poughkeep-
sic and ex-Mayor Gilroy. Others at the
main table were John Boyd Thatcher. Col
lector Kilbreth, Controller Fitch, Cord
Meyer, Charles S. Fairchld. Senator Hill,
Controller Of the Currency Eckels, ex-Gov.
Flower and Senator Cantor.
The Presidents Letter.
After the banquet Col Brown introduced
John A. Mason, who thanked the demo-
Gratis of Gotham for their hospitality to
the visitors. Mr.. Mason then read letter
from President Cleveland, which evoked
tumultuous applause.
After expressing regret at his inability
to be present, the President says:
This reunion of democratic editors will,
| I am sure, be enjoyable occasion to all
who participate, but l shall be much dis
appointed If the fellowship and interchange
Of sentiment it will afford do not stimulate
| the zeal and effort of the fraternity there
assembled in behalf of the democratic
| cause and democratic principles.
Our party is so much party of princi-
pie, and Its proper action and usefulness
are so dependent upon constant adher-
| ence to its doctrines and traditions, that no
tendency in our ranks to follow the mis-
leading light of a temporary popular mis-
apprehension should go unchallengec. Our
victories have all been won when We have
closely followed the banner Of democratic
principle. We have always been punished
by defeat when, losing sight Of our banner,
| we have yielded to the Establishments of
| undemocrafc expsdiency.
There Is temptation now vexing the
people in different sections of the country
which assumes the disguise of democratic
party principle, ipasmuch as 1t presents
scheme which is claimed to be a remedy
for agricultural depression and such other
hardships affiict our fellow citizens.
Thus, because we are the friends OF the
people, and profess. devotion to their in-
terests, the help of the members Of our
party is invoked in support of plan to
levolutionize the monetary condition of the
country. and embark upon experiment
which is discredited by all reason and eX-
perience. which invites trouble and dis
aster in every avenue of labor and enter
prise, and which must prove destructive to
cur national prestige and character.
when q campaign is actively on foot
to force the free, unlimited and indie
pendent coinage Of silver by the govern
ment, at a ratio which will add to our cir
culation unrestrained millions Of so-cailed
dollars, intrinscally worth but half the
amount they purport to represent, with no
provision or resource to make good this
deficiency in value, and when 1t is claimed
that such proposition has any relation to
the principles of demo cracy, 1t Is time for
all who may in the least degree influence
democratic thought to realize their respon-
sibility.
because it is waited hither and thither by
every sudden wave of popular excitement
and misconception, but because while 1t
tests every proposition by the doctrines
which underlie its organization 1t insists
that all interests should be defended in
the administration of the government, with
out especial favor or discrimination.
Our party is the party Of the people pie
our countrymen it resists dangerous
schemes born Of disconte9t, advocated by
appeals to sectional or class prejudices and
reinforced by the insidious aid Of private
selfshness and cupidity.
above all, our party is the party of the
people when 1T recognizes the fact that
sound and absolutely safe money is the
life blood of our countrys strength and
prosperity, and when it teaches that none
of our fellow-citizens, rich or poor. great
or humble, can escape the consequences Of
a degeneration of our currency.
Democratic care and conservatism die
tate that If there exist Inconvenience and
hardship, resulting from the congestion or
imperfect distribution Of our circulating
medium, remedy should be applied which
will avoid the disaster that must follow in
the train of silver monometallism."
What l have written has not been
prompted by any fear that the democracy
Of the state of New York will ever be an
accomplish in such an injury to their coun-
try as would be entailed by the free, I'M
limited and independent coinage of silver;
nor do believe they will ever be so heed
less of party interests as to support such
a movement. l have referred to this SUBJ
ject in the belief that nothing more i'm
portant can engage the attention of the
American people or the national democracy
and in the conviction that the voice of the
democrats of New York, through its press,
should constantly be heard in every state"
han 10 CT "
cheers and some groans. Then three cheers
were given with will. Here is the letter:
Letters of regret were also received from
Secretary Lamont, Postmaster General
Wilson, Oscar S. Strong and ex-Recorder
Smythe.
Then POSTMASTER Brown introduced Sem
ator Hill the democrat who stands for
all that is pure and grand in democratic
politics.
The Senator was accorded a perfect ova-
ton as he rose to speak to the toast DE
mocracy."
Hill on the 1892 Platform.
Senator Hill began with a tribute to the
press and long explanation of democra-
cy. Then, continuing, he said: The most
important recent event in our national af-
fairs is the decision by the Supreme Court
that federal tax on rents or on the in
come of personal property laid by the last
Congress is a direct tax and must be APP
portioned among the states according to
the census. For that event We should con-
graduate ourselves and render hearty
thanks. That decision has destroyed a
large brood of dangerously socialistic
schemes CT taxation that were teeming at
the BIRTH
"A federal income tax was never ap-
proved by any democratic national con-
vention and should never have been re-
garded or tolerated as a democratic meas
ure.
IF the resolutions adopted by the dele
gates to the national conventions held by
each of the two great parties in 1892, and
the resolutions adopted by those same
parties represented in several state con-
ventions of 1894, an indication, it is
plain that the voters of the country gen.
orally prefer the bimetallc system of coin
age that prevailed in the United States
before 1878.
LAS a democrat, I feel compelled thus to
act by the declaration at Chicago, in 1892
by the repeated declarations of the New
York democracy, and as a Senator by three
existing laws enacted by Congress, declar-
ing principle and policy.
II am not in the counsels of the gold
monometallists but If were, should sug-
gest that they are prejudcing the cause
of safe and sound currency at this moment
by nagging over immaterial incidents, as,
for example, whether, under the coinage
law of 1892, the silver dollar was the unit
of value.