The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-06-12
President Cleveland seemed apprehen,
siye of COMING. trouble.

to select delegates to the proposed ma,
tional convention on the currency ques'
ton. In some of these caucuses the
subject of denouncing Clevelend and
Palmer were talked over in an inform.
al way, but the sentiment appeared tc
be against that which was not conser.
vative. In the case of the 18th Con
gressional district, General Palmer's
home, resolution was offered in
structing the chairman of the delega,
ton and the district member of com
mittee on resolutions to vote against
any proposition either condemn the
national administration Or endorse the
State administration. Several speeches
were made on the subject. and the
general impression, while strongly
against Mr.. Cleveland, was that il
would be bad policy for the conven.
ton to take any action which would
widen the breach between the two fac
ton of the Democracy. Timothy
Beech voiced this sentiment in a pep
perry speech in which he spoke bitterly
of Cleveland, as traitor to the De
mocracy, but he said he did not think
it the business of a monetary conven
ton TO denounce him. The conven,
ton reassembled at 2 o'clock. The
committee on permanent organizations
then made its report Samuel ?. Nc
Connel1 was conducted to the chair,
and spoke as follows:
This convention has a most pecul-
lar and most important significance.
Heretofore, managers of political par
ties have so arranged that party poll
cies should be declared only at the
time candidates We're chosen, and only
a short time before the gathering OF
the franchises of the people. The re
suit has often been that your conven'
tions have put forth mere assertion
of general principles, or on live issue
expressed themselves in meaningless
compromises.
Candidates have been put in who
were unsympathetic with the real pur-
pose of the party. This convention
makes departure and is intended not
only to allow free discussion before
the next political engagement. but to
define our party position with distinct
ness so that no voter shall fail to un-
derstand us, and no candidate, if chos-
en- to Office, have chance of excuse to
defeat our command.
Judge Mcconnell recently became
widely known by his resignation from
the presidency of the Iroquois Club of
Chicago, because OF his leaning to sill
yer. His audience gave him an ova-
ton and then loudly cried for Con-
gresham W. J. Bryan. Mr.. Bryan
was ready. In the course of his speech
he said: In 1896. the people of the
United States will be called upon to
decide whether the influence of this
nation shall be cast on the side of bi-
metallism or in favor of a universal
gold standard. All admit that the
question is the greatest economic ques-
ton which has been before the people
of the United States during the pres
ent generation, if not the present cen
tury. This question cannot be settled
by the fat of bank presidents or mon.
ey loaners of Federal officials. 1t will
not be finally settled upon until the
great common people of the United
States sit in judgment upon it and ap-
ply to it their principles of justice by
which alone public questions can be
measured. If, as ali admit, the money
question is now the question of su-
preme importance, itmust follow that
the people will trust that party with
its settlement which fearlessly espous-
es the truth. The Democratic party
must take its position upon this ques-
ton and by the correctness of that
position will rise or fall. No coward,
whether an individual or party, can
long retain the confidence of the neo-
pie. Not only IS IL necessary that the
Democratic party to take position,
but the sooner it defines its position,
the greater will be its opportunities in
1896.
''There can be no compromise upon
this question; there can be no political
fellowship between the advocates of a
single gold standard and the friends
of bimetallism.
''It is to be regretted that the first
Democratic President since the war
should become the trusted instrument
in the hands of concentrated wealth,
the official head of the commission of
pelf. When he was found he was as
modest as Saul and as conspicuous
among his fellows for his good con-
duct, but since he has sought counsel
of the familiar spirits of Wall Street
he has tried to take the political life Of
every David whom the people trusted.
Grover Cleveland is not the Demo
cratic party-Democracy is greater
than any man. It will exalt him who
rightly interprets its truths but it will
cast him down who seeks to wear its
livery and yet serve its plutocracy.
The reason why bimetallism has
been difficult in the past was because
of different ratios existing in different
countries. If we should attempt free
coinage at IL to l, wes would invite
the silver of other countries to come
here in exchange for gold but we offer
free coinage at 16 to our gold will
not leave because it cannot find a
more favorable ratio where there is
any quantity of fsilyer to exchange. If
change in the ratio is desirable we
cannot intelligently choose new ra-
ito unless we have put gold and silver
upon an equal footing. It is absurd
to measure silver by gold when we
open the mints to gold and close them
to silver. This country must act alone
because it cannot afford to submit the
interest Of American citizens to the
government control of foreign nations
and because other nations are not SIM
ilarlv situated and therefore cannot be
relied upon to cooperate with US. We
did not ask the consent of other ma
tons when we demonetized silver and
we should not ask their consent when
we restore it.
illinois is the imperial State OF the
West, and the Democracy of this State,
l,,, ,,ooa+;,,or -, tbic convention oarOod