Evening star., 1895-10-09
THE TRUTH Of HISTORY.
That KenfHcky Democratic Platform
Subject of Discussion.

n Subject of Discussion.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
If Senator Blackburns utterances are
correctly represented in the interview with
him which you published Friday, he has
apparently suffered d stroke of paralysis in
the region of the memory since the meet
ing of the Kentucky democratic conven-
ton in June last. 1 repeat, if your reporter
did not misunderstood him. the Senator has
taken issue with, and contradicted, himself
in most surprising manner.
In discussing the action of that convention
your reporter quotes the Senator as saying:
There is one thing which has been over
looked in all comments on the Kentucky
situation. A gold standard resolution was
offered in the gubernatorial convention,
and it was rejected by vote of SD to Is.
Does that look like the Kentucky democ-
racy was in favor of a single gold stand
ard? If Il ey had been they had an oppor-
tunity to adopt that resolution. but they
did not do it. There was only the unlucky
number of IL in favor of it. The fact is
that convention adopted the financial plat
form which is merely repetition of the
national platform of 1898. l have inter
preted that platform as being in favor of
bimetalism and free silver
The contest in the convention, as every
one knows, was over the financial plank of
the platform-the majority report and the
minority report. The real bone of conten-
tion was the Endorsement, in the majority y
report. of President Cleveland and Secre-
tary Carlise's ''maEaSement of public af-
fairs This, of course. embraced the finan-
cial policy of the administration, and the
free silver faction nercsly opposed the in
dorsemert of that.
The minority report ernbra ed two resolu-
tions. One was a satirically couched in
dorsement Of President Cleveland and Sec
rotary Carlisle. and the other was resolu-
ton demanding that gold and silver be
coined upon terms of exact equality.
no frs. to tpl< q n al d.
ment offered by the minority to the report
of the majority, striking from the latter
the Endorsement of President Cleveland and
Secretary Carlisle. The amendment was
an attempt to simply reatfirm the platform
of 1892. The amendment was defeated by
a vote of :9S to 270.
The minority report, which was advo-
Gated in a speech by Senator Black hburn,
then came up for action and received IL 1-2
votes. Then the vote was taken upon the
majority reTort. and it was adopted by a
vote of Gil to 233-nearly three to one.
Senator Blackburn made a speech oppos-
ing the refcrt of the majority of the COM
mttee on res olutions, in which he charac-
teriZed the report as "a platform construct
ed on the margin of a single gold stand
ard" He dencurced it as an emanation of
Wall street, and said: 'Stript of all its tcS-
uments. the naked and single issue pre-
sented for the intelligent honest and wor-
thy representative of Kentucky democracy
to determine is whether the democratic
party of this state stands today for the
democratic theory of bimetallism the re-
publican John Sherman theory of a gold
standard"
That tn. Senator then said, was the is
sue presented by the platform which the
convention so Overwhelmingly adopted.
Now he solemnly declares that gold
standard resolution was offered in the con-
vention, and that 1t received only Il votes.
and that the platform adopted was mere
ly d repetition of the national platform of
1892" If it. indeed, be merely repetition
of that platform why did he so vigorously
oppose its adoption by the convention?
Why did he tell Gen. Hardin that he (Har-
dln could not, as a consistent free silver
man. accept the nomination for governor
on such 4 platform?
There is one thing the public can he as
sured of, and that Is that Senator Black
burn Will rot go on the stump in another
campaign in Kentucky to tamper with the
free silver bomb Senator Blackburn fully
understands just why he will not attempt
to DO this, and l do not care to further
comment on 1t. SAM. NJ, GAINES