Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1895-08-27

platform. 1t is not an extreme docu
ment, nor is it difficult to understand
The State convention voted down
single gold standard resolution, as i
voted down free silver amendment
The platform of 1892 was adopted al
common ground upon which al
Democrats had stood for three years
and could still stand. Hardin, known
of all men to be staunch bimetallist
"a Stalwart Democrat, if we may use
the term-who loved one metal as
much as the other, and favored the
free coinage of both, was put upon
the platform. 1t was not expected by
anybody that he would be called up
on to let the gold monometallists of
Louisville write his speech for him
1t was understood that happy med.
ium had been struck. Both sides
could harmonic. The bimetallists
could vote for Hardin, and the mono
metallists could vote for the Carlisle
endorsement in the platform and the
ticket, like the old negro's bar trap,
would 'ketch 'em a-comin and
a-gwine." The bimetallists felt that
they got nothing but Hardin, and al
though they are expected to give the
votes to elect the whole ticket, they
went cheerfully to work for success
and, Stalwarts as they are, they will
stand by the nominees, without in
curing what views they may hold on
the currency question, which has no
more to do with the State election in
Kentucky than has the revolution in
Cuba.
Who then has kicked up all this
racket? Outside of Louisville where
is there any Democrat who is threat
enlng to bolt the ticket? Why should
any man dissatisfied with Hardin
conclude sixty days after
his nomination that he could not sup
port the nominee of the convention?
Hardin was not bound by any com
pact that he has broken. He was
with full! knowledge of his
views, expressed all over Kentucky in
a thousand speeches during the last
twenty years. It is reported from
Paducah that Henry Burnett, dele
gate in the convention and who is
therefore under a pledge to support
the nominee and whose county if we
mistake not voted to make Hardin's
nomination unanimous, has authoriz-
ed statement that he will not vote
for Hardin. 1t is from the gold side
only that such threats are heard, al
though the man who would become
governor in the event of Hardin's
death or resignation, is not a silver
man.
The Louisville papers could har-
monte things in ten days, if they
would quit soldering over Carlisle
and go to work for the ticket, They
have only to stand by the platform
and let the voters construe it to suit |
themselves. We are all pretty famil-
iAr with it by this time; most of us
know it by heart, as we used to say
at school, We carried Kentucky on
it in 1892, and we can do the same
this year if we go to work for victory.
Whether Hardin CONSTITUTES the plat
form right or not, he CONSTITUTES it just
as he did in the Cleveland campaign,
and just as it was construed by every
Democratic speaker in Kentucky. MOI
man would have dared three years
ago to say to Kentucky audience of
Democrats that the platform was i'll
favor of single gold standard No
newspaper IN Kentucky, in or out OF
the party, set up such claim. Then
why should Democrats fall out. at
this late day over plank in a plat
form that has become seasoned from
age and constant use Even so good
book as the Bible is construed to
suit the beliefs of a hundred rel gious
denominations, then why should we
force all Democrats to construe the
platform alike If all christians, diff
fering widely in their views, can fight
the devil with the same Scriptures,
surely all Democrats can fight the
Republican party, which is just about
the same thing, with the same billet
of wood. Let the silver men batter
the enemy with one side, the gold
men with the other, and if the Popu-
lists will help us punch him with the
end, or stick splinters in him, let's
give them chance and thank them
for their services.
Let Gen. Hardin go ahead with his
campaign. Let him fight the com
mon enemy in his own way. He is
an old hand at the business and
knows how to lead us to victory
Let's all close up ranks and get into
line. If silver men can vote for hall
a dozen goldbugs, the gold men car
vote for two or three bimetallists, who
have no more to do with settling the
I money question than they have with
naming the Cleveland babies.
After we elect Hardin and save
Kentucky from the threatened calam