The herald., 1895-06-06

~a-e = SuioCIutiC party WAS uiNiucu oi tho
tariff question, much as it is on the
money question today. President Cleve-
land issued his famous message com NIT
ting the party to tariff reform, and that
the shortness of the time between the
'assuing OF the message and the election
prevented the shorougeh discussion OF
the question, and so brought on Demo-
cratic defeat. This was one OF the mi s.
takes of President Cleveland that the
committee did not care to initiate.
IT has been asserted that state con-
vention has no right to discuss national
issues, and that consequently this con-
vention should not have been called.
Such suggestion is absurd. A national
convention is made up of delegates f1om
the different states. and the party in
each state has right to express itself at
any and all times upon any and all ques-
tions, and to ins truct its delegates TO the
national convention az to the policy 1t
desires carried out. While the action OF
this convention cannot bind the delegates
to the national convention OF 1896, yet its
action can and will serve as basis tor
campaign OF education to be carried on
by the state committee to the end that
the party be united on one common OBJ
ject.
1.-The committee has been severely citi
cised for calling this convention The
worst motives have been suggested. the
vilest epithets have oeen used and men
hesitated to say that the public action OF
the committee was irregular, illegal, trail
torous and destructive.
This convention was not called FOR
the purpose of reading any man out of
the party. nor has the committee nor any
member concerned in the calling given
utterance to an expression that would
indicate any such intention. On the
contrary, every effort has been made to
prevent anything like rupture in the
Democratic ranks. A the same time
the party has resented the efforts OF
few would-be bosses TO control the
masses either by means of public pat
ronage or by threats OF leaving the party;
and now that they have so evidently
failed to accomplish their purpose and
desire to leave us, we can only bid them
goodby and wish them better luck in
bossing the opposition.
"Gentlemen, you have responded TO the
call of the committee i'll coming here to-
day, and it is my wish that your further
action will not only mark out line of
policy for the committee to follow, but
will serve to unite the Democratic party
on one common object and enable MS to
again write ourselves the majority party
in the state and in the nation"
s The speech was interrupted by frequent
applause. At the conclusion OF the
speech Hinrichsen SAID the state central
committee would announce the list of
lIs
Judge Munroe c. Crawford. Union county !;
secretary, Arthur W. Bentley, Pike coun-
ty. When Judge Crawford's name was
announced there was tremendous ap-
plause.
Districts were called for the purpose
of receiving the names of committeeman,
and the fact developed that q full list of
district delegates had been selected in
caucus this morning. to attend the ma
tional monetary convention, should one
be called.
The committee on resolutions named
includes Richard Michaels. P. z. keenan,
and J. W. Lanehart of Chicago; At
torney-General Maloney, n. e. Worthing-
ton OF Peoria. and ex-United States Land
Commissioner W. J. A. Sparks.
Thomas Nelly of Menard county
moved that all resolutions of a political
nature be referred to the committee on
resolutions without being read. Thorn as
Merritt created considerable exciteme mt
by opposing this method. The conven-
tion was called for the purpose of consid-
ering great questions, and he was opposed
to all gag methods.
Adjournment was taken Until o'cloc k
to give the committees time to formulate
their reports.
When the convention reassembled the
report of the committee on credentials
was read and adopted. The committee
on permanent organization elicited Wig
chairman Judge S. B. Mcconnell of Chi
cago. Judge Mcconnell made vigorous
speech which was enthusiastically ap-
plauded. Judge Mcconnell said
This convention has peculiar signif-
cance. Heretofore the managers of poll
tical parties have so arranged that party
politics should be declared only at the
time the candidates were chosen and only
a short time before the gathering of rep
Tesentatives OF the people. The result has
been that often our conventions have put
forth a mere assertion of general prpci-
pies and on live issues expressed them
selves in meaningless compromises. Col
Orless candidates have been presented to
the people or candidates unsympathetic
with the real purposes of the party.
''rhis convention makes departure,
and is intended not only to allow free
discussion before the next political en-
gagement but to define our party position
with distinctness and detiniteness so that
no candidate, if chosen TO office, will
have the, chance or excuse to defeat oul
command"
Congressman William J. Biyan of Ne
convention. Bryan's appearance was the
signal for tremendous applause. His
speech was facetious and cutting and oc-
Casioned almost continuous appaluse, the
delegates throwing their hats in the air.
He compllmented Chicago for having
rs d ClblItH SuCu u Ilhu dS uu5c -uCOOl-
nell, who would march at the head of the
Democratic party with double shield.
He said that this was the most demo.
cratic audience that he had seen in a
long time. No party is Mt to be factor
in politics which has no opinion on
every public question. He said that there
were men IN the party who wanted the
Democratic party to straddle a question.
He said that there was a time when
Cleveland had to face the question oi
turning to the plutocracy or Democracy
and had he been a Jackson or Jefferson
he would have turned to the common
people and there would be no need of this
convention here today to repudiate Re.
publican principles (Applause.) If he
had not faltered the Democracy would
nave continued IN power for years t.
come. No man who is in favor of the
gold standard can talk blmetallism and
be honest. If the double standard is right
then monometallism is a crime against
society. (Applause.) You had just as
we'll have an Eng glish general at the head
of our army or an English admiral at
the head of our navy, as an English bank
at the head of the treasury department.
In 1896 the people of then Uulted
States will be called upon to decide
whether the influence of this nation shall
be cast by the side of bmetallism or OF
an universal gold standard. This ques-
tion will not be finally settled until the
great common people OF the United States
settle 1T.
When Mr.. Bryan had concluded Judge
Hunter spoke and then Governor Altgeld