The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1895-10-12
/ SENSIBLE, POLITICIAN.


A SENSIBLE, POLITICIAN.
The political situation, or better the
Democratic situation in Kentucky Is
peculiar. Hardin the Democratic
candidate for governor, was nominated
on "Sound Money" platform, but Is
making vigorous free silver cam
paign. Toe Democracy of Kentucky
are vainly called to support him, but
preferring principle to men. the sound
money Democrats refuse to respond
and will almost to man vote for the
Republican candidate. In this con-
nection we cannot refrain from print
ing the letter from Mr.. j. M. Ather-
ton, prominent Democrat OF
Louisville. We commend Mr.. Ath-
erton's letter not only to our Demos
ceatic readers but to those of Republic
can proclivities as we'll. 1t is terse,
clear, vigorous presentation of the
duty of citizen and of a politician.
1t points out the political trickery OF
the candidate, and asserts the broad
principle that, good citizens duty is
to his own convictions, his country
and his party, and not to the political
bosses or montebanks who occasionally
are the candidates of the party. We
commend the action of the Democracy
in Kentucky to the consideration OF
the Republican party in Pennsylvania
whose nose is at present between the
thumb and finger of Boss Quay.
To the Hon. p. W. Hardin:
DEAR SIR:-In your Auditorium
speech of August 10, you used the fol-
lowing words:
Eyes I stand on the platform; stand
on it with both feet, and in the name
of a true Democracy and common
country call on Buckner and Black
burn, Brown and Nc Creary, Rhea
and Atherton, Ellis and Weissinger
and the Democratic press of the state
to stand on it with me, with guns
shotted for the common enemy"
Having received from you this pub
lie call, trust you will not regard a
public response as offensive or imper-
tinent. I beg to assure you of my
kind personal feeling for you, which
/ know you will not doubt or question.
On the other hand, l must tell you
that differ with you in toto on the
money question. But this is not the
only reason which compels me to in
(, form you that, in this emergency, you
call on me in vain. You call on me to
support you; the Democratic conven-
tion Of our party, which nominated
you, commands me to support its dec
laration of principles, it's platform.
You may feel it your duty to disobey
the convention and repudiate its plat
form, but feel it my duty to obey the
convention and stand by its platform.
You may put the candidate before the
platform, but put the platform before
the candidate. You may hold that
Democrats owe higher allegiance to
men than to- principles, but l hold
that Democrats owe higher allegi-
ance to principles than to men. Its
not possible to support the candidate
and the platform, unless the candidate
stands on the platform. You say:
81 stand on the platform; stand on it
with both feet" But beg most re-
spectfully to deny your declaration.
You do not stand on the platform.
A suspicion that you did not stand on
the platform must have troubled you,
or why the call to Democrats who
have never faltered in their obedience
or in their allegiance to their party.
A Democratic candidate bearing the |
nomination in one hand and the plat
form in the other, seldom finds it
necessary to call on Democrats to rally |
to his support.
What, then, are the facts? The Nat
ional. Democratic convention assem- |
bled in 1892 in Chicago, adopted a |
platform containing the well-known
resolution on the money question. |
This resolution was not adopted as an |
Endorsement of free coinage of silver. |
The National Democratic convention |
voted down a resolution demanding |
the free coinage of silver. The pur-
pose of the convention was to demand |
the repeal of the Sherman bill. The |
great pressing need of that hour was |
the repeal of the Sherman bill. The
repeal of that bill stopped the pur-
chase of silver bullion and left the
mints closed to the sfree coinage of |
silver. ~-HSs-ss ] -
Any Democrat has the right to ad-
vocate the adoption of free silver
resolution by the next National con-
vention, but Gin the meantime no
Democrat can consistently contend
that the convention of 1892, declared
for free silver.
So far as that convention made
declaration specifically on that subject,
it refused to indorse free silver. A
state convention may with propriety
adopt resolutions which approve the
last National platform, and also reso-
lutions which are in, their nature ad-
visory to the hext National conven-
ton. But state convention Is not
invested with the authority to over
rule, alter or set aside the platform OF
the last preceding National conven-
lion. The execution Of the principles
and policies of the party, as set out and
iefined in the national platform, is
ntrusted to the congress and to the E
1t thus becomes COM {
,etent for state convention to ex- {
,ress it's judgment on the success and I
idelity with which the platform OF the r
,arty has been executed, or put in /
,rocess of execution. 4
/ will take the liberty of calling
our attention to your position and
our speeches on the silver question
arIy last spring, long prior to the
lection of the delegates in the June