The herald., 1896-07-05

.
time within generation and for the
second time only within its hundred
years Of honorable itsA sthesegeat ma
tfonat Demociatic party 3 b,,.s 70 point
l.cf Sectional and geographical division
with its untold misery and disaster. The
door is open for division. defeat, dis
honor. We see new faces and new prin-
ciples urging US on, but we have not yet
crossed it's threshold. May god save us
from the fatal step.
I'm spirit Of unflinching loyalty we
ask the representatives Of our party to
pause and without prejudice or passion
to consider we'll before committing DEM
ocracy to q radical and novel policy
which we believe affects our nations
honor and we know must break the ties
which bind south and north, east and
west together in an enduring and tri-
umphant Democracy.
I'm a true Democratic convention each
member carries his manhood until his
own conscience dominates instruction
and the welfare Of his country and the
life Of his party are more important
than any sectional interest or personal
success.
I'm the belief that now, as formerly,
our party meets in this spirit, anxious to
rally under the old flag, all Of its old
soldiers and to win recruits from every
section and ready to accord them free
dom of speech and action we have gath
cred tonight to make our appeal for
union: and we Of the north and east to
plead for the very life of our party. 1t
would be folly to overlook the gravity
Of the crisis. but 1t would be cowardly
to abandon hope and un-democratic to
assume that our appeal will fall upon
deaf ears. Our great national party
fears no contest except within it's ranks;
it cannot die except by suicide.
1t has been and is the peoples party,
fighting for their cause against selfish,
sectional and class interests which con-
troll the Republican party. Within it's
ranks thus far there has been no room,
thank God, for sectional prejudice. pro-
scriptive bigotry, control by selfish in
terests, or any influence which would
divide us on geographical, religious or
class lines.
Rights, not favors; the people, not
classes; our country, not It's sections.
are the maxims of our Democratic
creed.
Has the time come when we are ready
to surrender the cardinal principles of
faith to reverse the established policy
Of our party; to look to a paternal gov
ernment to add value to any commodity
in the interest of class or section and as
the result of such folly. to destroy the
national character of broad and toll
Grant Democracy? We are not ready
to surrender to Republican protection
and throw that mantle over silver, it's
discarded child, nor to abandon our
position as the peoples party to become.
like the Republicans, as a party of class
and of section.
For the first time in it's history the
Democratic party is urged to make the
cardinal principles Of its faith and the
leading issue of its campaign silver
monometallism new and deprecated
standard of value.
The demand is for free coinage of sill
yer at 16 to l, which means that the power
and force of government are to be in
voked to change our unit of value and
to substitute 80 cents Of silver for a dol
lar in gold; and then to adjust the busi-
ness Of the country. all wages, earnings
and savings, all debts and credits. all
public obligations and the national hon.
or to this deprecated standard. The de-
mand comes from . section and class.
and appeals to q paternai government
to give value where none exists. Is this
demand sound Democratic principle?
Does it accord with the teachings and