The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-06
THAT VICTORY IN MICHIGAN.

! in Michigan at the late Democratic
state convention, the more we are con-
WINGED that the goldite victory will
effect but little the struggle for the
control of the national Democratic
| convention at Chicago.
The money plank of the platform
adopted by the convention-only a
meagre synopsis of which was sent out
by the press dispatches-was by no
means a pronounced declaration in
favor of the single gold standard. In
deed there was nothing said in the
standard shall be adopted. 1t merely
refers the question to the national con-
vention to meet in Chicago. Here is
the plank:
"On the financial question, we recog-
nize that this administration stands
upon and has consistently carried out
the national Democratic platform of
'92, on which it was elected by THE peo-
pie, and decided that the parity of the
metals in our currency shall be main
tained. The platform of the national
convention, which has carried the
country Overwhelmingly for our party,
should be the doctrine of the Demo-
Gratis until a new platform is formed
by another national convention. To
the national convention to be held
July Z, we remit this subject with
confidence in the wisdom and patriot
ism of that body.
Since the money plank of the last
national Democratic platform was so
wonderfully drawn that it covers al
most every phase of the money ques-
ton, and can be made ITO reflect every
financial sentiment of every section of
the country, just as the chameleon
reflects the every changing color of the
objects that environ it-since such is
the wonderful character of this money
plank, it is not worth while to stop to
argue with our Michigan friends
whether or not the present administra-
ton stands upon and has consistently
carried out the national Democratic
platform of 1892; but this much does ap-
pear from the Michigan money plank of
the platform recently adopted in that
state-the delegates from Michigan to
the national convention are not bound
by their platform to the single gold
standard theory. 1t is true that ad-
ministration boss Don NJ. Dickinson
claims that he has secured twenty
honest money men out of a total
of overweight delegates, and en-
forced the unit rule; but that should
not prevent silver delegates to the
Chicago convention from taking note
of the fact that the Michigan delega-
ton is an excellent one upon which to
devote some earnest missionary work |
How conscious the Michigan gold
standard victors are of their weak |
ness; by what means they obtained !
what we believe may be only their |
temporary success; and how slight a /
hold they have upon their victory, may
be seen from the following editorial in |
the Cincinnati Enquirer:
The free silver Democrats in Michi- |
gan carried the primary elections in |
that state, and, in the county conven-
tons elected a large majority of The
delegates TO the state convention. This |
admits of no dispute. At no time was
there any claim that the gold men /
could control the convention. This be- |
came so apparent that, when the state
convention met on Wednesday at De-
troit, no attempt was made to say a /
single word in favor of the gold stand I
ard No instructions were given the
delegates to the national convention /
When the friends of the administra-
ton found that the convention was
against them, they proceeded to the
customary work of bunkoing some of
the country delegates into agreeing on /
making no declaration at all on the
subject of silver coinage. They first |
of all devoted themselves to capturing |
the committees of the convention 1t t
is always the custom to have these
committees appointed by the delegates
themselves in some manner Some
times delegates from each county are
allowed to name one man; sometimes
delegates from each senatorial district
are allowed to name one man, and /
sometimes delegates from the counties
composing each congressional district
are allowed to name q man. There are
eighty-five counties in Michigan, and
committees of eighty-five would have
been too large to suit the leaders of the
minority. They found that if they had /
small committees of twelve, being one