Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-20
THEY CAN'T DO 1T.

| Already 638 of the $50 delegates that will
compose the national democratic conven-
| ton have been selected. OF the 638 Sc
| lected delegates 404 are for the free COIN
| age of silver, and necessarily opposed
| to the single gold standard. OF the 292
| delegates yet to be selected 1t is conceded
| on all sides that 100 of them will be In
| structed by the people who will select and
commission them to go to Chicago to vote
| for the free coinage of gold and silver,
and against the single gold standard.
Thus 1t will be seen that the advocates
| of free coinage have by election and by
| concession to them by the gold standard
advocates 594 of the $50 delegates which
will compose the convention, a majority
of 258 over the gold standard advocates.
Is 1t not, to say the least of it, very re-
markable that in the face of these facts
and figures the country is informed that
the fight for a declaration for the British
gold standard at Chicago is "just on?"
Since the declaration of Mr. William c.
Whitney that he had decided to aban-
don his contemplated pleasure trip to Eu-
rope to take up the fight for gold and at
tend the Chicago convention, the goldbug
press has announced that the worshipers
of the British gold standard feel very
much encouraged.
1t is a conceded fact that Mr.. Whitney
acquitted himself creditably as a cabinet
officer during Mr.. Cleveland's first admin
istration. 1t is said that his administra-
ton of the navy department of the ma
tional government had never been excell-
ed before his entering upon the discharge
of the duties of that office, and that it has
not been equaled since his retirement
from the place. 1t is known also that in
a large degree Mr.. Cleveland owes his
nomination at Chicago in 1892 to Mr..
Whitney. So also is it well known that
Mr.. Whitney was one OF the first leading
democrats to give Mr. Cleveland over to
the hardness of heart and reprobacy OF
mind" when the president began to drift
away from the old-time democratic moor
ings after his second election to the presi-
dency, which departure was first signal
lied by the appointment of republican
to the first place in his cabinet. 1t is also
said, and generally believed, that Mr.
Whitney does not want office.
Admitting all these things, which are
true and are just now being paraded by
the goldbug press, what are the people
to think upon being informed that Mr..
Whitney has concluded to proceed to Chi
cago on or before July next for the
specific purpose OF changing majority of
25S votes for free coinage into majority
for the British gold Standard?
Have we come to the pass where the
proclamation that one man in the demo-
cratic party has abandoned a pleasure
trip for a few weeks in order to reverse
the will of great majority Of the great
democratic party, inspires hope in the
breasts of those who would like to witness
such an occurrence? Has the member
ship of the democratic party become so
utterly unworthy and unreliable that one
man or one dozen men, or 100 men, can at
tend it's national convention and there
have the accredited delegates, fresh from
the people, proclaim to the country prin-
ciples as democracy exactly opposite to
those principles they were sent there to
proclaim? We do not believe 1t. Be-
sides, we are firm in the belief that the
newspapers claiming to be democratic
are deliberately shndering the party
which they profess to be members of
when they proclaim to the world, in the
face of the figures made above. that the
determination of any one man or any set
of men to go to Chicago to work for the
gold standard is just cause for renewed
hope in the bosoms of the advocates of
the single gold standard.