Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-01

How Nebraska SiNtccn-to-Oncrs APP
pear ut Long Range.

New York sun.
The convention Of the free silver demo-
Gratis" Of Nebraska met last week. The
convention Of the Nebraska democrats who
do not believe In free silver meets this week
A mans views as to silver are a queer test
of his democracy; in Nebraska the test
seems to be rigidly applied, at least by the
gentlemen who imagine that the free coin.
age Of silver at the ratio Of 16 to l is the
linchpin OF the universe. The chairman
asked "the democratic state convention tc
come to order. and expressed his "gratif'
cation at this splendid assembly OF splendid
representatives of true democracy Mr.. w
ID. Oldham, who was subsequently elected q
delegate to the Chicago convention, made q
speech by request. There is no doubt,
he said, about our getting into the Chicago
convention. The only question is whether
we Will admit the Chicago convention to us.
We will go down there full of the faith OF
our fathers and pitch our tents. If they
come to us true to the great principles of
our party, we will welcome them to our
tents. If they come reCreant to these princi-
pleS, We will call Tillman OF South Carolina
TO bring his pitchfoTk and keep EN- all out
Having thus shown his zeal for regularity
and his sense of discipline, MIR. Oldham,
frantically cheered by his hearers, proceeded
to set before them this select exposition of
the backsliding of the Nebraska democrats
who are not true to 16 to 1:
Some of our brethren have been inveigled
by the lusts of the flesh pots of Egypt,
but as their terms Of office grow short they
ways.
Three years ago the natures noblemen
came here from the far western edge of
our state, who had run barefooted till 80
years old, and had to be lassoed to shoe
them, and they were tryin' 20 act as mug
wump dudes and pronounce words in the
New. England fashion taught in the school
of instruction of lgnClI Martin linn
Sheean. etc. They've quit that. Go into
the bathroom and have the indigo washed
crat, and l am from old Missoory.
Judge Robinson quoted the affecting lines:
'Beefsteak when we're hungry,
Whisky when were dry,
GreenbaCks for our money
And heaven when we die
Mr.. c.. ]. Smyth made the placid assertion
that like the French revolutionists who
desecrated Christian temples and set up a
harlot, the traitors to true democracy had
dragged her from her temple, struck her
down, and put in her place the golden calf. -
Mr.. |. j. Dunn uttered these calm
thoughts:
1 have gotten so far that 1 believe that
a man who favors a single gold standard
~laration of independence is declared a proc
lamation against liberty. when jefferson
and, Jackson are .reviled and Benedict Ar
the man a democrat who seeks to fasten
on the people a system that is so undem-
oCratiC.
These extracts will serve to show the mod
crate and pacific tone of the convention. The
members were eager to boom for president
the Hon. William jennings Bryan, a mem
Der of the ways and means committee in
the Fifty-third congress-, once as thunder
throated for a tariff for revenue only as he
is now, and for all practical purposes a
populist, and who continues to play democrat.
Mr.. Bryan waved the boom away. He did
not wish to ''arouse jealousies." Perhaps
he dreams of a combination of democrats
and populists, and doesn't wish to be pre-
mature. An old friend of his appears in
the platform:
We are in favor of a constitutional
amendment authorizing the collection of
an income tax as a part of the federal
revenue system.
Another chunk of chrysolite from this
PLATFORM:
Believing that general laws should NOT
be set aside by private contract, we fa vor
such congressional legislation as will with.
out interfering with valid contracts already
in existence, prohibit for the future the
making of agreements for the payment OF
any specific kind of legal tender money.
Mr.. Bryan spoke at LENGTH It was a
great convention for him, and he must have
enjoyed it thoroughly. Free silver, the in
tax, no contracts payable in goldi A
great platform.