Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-10
HILL FOR THE MINORITY.
He Informs the Convention That He Is a
Democrat.

Oemocrat.
Mr.. Tillman concluded and Senator
Jones took the stand to speak for the
platform as submitted by the committee.
His first sentence brought cheers. He
said he disagreed with the senator from
South Carolina in his statement that this
was sectional issue. He was a south
erner, but he loved the whole country,
and was willing to lay down his life for
IT. (Wild cheering)
This question was not sectional but
involved every part of the country. The
democracy believed as he did, in liberty
and union. He believed the whole peo-
pie should stand together.
Just then David B. Hill moved to the
platform to speak for the substitute
| plank, and a scene that approached in
enthusiasm that of last night, when New
York cast her seventy-two votes for the
minority report of the credentials COM
| Eittee, began. Delegates stood on chairs
and waved hats, fans and handkerchiefs.
| Mr.. Whitney rose with the rest and the
sight of his erect figure brought many to
| their feet. The galleries seemed to rise
as a man, and the waving sea of hats,
newspapers and everything at hand that
could be made conspicuous, rose and fell
all over the hall. The attempts of the
chairman to still the tumult were una
vailing, and although most of the dele
gates resumed their seats after several
minutes of cheering, the galleries would
not be quiet and yelled and shouted with
hearty good will All this time the OBJ
ject of the demonstration stood calm and
cool facing his enthusiastic friends. He
showed no feeling, and glanced straight
ahead. Then gradually the tumult end
ed and finally silence reigned.
Mr.. Hill began in slow and distinct
tones, saying, that following the course
of the senator from South Carolina, he
would introduce himself by saying: II
am democrat, but / am not a revou-
tionist' (Cheers.) Without intending
to especially reply to the remarks of the
distinguished senator from South Car
olina, he would only say that 1t was
waste of time for him to assume that we
were so ignorant as not to know that 1t
was South Carolina in 1860 attempted to
destroy the union. His (Mr. Hilfs) mis-
sion here today was to build up, not to-
destroy He knew he addressed con-
vention that did not agree with all the
views he held but he knew they would
hear him for his cause.
New FORK Made No Apology
to South Carolina. (Cheers) She did
not need 1t. Need he remind this great
convention that 1t was New York city,
whose wealth had been so decried, that
had always been the Gibraltar of de-
moeracy? He asserted this proposition,
that the democratic party stood today In
favor of gold and silver as the money
0f he constitution, and not for either
gold or silver alone. but differed as to the
means that should be employed 10 at
/ tain their end.
One side favored the cooperation of
other nations. 1t was not question OF
courage. The majority report treated 1t
as If we were not brave enough to under
take this alone. 1t was q question OF
business. a question of economy. He be-
lieved it was wise to seek the co-opera-
tion of other nations. He did not assail
the honesty of those who differed with
him. He had always treated the free
coinage men respectfully and would do
SO today He did not believe they could
ignore the financial system 1t fiattered
American pride to say this country was
big enough to stand alone. But If we car
ried this out to its legitimate conclusion
we might as well do away with all inter-
national commercial treaties. He thought
it was unwise to depend upon single
ratio.
The platform should have stopped at
demanding the reconciliation of silver.
Instead of that the platform MADE the
test of democratic loyalty hang upon the
single ratio of 16 to 1. He saw before MIN
distinguished free coinage senators who
had introduced bills advocating other
ratios. The platform said the gold poilcy
was the policy of England. 1t forgot TO
say that there was French policy also,
q German policy a Spanish policy-that
in fact 1t was the policy OF the world as
represented by the states of the Latin
union. He took it for granted that this
convention was in favor of maintaining
the silver dollar on parity with every
other dollar But the platform said not
word about this
Everything Was Risked on Free Coinage.
Could the American people, no matter
how brave they might be, make copper or
lead the equal of gold? 1t was a ques-
tion of economics, and, therefore, in the
tt <~f4 I, afr1ap w
was to advocate international bimetai-
Iism and to stop there. The criticism was
made that the minoritys plank was sim
liar to that of the republican party lie
did not think it much the worse for that.
The money plank, the Cuban, the pen
sion and the civil service planks were
all equally like the republican planks. He
did not like many of the planks In the
democratic platform, and he thought II
the wise counsels of the senator from
Arkansas CMr Jones) had prevailed, 1t
would have been different. Therefore,
when that senator said the platform
meant what 1t said and said what 1t
meant, he would like some one to explain
what was meant by the plank about the
issue Of paper money In the future. was
this an attempt at this late day to COM
init the democratic party to the suicidal
policy of issuing paper money? Furtner,
he did not believe 1t wise to Introduce
new tests of democracy. What was the
Of democratic faith? Had 1t come to
this. he asked, that the followers of TIL
den who all his life opposed this iniqui--
tous tax, were now required, as test OF
their democracy to express their belief
in the constitutionality of an income tax?
Was 1t wise to attack the supreme court
of our country? (Cheers). ''Will some
one tell me- ne continued, what that
clause means in this platform? If you
mean what you say and say what you
mean, that plank means, If 1t means
anything that 1t is the duty of congress
to reconstruct the supreme court of the
country.
IWill Not Follow
any such a revolutionary step as that"
(Cheers) Then he asked II they had
not trouble enough without putting in all
these unnecessary foolish things. What
more have you done? You have for the
first time assailed, In democratic plat
form the doctrine of our fathers-of a
life tenure for our judges. How foolish
to insert that provision. Still more fool
ish. he contended. was the ccnfemna-
ton of the issue of bonds That meant
the repeal of the resumption act and re-
x.,,dfaffou The statement inn