The San Francisco call., 1896-08-18

virtue of its indestructible principles it has
| witnessed the birth and death of every rival
| save one, and this, its present great antago-
mist, with a history of not more than forty
| years, has no part in laying the foundations of
constitutional popular government.
For more than century men of high posi-
| ton, of noble ambition of unselfish and pa
triotio aims. have adhered to the Democratic
party with o constancy of devotion unparal-
| leled in the history of politics. For more than
century, through good and evil report in
times OF prosperity and days OF adversely, 1t
has kept its faith. "Without yariableness or
shadow of turning" it has held fast to the
fundamental principles OF free government,
formulated by its founders, and subsequently
enforced by its great leaders, from Jefferson
to Cleveland. For more Than century no
man was ever in doubt as to what constituted
Democracy. He who proclaimed himself
Democrat defined his principles. He believed,
and this was the cardinal art ticle OF his pontl-
cal faith, in the ability of every individual,
| unassisted, If unfettered by law, to achieve his
own happiness; and therefore, that to every
citizen there should be secured the right and
| opportunity peaceably to pursue whatever
| course of conduct he would, provided such
| conduct deprived no other individual OF the
| equal enjoyment of the same right and oppor-
| tunity. He stood for freedom of speech, tree
| dom of conscience, freedom of trade and tree-
| dom of contract, all of which are implied by
the century y-old battle cry of the Democratic
party, Individual Liberty" AS a conse-
quence, every Democrat believed in the rule OF
| the law and the rule of an impartial law, in
] the unhesitating protection not only OF the
lives of citizens, but of private rights and prop
| erty and in the enforcement OF obedience to
| duly constituted aothority.
| Every true Democrat insisted upon strict
| observance of the mandates of the Federal
! constitution and of the limitations therein pre-
scribed, as well as upon a loyal support OF all
| the institutions thereby created to be guar
antees of the liberty it sought to perpetuate.
He profoundly disbeieved in the ability of
the Government, through paternal legislation
| or supervision, to increase the happiness OF
| the Nation. He was opposed to all attempts
| to conjure com fort into the homes of its c1t1-
| zens or wealth into their pockets. He believed
| that it is the function of the Government to
provide the people with an honest and stable
medium of exchange thus enabling them to
| transact their business safely and conveniently
| in every mart and market OF the world.
| He repudiated every attempt to supply to
money by means of legislation that value
VIII ich it can pos sess only by reason of those
qualities that render it acceptable to the
! world when unsupported by legislative fat.
/ He believed in the greatest measure OF free
| dom of trade and industry compatible with
| the necessity to obtain by constitutional
means an adequate revenue for the support
/ of the Government He believed in simple,
/ economical, honest and efficient adm1n1stra-
| ton of the affairs of the Nation, TO the end
that the prime object of government and lib
| erty of the people should be preserved with
| the least possible burden and the greatest
possible certainty.
! With such a record and such q creed, the
President, moreover, being Democrat re-
elected on platform reafirming the sound
| principles OF Democracy, the Democratic party
was called upon to select delegates to Ma
| tional Convention. The delegates to the con-
yention held at Chicago were authorized and
had the power to proclaim platform embcdy-
/ ing their views of the true solution of the
! particular problems of government now agl-
! tating the Nation, but upon the condition that
! such platform should be consistent with the
cardinal principles held by the party through
out its existence. These principles constitute
! the essential element OF the Larty's life They
distinguish it from all other political organi-
cations. If they are abandoned the party
ceases to exist. 1t was, therefore, not within
the power of any majority of the delegates as
| sembled at Chicago to bind the Democrats of
the United States to platform inconsisten Mt
with the party's principles to any action
| that should result in their surrender.
! In violation of the trust committed to them
| majority of the delegates assembled in that
! convention, ignoring the rights of the minor
| ity, unseated regularly elected delegates to
| make places for others in sympathy with
themselves. They proclaimed sectional
combination of the South and West against
=! the North and East. They impeached the
! honesty and patriotism of President Cleve-
| land, who, under exceptional embarrassments
produced by past errors of legislation, has
heroically maintained the honor and integrity
of the Republic. Against the protest of one
platform at variance with the essential princi-
pies of the Democratic party.
! This platform is in its policies dangerous to
| the welfare and life of free government. 1t is
| mischievous in its tendencies. But even more
threatening and mischievous was the spirit of
| the convention that adopted it, spirit mani
tested not alone by its affirmative action, but
as well by its reckless rejection of every propo-
! sition tending to temper the declaration of the
convention with conservatism and jus stice.
The platform proposes to degrade the coin of
| the United States by means of the free, un-
limited and independent coinage of silver by
our Government and by the exercise of the
power OF the Nation to compel the acceptance
| of deprecated coins at their nominal value.
thereby working an injustice to creditors de
frauding the laborer of large part of his earn
| ings and savings, robbing pensioned soldiers
of part of their pensions, contracting the
currency by the expulsion of gold coin from
| Continued ON Second Pnoe