The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-07-09

money. Applause and voice that's the
stuff'D. You say you wanted Il clear
and distinct platform. You have not
got it upon that just now read: 1t can
not be defended successfully And
What is the necessity for putting. in the
platform other questions which have
been made the test of Democratic 10y
atty heretofore? We find the disputed
question of the policy and constitutional
ity of the income tax. What! Has it
come TO be that the followers Of Samuel
J. Tilden (applause), who during all his
life was the opponent of that lnlqultolls
scheme which was used against him in
his old age to annoy and harass and
humiliatc him shall now favor it? Why
! say. should it be left to this convention
to make as "A tenet Of Democratic faith
belief in the propriety and constitu-
tiOnality of an income law? Was it wise
to assal the supreme court of your coun-
try? (Applausc) VIII some one tell me
what that clause means in this platform!
If you mean what you said and said
what you meant, it means that it is the
duty Of congress to reconstruct the SUI
premc court Of the country. 1t means
and it is openly advOcated-it means
the adding of additional measures to it
or the turning out of office and recon
Structing the whole court. | am not
for any such revolutionary step as that.
Great appausc) Whenever before, in
the history Of this country. has devotion
to an income tax been made the text of
Democratic loyalty? Never. Have you
not undertaken enough my good friends,
without seeking to put in this platform
these unnecessary, foolish and ridicu-
lous things? What further have You
done? In this platform you have de-
clared for the first time in the history
of this country that you are opposed to
any life tenure whatever in office. Our
fathers before us, our Democratic
fathers, whom we revere, in the cstab-
lishment of this government gave our
court Judges Il life tenure for office.
What necessity was there for reviving
this question! How foolish and how
ocrats whose whole lives have been de-
voted to the service of the party; are
men whose hopes. whose ambitions,
whose aspirations all lie within party
lines, to be driven out of the party upon
new questions of life tenure for the court
Judges of our federal court? This is n
revolutionary step: this is an unprece
dentcd step in our party history.
Another question that l think should
have been avoided, and that is this:
What was the necessity, what the pro-
pricty of taking up the veXed question of
the issue of bonds for the preservation
of the credit Of the nation? Why not
have left this financial question of the
free coinage of silver alone? What have
you declared? You have announced the
bold policy that under no circumstances
shall there ever be single bond issue
in times of peace. You have not except
ed anything. What does this mean? 1t
means the virtual repeal of your resump-
ton act. 1t means reputation pure and
simple. The statement is too broad, the
statement is too sweeping it has not
been carefully considered. You even OPP
pose congress doing it; you even oppose
The president: you oppose them doing 1t
singly or unitedly. You stand upon the
broad proposition that for no purpose,
whether to protect the currency or not
whether to preserve your national credit
" for any other purpose, there shall not
pc a bond issue. Why. how surprising
hat would he to my Democratic assoc
,iates in the senate who for the last two
n three years have introduced bill after
bill for the issuance of bonds for the
canal and other public pur-
POSES. daughter and applause)
no, my friends, this platform has not
peen wisely considered. In your zeal
or monetary reform you have gone out
If the tElie path; you have turned from
he true course, and in your anxiety to
luld up the silver currency you have
put in this platform pro-
,isions which can not stand fair dis
.ussion. Let me tell You, my friends,
Without going into Il discussion of the |
,ond question proper, which is something |
oreign to this subjcct-let me tell you !
What would be the condition of this |
ountry today if the president of the |
Initcd States. in the discharge of the |
,ublic duty that is conferred upon him, |
lad not seen fit to issue bonds to protect |
he credit of the country. The Demo
ratio party has passed tariff bill which |
has not produced Il suii-
lent revenue as yet to meet the neceSsl-
les of the government. There has been
deficit of S60,000,0Q0 year. 1t is /
oped that this bill will produce ample
eycnucs for the support of the govern
nent, but in the meantime your green
ack currency and your treasury notes
must be redeemed when they are present
d. if You would preserve the honor and
he credit of the nation Where would
he money have come from if your presi-
cnt and YOUR secretary of the treasury
ad not discharged their duty 10y the is
uing of bonds to save the credit of our
ountry? Let me call your attention to
he figures. There has been issued dur
Nc this administration S262,OOO,OOO OF
onds What amount of money have you
A the treasury today! Well. only just
bout that sum. Where would you have
btaincd the means with which to re-
eem your paper money if it had not been
reduced by the sale of bonds! why,
nv friend Tillman could not have had
money enough out of the treasury from
is salary to pay his expenses home.
Laughter and applause.)
"Mr President, | reiterate to this con
ention that this has brought into TINS
anvass an unnecessary, a foolish issue;
which puts us on defense in every school
district in the state. | do not propose
o dctain you by any other criticism OF
his platform at this time. 1t is sui
cent that you have entered upon an
ssue on which Democracy is largely
ivided In addition to that YOU have
nwisely brought into this platform other
uestions foreign to the main question.
nd made a support of them Il test of
Democracy. | do not think this was
he course that should have been pur-
ued. Mr.. President, there is time
nough vet to retrace these false steps.
lhe burdens you have imposed upon us
II the eastern states in support of this
PLATFORM in its question relating to silver, |
$ all that can be reasonably borne. But, |
n addition to that, you have put upon
is the question of preservation of public |
'redit. You have brought into ii the |