Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-03
Governor Flowers Speech.

uO@ttHUT flOWeT S Speech.
This gathering is notice to the world
that the Democratic party has not yet
surrendered to PopuliSm and Anarchy.
The true principles of Democracy .eX-
pounded by jefferson and eXemplifed
through century of national history.
are not dead because those principles
have been repudiated by a convention
calling itself Democratic but con-
trolled by un-Democratic influences.
Those are true Democrats who remain
true to the principles of their party
and who refuse to be bound by party
declarations which betray party faiths
and threaten both party and country
with disaster.
No Democrat here sought honors
from those who framed the Chicago
platform. Every Democrat here has
only political humiliation to expect in
The event OF the success of the Chicago
ticket. No Democrat honored here by
being made the candidate of this con
vention can look forward with any rea-
sonable hope to an election. None of
US who help to nominate him can eX-
pect to be participants in any distri-
button of political favors. We are here
because we love the Democratic party
and because we love our country. .
The danger of the Chicago platform
lies not alone nor chiefly in its declara-
ton for n financial policy which would
be ruinous. The danger lies in the
revolutionary Influences which CON
trolled the convention and animated its
platform. Men may justly differ as 10
the best scheme of national finance
and may debate their differences with
out recrimination OF without question
ing the honesty of motives But when
men. led on by ambitious politicians
their minds fired not by the example OF
American patriots, but by that of the
radicals OF the French revolution,
oVerturn party preccdents and pack
convention to secure an effective ma
jority. then by aid Of that majority
raise aloft the ncendiary banner %!
the poor aginst the rich, attack the in
tegrity of the Supreme court. threaten
the subVersiOn of national institutions
and the indirect perversion Of consti-
tutional guarantees. incite disrespect
to law and authority. suggest and in
substance recommend the Reputation
of national and private debts. and re
j
mental principle of Democracy that
that government governs best which
governs least.--then il is time not only
for Democrats to forsake that motley
and un-American gathering. to reject
| that un-Democratic and UNI American
enunciation of doctrines, and to join
in such manner as may seem best. with
| all patriots who cherish their country's
4 -s.l,
Of its people.
| | mistake the moral sense of tn
| American people if the action of the
Populists at Chicago. Reinforced and
| emphasized by the action of the Popu-
| lists at ST. Louis. has not re-kindled the
| spirit Of American patriotism and
| awakened the American conscience to
| the national dangers which Turk in tho
| forces and influences behind Bryan and
| SeWall or Bryan and Watson. The
| real issue in this campaign is an Issue
| IF patriotism. In many a presidential
| election has the fight waged fiercely
| between the advocates of different
| political doctrines and the ruin of the
| country has been freely predicted if
! either set of doctrines We're established
| as the policy of the government-such
| predictions being merely the extreme
| expression of party politics: but in this
| election the issues around which the
| battle is Waging involve the integrity
| Of our institutions and the sacredness
| Of our national honor and when men
| have stirred that deep we'll of senti-
| ment. ordinary party differences dis
| appear, the moral issue predominates
| and all good citizens stand shoulder to
| shoulder against those who would de
! iile the American name and undermine
| the walls of her political structure.
| Mr.. Bryan takes pains to reiterate.
| in about every second speech. that he
| stands squarely ON the Chicago plat
| form and supports every one of its
| planks. He has not yet announced
| his acceptance of all the planks of the
| Populist platform. but inasmuch as
| these are only different in degree and
| he has been identified with Populism
| quite as much as with Democracy. il
| is but fair to assume that he stands on
| both platforms. Not quite so radical
| in his views, perhaps, as Altgeld OF
| Tillman, not quite so frank as Tom
| Watson, he is nevertheless a fit repre-
| sentative of the revolutionary forces
| behind him-ambitious. unsteady and
| unsafe. There is nothing in his career
| or in his present utterances to en-
| courage the hope that if elected he
| would rise above his surroundings or
| stay the hand which threatens to de
| stroy and pervert. An untried man. a
demagogue, word juggler, he per