The National tribune., 1896-07-16
THE CHICAGO CONVENTION.

| 1ncTe Is intense allaZelnpnb llldt eNSl
in 100000 free, educated and gen
orally sensible people there should be
such an array of malignants, charlatan:
and noisy, notorious incompetents. IL
is amazing that, in the face Of the dis
tress that the counsels of these have
already brought upon the country, they
should have the impudcnce to come
again to the front anywhere.
There is an equally intense humilia,
ton that these should have been able to
seize control of the machinery of one OF
the great political parties, drive out all
its more sensible, respectable and con-
sentative members, foist upon the party
as its platform tissue of monstrous
falsehoods and eggregious fallacies, and
nominate for President a man against
whom the good sense, the truth, the
honesty and the fair dealing of the
country revolt.
The spirit and tone of the gathering
which assumed to represent the De-
mocracy of the United States, the utter
ances of the men who controlled it, the
platform adopted and the candidate
nominated are utterly repugnant to all
true American thought and tradition.
One of the leaders in the Convention
was the notorious Tillman, Of South Car
DINA, who proclaimed with brayado that
be was "from the home of Secession"
and gloried in it. He was still for seces-
sion when things did not 90 exactly to
suit him. Think of the wicked audacity
of such boastful proclamation, before
a great National gathering, in the year
of our Lord, A. ID. 1896.
One of the ruling spirits was the
equally notorious Gov. Altgeld, pardoner
of Anarchist murderers, apologist for
and defender Of mob violence, idol Of the
the Johann Most brand of Red Anar-
chists and bomb-throwers, and one of
the most potent allies of the wicked Debs
instruction.
Another ruling spirit was Senator
Isham G. Harris, head of the infamous
cabal which dragged Tennessee out of
the Union, against the strong protests of
a majority Of the voters Of the State, and
then subjected the loyal people of the
State to as bloody persecution as any
in the history of the Inquisition.
These were the leaders, and entirely
typical of their followers, and of the
dominant complexion of the Convention.
Everywhere and all the time-in the
committee rooms and on the fioor-every
step and act of the Convention was
dictated, directed, and taken by either
malignant, unrepentant rebels, or per-
nicious, blatant Northern demagogs
The better part of the Democratic
party was ignored, overridden, insulted,
and finally virtually driven out.
Where the platform is not vapid and
bombastic, it is vicious. It's positive
declarations are for measures which
would bring infamy and dishonor TO the
country, violate every pledge and obi
cation Of National, State, and municipal
Governments, destroy public and private
credit. precipitate universal bankruptcy,
and inevitably produce the most appall-
ing distress. The country is now suffer
ing from the effect of partial success
of such measures as these. All the
misery of the last three years would be
aggravated hundredfold by their com
plete domination. The Free Silver dec
laration is a tissue Of vicious falsehoods
and Misrepresentation, which cannot
help producing incidentally more ruin
and distress than followed the partial
success of the Free Trade beresy.
The old States Rights heresy is re-
yived in a most dangerous form, in the
denial Of the right Of the General Gov
ernment TO protect the lives and prop
erty Of the citizens Of the whole coun-
try, when they are attacked with the
connivance Of bad State Government.
The Supreme Court is traduced, and
its decisions denounced.
The veterans Of the country receive a
passing allusion, which, in view of all