Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-06-10
The Convention.

In this city on the 4tn lnst.
md after day spent mainly in talk
ing silver, adjourned. There was, with
the exception of gold delegation from
the 2nd district, scarcely discordant
The few gold men who were
scattered throughout it's ranks were SO
insignificant in their hopeless minority
that they were like sheep before its
shearers, they opened not their
mouths. 1t was splendid body OF
men, in striking contrast with the dis
appointed Office seekers, renegade yam
KEGS, negroes, scalawags and carpet
baggers, who, under the name of the
Republican State Convention, assem-
bled here few weeks ago, and who
were afraid to speak either OF the
farming interest or on the question OF
currency. No man coming into this
country, who wished to align himself
with the best element of the State
could have hesitated moment had he
seen the two assemblies.
The adoption of the unit rule and
the conversion of Senator Martin to
the cause of free and unlimited coin
age of silver, were the features of the
Convention, though certain new con-
vert, Mr.. Claude A. Swanson, who rep
resents the 9Th district of Virginia in
the present Congress, attempted to
out He rod, Herod in his advocacy OF
silver, and his dogmatic and dictatorial
advocacy of it, inaugurating into the
approaching campaign that spirit
which drove so many good and true
men into readjuster ranks some years
ago. MIR. Swanson's logic was not con
vincing, his tongue was not eloquent,
his STYLE n OF enviable and his manner
not attractive but zeal is usually the
role of the new convert anu in this the
Hon. Claude was not an exception.
Save when Mr.. Beverly B. Munford
presented the minority report on plat
form and against the unit rule there
were no gold bugs visible, and for their
impertinence then their wings were
clipped and they were ANONYMOUSLY
silenced when the classic face, of the
great Virginia Silver Senator beamed
upon the audience, and his silver
tongue pealed forth it's silvery notes.
Then it was that the Convention rose
almost en- m0Sse, and shouted itself
hoarse Never in Senator Daniels
political career has he been SO much
the idol of the Democratic party, and
it must be source of intense gratifi-
cation that after years of labor he has
at last gathered under the banner OF
silver, the masses of his people. If the
intensity of the silver agitation is as
marked in other portions of the United
States as it is in Virginia today, there
will not have been since the first cleo
tion of Lincoln such a tidal wave as
will sweep the country this fall. This
is a rising of the people, the assertion
of that irresistible power which no
other power can stem, and which may
make or shake or break the nation.
There was no thought but oliver, no
man would be listened to unless he
spoke of silver. SO extreme were the
people on this one question. The
name of President Cleveland was hiss
ed, Carlisle Jared no better, and as for
Wall Street and England, if those too
much despised points could have been
placed over dynamite and the appli
ances for exploding it placed in the
hands of that Convention, they would
have blown those points to atoms.
Tillman would have been applauded
if any body had spoken of his silver
views. Amid great enthusiasm a dis
patch from the wild and woody" Ken
lucky silverite, Joe Blackburn, was
read by Senator Daniel.
The word Democrat was abandoned
as misleading, or at least dangerous, as
no doubts were allowed on any ques-
ton, to any thing by anybody, there
fore the word was little used, and SO
determined was the committee, that
there should be no sulking in tents, or
misconstruction of platform, or willful
disregard of instructions, that even at.
ter the unit rule had been fastened on,
and locked, a resolution prevailed pro
viding that the chairman of the Vir-
ginia delegation at Chicago should
cast the vote of Virginia solid on every
question. There will of course be no
necessity for any one but Senator Dan
iel to attend the Chicago Convention.
The Pity of 1t.
The convention of Virginia demo
Gratis pronounce in favor of the free
coinage of silver at the Is to 1 ratio.
without waiting for an international
agreement. This was expected. What
was not expected was the hostile criti-
cism of President Cleveland, the ac-
cepted leader of the national democra-
cy. 1t ill becomes real democrats to
disparage the only democratic Presi
dent we have had for thirty five years
merely for maintaining the traditional
policy of the party as voiced by it's
earliest leaders. Mr.. Cleveland has ia
vored tariff reform, sound money and
civil SerVice reform Tn this bo NOV