Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-19

here reaffirm our faith in the permanence
of the federal union, our devotion to the
constitution of the United States, with
its amendments universally accepted, as
a final settlement of the controversies
that engendered civil war, and do here
record our steadfast confidence in the
perpetuity of federal self-government.
Here change was made by the national
convention in cardinal principle of the
democratic party. If you will take the
trouble to examine into this question you
will find that the national democratic
convention has frequently made changes
in the principles and policies of the party
that affected vital questions. Therefore
we are led to inquire, where Is the "con-
stitution of the democratic party which
is beyond the right of impairment by
delegates" in national convention as
sembled? We have been
Unable to Find It.
3. Governor Jones' in this same speech.
declared as follows: THAT every mem
ber of the party is the keeper Of his own
conscience" No one will deny the right
of every man to be the keeper of his own
conscience, but the question is, can
man set his individual conscience up
against the will of majority of his COM
rades, regularly and legally expressed
according to party rules and methods?
In view of the past record of Governor
Jones on this question I was somewhat
surprised when l read it. In the past it
always insisted upon strict party dis
cipline; that is, democrat must be a
democrat, without ''prefixes and suf-
fixes" If the doctrine announced in his
Birmingham speech is to prevail, then
insist 1t is impossible to maintain a pO-
litical party. If the conscience of each
member of the party is to be recognized
as being superior to the will of the ma
Jof1ty legally expressed, then we might
as well abandon all attempt to maintain
nv .fxr.ft to-,
doctrine that does violence to the con-
science of one of its members he has the
right to withdraw from the organization,
but such member who cannot accept the
Objectionable doctrine after he with
draws has no right to continue to claim
that he is member of such party.
4. Governor Jones in this speech ad-
mitted that the national democratic con-
vsntion which assembled at Chicago was
regular in all respects, but he says: I'VE
are not concerned as to the names which
others will give out acts-as for our
selves we believe that the democrats of
the country, and not the delegates sent
to Chicago, are the final judges of what
the doctrines of the democratic party
are. and that we are exercising the right
full power and authority of the sovereign
in disowning the doctrines which the del
egates put forth in our names at Chi
cago."
The Mistake Governor Jones Makes
is this: He claims that he and his as
sociates, who do not represent in their
action more than per cent of the DEM
ocrats OF the state, are the democrats of
the country. OF course If the delegates
who went to Chicago went there without
being sent through the regular channels
by majority of the democrats of the
country and made this platform, then /
every one win concede that it is not bind
ing But, as before stated in other por-
mits the regularity and legality of the
convention, but claims that the individ-
ual democrats CALI disown and repudiate
the action of the legal convention.
b. The main ground upon which Gov
ernor Jones bases his action is that il the
convention had simply adopted a plank
favoring free coinage 1t would have been
binding. but when the convention de-
nounced the issue of bonds in time of
peace 1t acted upon question that had
not been discussed and passed upon by
the democrats when selecting delegates
to the national convention. Here is
what he says when the convention
denounced the issue of bonds in time of
peace and thus condemned the only
means for some time in the future. at
least, to prevent rearrangement of our
coinage, a new issue, silver monometal-
lism, was rendered and an entire de-
parture was taken from the principles
and promises by which votes were won
for silver, or pledges given to support it,"
We think that the governor, in maxi
ing this declara ton, is mistaken as to
the facts. Did not Mr.. Cleveland, by
special message, try to persuade a dem
ocratlc congress to authorize the issu-
ance of bonds in order to retire the green
backs and treasury notes, and is it not a
fact that the democratic congress re-
fused to comply with his request? He
made the same attempt with republi-
can congress and failed The senate of
the United States condemned the issu-
ance of bonds in time of peace. The IS
suance of bonds by Mr.. Cleveland was
condemned by every paper advocating
free silver and by every speaker vino adj
vocated the same doctrine According
to my understanding, and believe 1t is
borne out by the public history of the
day, this was
One of the Vital Issues
submitted to the democratic voters in
this state and other states when select
ing delegates to attend the national con-
veDtion. N-
g. In this same speech Governor Jones
says: Next we see the sad spectacle
of a great party bowed down on it's
knees to placate lawlessnsss and secure
the votes of the seditious. True, the
purpose of this portion of the platform
is thinly yelled under generalities about
arbitrary interference with the rights
of states"
1t Is true the cOHNentlOn ue0OuHceu the
arbitrary interference by federal au-
thority with the local affairs of a state
Does any democrat within the borders of
the republic favor the arbitrary inter-
ference by federal authority with the To-
cal affairs of a state? You will noticae
that the clause only condemns arbitrary |
interference, and not legal and constitu-
tional interference. The doctrine here
announced is as old as the democratic
party, and has been one of the chief pill
lars upon which democracy has rested
Mr.. Clevelands name was not mentioned
in this clause, and therefore our learned
friend, by condemning this clause and
insisting that it Is censure passed upon
Mr.. Cleveland, has placed himself in the
attitude of insisting upon the federal
government having the right to arbitra-
rily interfere by federal authority with
the local affairs of the state.
see no where in his speech any criti-
cism or sentence upon the republican par
ty, Mckinley, it's nominee for president,
or it's platform of principles. He says in
this speech that as he has grown older
he has grown more tolerant towards re-
publcans, etc.. etc. 1t seems from the
substance of his speech at Birmingham
. H. cxxrxa las