The record-union., 1896-06-18


tend to bind together all sections. and
recognizing further, that the movement
having In view the establishment of a
system Of properly constructed high
ways has become one Of national inn
portance, we pledge ourselves to the
earnest support of such legislative ac-
ton as will bring about this plan Of In
ternal Improvement.
| While we may not agree with Presi-
dent Cleveland in his financial pol
| icy, we recognize in him a faithful fol-
lower of Jefferson and Jackson. He
has raised the party above jingoism
and has given the country a strong for
eign policy He has said to England:
THUS far shalt thou go and no fur
ther." He is worthy of the admiration
| of every Democrat, and we heartily in
dorse his administration while we diff
fer from him in his financial policy.
| Charles Wesley Reed of San Fran
cisco presented minority report, signed
| by E. B. Pond, j. T. Burke, De Witt Ar
mold and c. w. Reed. The report i'm
dorsed President Clevelands Admins
Itration as wise, patriotic and Demo-
cratic; commended his courage and fl
deity in maintaining the financial honor
| Of the country sacred and unimpaired; ;
declared in favor of the use of both gold
and silver money, believing that the
| Government should coin and keep in
circulation as part OF the circulating
| medium as much silver as can be en-
pioyed without destroying or threaten
| ing to destroy the parity between the
unit in gold and the unit of silver; in
fc 1f ~ Ho af 11.l
and gold coins under the value of SO,
in order that silver coin may find a
general circulation; opposed to the de-
scent to monometallism, especially sill
YER monometallism; declared that the
unlimited coinage of silver would re-
duce this country to the condition of
silver monometallism, entailing upon us
a condition of financial panic.
| Reed then moved the adoption of the
minority report, and said he consid-
cred Grover Cleveland a worthy sue
cessor of Jefferson and Jackson. He
was glad to say he was just as much an
admirer of the Chief Executive now as
il, 1884 and 1892 If there was State in
the Union which should demand a gold
standard it was California. California
was gold producing State, he said,
and every obligation of it's citizens was
drawn, payable in gold coin" The
principle of the Democracy was equal
rights for all" and the hardships to be
worked by system of free and unlim-
tied coinage of silver on the Pacific
Coast would be incalculable. He left
the matter with the convention, and al
| though he knew it was doomed to de-
feat, he was proud to say that he be-
lieved Grover Cleveland to be one of the
first Americans of his day.
| Colonel John P. Irish then addressed
the convention. He said that he had
but little to add to what had been said
| h his friend Reed. No Democratic Ma
tfonal Convention had ever inserted a
free silver plank in its platform. and
the reason was that the founder of the
party, Thomas Jefferson, said the
ratio between gold and silver could only
be regulated by the supply of both met
ais. In 1904 jefferson had issued an
order suspending the free coinage of
silver at the existing ratio and that or
Ger remained the law until 1882.
| The Democratic party loved Thomas
jefferson, and had always heretofore
followed the precedents set by him.
| uOSE WHO UGlIbdIuueQ Iilc ItGt COlll-
age of silver without waiting for any
other nation were advancing am idea
unknown to the founders of the party
aid the founders of the Nation; they
were attempting something never at
tempted by any political party in the
| United States, except only the Popu-
lists. The delegates of the convention,
he said, should go to their libraries and
j ~f Taff For IN,
and find in them the true principles
of the party. In those same works he
would find the same theories to-day
| admitted by science to be correct in
every particular.
All civilized nations in the world to-
day admitted that there could be no
unshifting parity between gold and
silver, and if the party would go back
to the policy of Thomas Jefferson it
would return to the gold standard and
sail with the old compass under the
| pinnacle, in the stout old ship COM
manded by the founder Of his party
the Father of Democracy Thomas JEFF
ferson.
The unlimited coinage Of silver at the
ratio of 16 to l could never win in this
| great republic. Count every electoral
vote cast by all the States and you
would have but 166 votes for silver,
while it took 223 votes to elect Pres
ident. There was no expediency in it,
and therefore there could come no sue
cess.
In conclusion, the speaker begged
OF the convention, as Democrats, to
stand by the principles Of Jefferson as
jefferson had stood by the rights Of
| man.
When Irish sat down the only genuine
applause which had yet been heard in
the convention broke loose, and Colo
ne, Irish was obliged to bow his ac-
acknowledgements time and again be-
fore his admirers (whether they would
or not) were satisfied.
Then w. w. Foote, the orator of
Alameda, took the floor to patch up the
holes rent in the free silver plank by
John P. Irish.
| He declared that no Democrat could
have a greater respect for Thomas JEFF
ferson than he had, and If he believed
!, the party was catering to the Populists
| --or anarchiStS-tO win an election he
would repudate it in toto.
Mr.. Foote then took time to pay a
1attering compliment to the oratory
of Colonel Irish and then switched Off
by saying he had read with admiration
President Clevelands letter on the gold
| Continued on Sixth Page)