The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-28
scIRRED Up A HORNETS NEST.

1t is vers evident that Chairman Har-
rfty, of the Democratic national com
mittee. has stirred up a hornets nest
hy his announcement of what the ma
tional committee intends TO do in the
mater of the preliminary organiza-
ton OF the Chicago convention. The de-
termination of the committee, accord
Ing to the published reports, not to al
low any delegate who has made any
threat OF boiling to take his seat IN the
! convention, has thoroughly aroused the
Democracy. 1t is looked upon as a
declaration Of an intended highland
ed attempt to pack the convention in
the interest of the gold standard This
view of the case may be the wrong
one, but it is undoubtedly the most
general one. 1t has the merit of Civ
ing forewarning which allows of
forearming.
On the power of the national commit
tee TO control a national convention,
the Cincinnati Enquirer says:
Threats of boiling are harmless ebuI-
htlons, and have.been INDUCED in much
more by the gold standard men than
by their opponents. State conventions
cannot be disfranchised by a national
committee which happens to be dis
pleased with the language of its reso-
Iulons, and no member of the national
committee will ever undertake to set
himself UP in Judgment over the pro-
ceedlngs of any Democratic convention.
iT1f e III
men Of this generation who have not
looked up Democratic party anteced-
ents, we will say that the right of a
state convention of the Democratic
party to adopt resolutions instructing
IT'S delegates to bolt the national con-
Nention if a certain course is not adop-
ted, was fully settled and determined
in the affirmative in the case of seven
states by the national Democratic con-
Vention which met in Charleston in
1860. Seven Of the cotton states that
year adopted resolutions demanding a
certain measure OF protection for slay-
cry in the territories, and instructed
their delegates to withdraw from the
convention if their demands were not
complied with. All the delegates from
these seven states attended the con-
vention, and were admitted TO their
seats. notwithstanding the resolutions
referred to. They failed to secure the
platform demanded, ana then with
drew from the convention. In the face
o. this precedent there will be no
wedding out of the delegates on
either side of the coinage question by
the national committee in preparing
the roll.
Would II not be well to allow the con-
venti0n TO assemble before devising
ways and means to break it up? We
appreciate the high state of feeling
which prevails among the enemies OF
silver. because of the clear indications
that the convention will declare for
the free and unlimited coinage of sill
Yer At the ratio of sixteen 10 one, with
out consultation with any other ma
ton. We recognize the right of any
who cannot abide the decision OF the
majority of a Democratic national con-
vention 70 leave the Democratic party.
But we regard the threats of any of
the gold faction. that they will knock
down and drag out the national con- /
rention, or that they Will by some |
novel device transform a silver ma !
jority into an anti-silver coinage ma
Jority. as puerile in the extreme.
There is little danger that the right
full majority in the Chicago convention
viii not control. To what sorry exped- /
tents the gold men of the party are
in attempting to carry out
their plans.