The San Francisco call., 1896-08-03
Lunacy and Villainy at the
Back of the Free.Coinage
Craze.
10TH TO LEAVE HIS PARTY
But Says That McKinley's Success Is
the Only Salvation for the
Country.

NEW YORK, N. Y. Aug. 2.-The Sun
tomorrow will publish the following inter
view with the Hon. Bourke Cochran, who
returned from Europe on Sunday:
what is your opinion of the political
situation ?"
Il regard it as the gravest in the history
of the country, exceeding in importance
the crisis of 1860. The secession move
ment was but an ATTEMPT to divide this
country between TWO governments, each
of them designed to protect property
within the limits of its jurisdiction. The
movement launched at Chicago is an at
tempt to paralyze industry by using al
the powers of government to take prop
erty from the hands of those who created
it and place it in the hands of those who
covet it.
"This is question of morals as well as o.
politics. No political convention can
issue a valid license to commit offenses
against morality. and l decline to follow
Mr.. Bryan in a crusade against honesty
and the rights of labor"
do you mean that you will actively op-
pose the Democratic party or abstain
from an active support of it?"
''ln contest fo1 the existence of civiza-
ton no man can remain neutral. Who
ever does not support he forces of order
aids the forces of disorder. Ii I can dc
anything to thwart movement the sue
cess of which | would regard as an ire
parable calamity, not only TO this country
but to civilized society everywhere, shall
certainly do il"
"What do yo1 think of Tammany's ac-
ton in indorsing the ticket?"
"I simply cannot understand If They
strongly opposed the platform at Chicago
on the ground that it was an assault on
the integrity of the Nation. They decline
to ratify it even now, which shows they
have not changed their opinion of it. Yet
they have indorsed the candidate who
stands upon it, and whose election will
mean that the platform which they have
themselves denounced as a singular com
bination of lunacy and villainy shall be
incorporated into the statute law of this
country"
"Will you support Major McKinly out
right, or do you favor the nomination OF
another Democratic ticketP'
81 believe that all Democrats who are so
thoroughly in favor OF sound money that
they place the defeat of Bryan above the
success of any organization or party
should meet in convention for the purpose
of considering the form and method by
which they can give the mos. efficiency to
their motion. For my part I don't be-
lieve that the nomination of other candi-
dates for President and Vice President,
however eminent and deserving they
might be personally or politically, would
serve any useful purpose; nobody believes
they could be elected, and any Democrat
whose hostility to Populism and Repub-
licanism would not allow him to support
either Bryan CT Mckinley, could show his
opposition to both by remaining at home
on election day quite as well as by voting
for third ticket.
at would be more convenient to himself
Individually and would not create Wis
able separation between himself and his
party organization. Nevertheless, it is
very important in a movement of this
character that men intending to rupture
the party ties of lifetime should be sus-
tanned by a sense of association among
themselves. That end could be attained
by the adoption of a platform declaring
for sound money; against extravagant
appropriations; in favor of economical
adminIstra rion in every department of
Government; in favor OF tariff for
revenue only and ample for that purpose:
against the paternalism of the Republican
party and the Populstic socialism of both
the Chicago and St. Louis conventions; in
favor of that American liberty which can
be mainted only by so limiting the power
OF Government that it can never interfere
with the daily concerns of law-abiding
citizens.
tThe plank of pressing importance in
such platform is OF course the currency
plank Now the mere election of McKin-
lev will be the defeat of the free silver
movement. The obvious policy then
would be 10 indorse the Mckinley electors
and thus secure the immediate success of
the main feature OF the platform. The
Democrats who will have achieved the
success of their financial plank by the
election of Mckinley will yet constitute
an opposition TO the Republican party
the day after election based on principles
which are certain to be ultimately adopted
by the American people. What is needed,
therefore, is not a new ticket, but new
platform which will declare in unmistak-
able language the cardinal features of the
party faith and which, while indorsing
Mckinley electors, will provide for a
really Democratic opposition to the Nc
Kinley admin stration during the period
of its existence"
What is your opinion of the ultimate
outlook2'
Everything depends on the manner in
which this campaign is waged. To my
mind there is but one test of prosperity
which can be applied to country, and
that is the rate of wages paid to labor.
There can be no prosperity where low
wages are paid. There can be no distress
-hefe the rate of wages is high. 1t can