Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-09-30
For Delegate to Congress,
II. b. FERGUSON,
OF albuquerque.
THE OPTICS POSITION.

1dE OillC nao tO"o W f0
of the ways. Through no action OF its
own, but in c~ontravention Ct its earnest
and emphatic teachings, this paper has
been placed in a position where it must
stultify its W u~tterances and sacrifice
what 1t believes to be the vital inter-
ests of the people of New Mexico, or
else it must sunder, for the time being
at least, the ties of fealty which bind it
to the republican party OF New Mex
leo, and to the candidate of that party,
for delegate to congress.
No one, who has watched the policy
and practices of this paper, during the
nearly twenty years OF its career, can
doubt for a moment what its course
will be when forced into the position
but Just enumerated. THE Optic is ''the
peoples paper" Such has been its
claim and its aim during all the years
of its laborious life; and it would but
little deserve the title it has assumed
and the place it has filled in the hearts
of the people did it now sacrifice their
dearest interest to the mere fetch of
party organization and party success
Oncs before was this necessity forced
upon US, when the party nomination
was given to q man, at the dictation OF
the bosses, totally unqualified for the
place. The OpTIC did not hesitate TO
take the side of the people, as against
machine politics; and we have never
regretted our action from that day to
this. The result more than proved the
wisdom Of our course.
Republicanism, as the principles of
a great party, was born in the effort to
rescue the down trodden masses from
the avaricious grasp of the money
power. And this it accomplished,
though compelled to carry forward the
greatest internicine war in the history
of the world. For that party now to
become the subservient instrument in
fastening upon the laborers oil the land,
a slavery more calling and hopeless
than the south ever knew, is to forget
Its traditions, blaspheme its fathers,
sully its escutcheon, and blot out its
glorious record of immortal deeds
Let him do this who daras THE OPTIc
will not. We are compelled, there
fore, to announce, sadly but firmly,
that we cannot accept the platform
promulgated by the republican party,
at it's recent Territorial convention in
Las Vegas, and we will not support its
candidate for the congressional dele
g%ateship.
We take this position because OF
both the platform and the candidate.
For a mass of Inconsistencies and con-
tradictions, commend US to this plat
form. 1t is the very acme of absurdi-
ty. Human ingenuity could not COM
bine more opposite and ~irreconcilable
positions, or bring together PROPOSE
tions which so absolutely stultiiy and
confound one another. One thing,
however, it means and says, and that
is that it endorses the st. Louis plat
form, pledging this nation to the
main enanoe of the present gold stand.
ard, with a | its horrors OF a contract
ing currency and declining prices, till
foreign permission can be had to our
returning to the money of the constitu-
ton and the practice of our fathers.
1t is we'll understood that Mr.. Catron
had himself declared he would not run
on such a platform. That he subse-
quently chose to eat his own words,
falsify his own assertion, and do the
very thing he said he would not do, is
assuredly a privilege Of which he can
not be deprived but he and his friends
need not be surprised that others, more
regardful Of consistency, refuse to fol-
low him in his ground and lofty tum-
bling. The OPrIC cannot endorse the
gold plank in the St. Louis platform,
nor will it support any man standing
on that plank. The restoration Of sill
yer, as a primary money OF the coun-
try, at once and without consulting the
wishes of any other nation, is the i'm
perative demand of the hour, alike for
the country at large and the Territory
of New Mexico in particular. Mr..
Catron and his platform oppose this,
and therefore we oppose him.
In addition Il this, Mr., Catron has
shown bis incompetency to serve New
Mexico, as her delegate in Congress.
We say this regretfully and not in
wrath. Two years ago, no man or
paper In the Territory gave the repub-
lican candidate a more hearty, aincere,
laborious, faithful and competent sup
port than was given him by The Or
mtr 0nr honna mora hf0h our o~nf,o;-