The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-08-13

AN OLD LEADER
Bourke Cochran Denounces the
Democratic Platform.
IT Is A QUESTION OF MORALS

History Of the Country, Exeesding In
Importance the Crisis Of 1seO-ns Ad.
visss Democrats 70 support the No.
Kinlsy Electors.
Bourke Cochran, the eloquent Tam.
many Democrat Of New York, whose
speech in opposition to Cleveland's NOM
ination in 1892 made his name Q house.
hold word in this country, has been in.
terviewed as to the action Of the nation.
al Democratic convention. Speaking of
the situation he said:
II regard 1t a. the gravest In the his
tory Of the country, exceeding in inn
portance the crisis Of 1880. The seces.
sion movement was but an attempt to
divide this country between two gov.
ernments, each Of them designed to
protect property within the limits Of its
jurisdiction. The movement launched
at Chicago is an attempt to paralize in
dustry BY using all the powers Of gov
ernment to take property from the
hands Of those who created It and place
1t in the hands Of those who oovet it..
This is question of morals as well as
politics. No political convention can
issue a valid license to commit offenst ,
against morality, and I decline to follow
Mr.. Bryan in crusade against honesty
and the rights of labor"
"Do you mean that you will actively
oppose the Democratic party or abstain
from active support of it?"
In a contest for the existence Of CIV
ilizatiOn no man can remain neutral.
Whoever does not support the forces of
order. aids the forces Of disorder. II I
can do anything to thwart movement,
the success of which l should regard :
an irreparable calamity not only to this
country, but to civilized society every.
where, shall certainly do it,
"What do you think of Tammany'a
action in inuorsing the ticket?"
II simply can't understand it. They
strongly op, ,osed the platform at Chica.
60 on the ground that it was an assault
on the integrity of the nation. They
decline to ratify it even now, which
shows that 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 plat
form which they, themselves denounce "s
q singular combination Of lunacy and
villainy shall be Incorporated into the
"Wil you support Major Mckinley
tion OF another Democratic ticket?"
II believe that all Democrats who are
so thoroughly in favor of sound money
that they place the defeat Of Bryan
above the interests of any organization
or party, should meet in convention for
the purpose of considering the form and
method by which they can give the
greatest efficiency to their opposition.
For my part, I do not believe that the
nomination of other candidates for pres
ident and vice president, however emil
nent and deserving they may be person.
ally or politically, would serve any use.
full purpose. Nobody believes that they
would be elected, and any Democrat
whose hostility to Populism and Repub.
lcanism would not allow him to support
either Bryan or Mckinley could show
his opposition to both by remaining at
home on election day quite as we'll as by
voting for third ticket. It would be
more convenient to himself individually
and would not create a visible separa.
tion between himself and his party or.
ganizatiOn."
But how can men rupturing party
ties be sustained by some sense of asso.
CAoUlOn oA1OIAk tuCulS0lV0e!
"That eno could be attained by the
adoption of platform declaring for
sound money against extravagant ap-
preparations in favor of economical
administration in every department. of
government in favor Of tariff for rev..
enue only, and ample for the purpose ;
against the paternalism Of the Repub-
ican party and the PopuGstic socialism
of both the Chicago and st. Louis con.
ventions in favor Of that American b.
erty which can be maintained by so IL :
iting the power of the government that
it can never interfere with the daily
concerns Of law abiding citizens. T.ie
plank of pressing Importance in such q
platform is, of course. the currency
plank. Now, the mere election of Nc
Kinley will be the defeat of the silver
movement"
"Your obvious policy, then. would be
to indorse the Mckinley electors
Precisely. The Democrats who will
have achieved the success Of their fina~
cial plank by the election Of Mckinley
will yet constitute an opposition to tt )
Republican party the day after the cleo
ton. based on principles which are Ger.
tainly to be ultimately adopted by the
American people. What is needed,
IucIolOro, ~ uOC y new ClcKoIs DuG new
platform which will declare in unmis-
takeable language the cardinal features
of the party faith, and which, while in
dorsing Mckinley electors. will provif )
for really Democratic opposition to ti.J
Mckinley administration during the
period of its existence"
"What is your opinion of the ulti.
mate outlook?'
"Evervthinp demands nm the manner
in which it is waged. To my mind there
is but one test Of prosperity which can
be applied to country, and that 10 the
rate Of wages paid to labor. There can
be no prosperity where low wages are
paid. There can be no distress where
the rate Of wages il high. It can be
easily demonstrated that this whole free
silver movement is q conspiracy against
wages, and il the campaign is fought
ON this line have no doubt that every
northern state-that is to say, every