The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-05-16
Mr.. Vest, continuing, said:

Mr.. Vest, continuing, said:
"Mr. President, | caused that state
ment to be read instead of reading a
much longer one or having it read,
from the Detroit Tribune, and another
from a Cincinnati paper, giving the
details more in eXtenso. But should
not have had any newspaper articles
read except that their truth is attested
by private letters, which any senator
is at liberty TO examine. | have not
telegraphed TO their writers for per
mission to read them in the senate,
and, therefore, shall not do so, bnt
they are here. They come from men
whose integrity and veracity | am
willing TO vOuch for, men who have
held high positions, who were delegates
in that convention and are now delegates
to the national convention to be held at
Chicago and who gave a state of facts
which is absolutely shameful and dis
graceful to American public life. 1t is
stated by one of those gentlemen that
two-thirds of the federal officials in the
state, and from another source that all
except one of the postmasters of
Michigan, were on the floor of that
convention.
81 am prepared for the facetious
remark that the material of the dele
gates must have been very poor if they
could have been bought or seduced
after they arrived in the great city of
Detroit.
ssMr. President, those of us who
know anything about conventions know
how this proxy system can be used to
trample upon the will of the people
who have sent delegates to conventions.
We know that in these times, when
money, even for travel, cannot be
obtained by the agricultural classes of
the country, that there were men hold
ing public Office under the government
of the United States who went there
with proxies in their pockets to repre-
sent upon the floor of the convention a
constituency by whom they would have
been repudiated and spewed out. This
convention in Michigan no more repre-
sents the will of the democratic party
III that state than represent the will
of an English constituency to- day upon
this floor. The statement that the
democrats of Michigan are not for the
free coinage of silver is, in my judg-
ment, as false as to say that the demo-
Gratis of the state of Missouri are opposed
to it.
THE MISSOURI CONVENTION.
"It was stated in Missouri prior to
the last convention that the gold men,
or sound money men, would control
the convention. Out of 800 delegates
there were not one dozen sent there,
even from the great commercial centers
like St. Louis and Kansas City, who
were not in favor of the free and
unlimited coinage of the white metal.
81 caused that newspaper extract to
be read because these private letters
are here to substantiate the statements
which have been made.
81 have spoken of these things
regretfully. AS democratic senator
| have spoken with reluctance. 1t has
been forced upon us. The issue has
come in spite of all that could be done
to prevent it.
81 am a delegate to the Chicago
convention against my will, sent there
by my people in the discharge of my
duty and as public function. l go
because believe it to be duty and
not because | desire to go. l have
stated, under much criticism in Mis-
souri,, that | was IA democrat under all
conditions; that | intended to abide by
the action of my party; that | was too
old to hunt for new political home !;
that | should die, as | have lived, IN
the party of Jefferson, devoted to his
teachings and principles. But | serve
notice now that if this convention at
Chicago is to 0e made up of federal
Office holders, brought there to overawe
and override the wishes of the honest
majority of the democratic party
throughout the United States, 1t Is no
democratic convention with me.
shall abide the will of the majority OF
my party, honestly assembled and
honestly expressed. l make no threat,
but want no Misunderstanding. The
democratic party is a party of honest
expression, and not of federal patron
age