Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-21

F~Gsosv,x~
committee on resolutions. and John z.
Thayer of Worcester was chosen perma-
nent chairman.
| The committee on credentials reported
| 1,24G delegates present, representing 81
| cities and 327 towns. Judge Corcoran then
presented Chairman Thayer to the con-
vention amid loud applause, and Mr..
Thayer addressed the delegates
Chairman's Thayer's Address
Chairman Thayer claimed for the de-
mccracy that IL is the party of the peo-
pie. Under the influence of it's efforts for
the enactment of statutes for the advance
ment and well being of the laboring classes,
| he said, capital and labor are coming to a
more Intelligent understanding of the
| rights of both, preparing the way for an
atnicable adjustment Of economic and in
dustrial questions.
The speaker said that the pledges made
| to the people at the democratic national
| convention four years ago to repeal laws
eracted for the purpose of perpetuating one
| party in power had been redeemed, and
| the force bill, the Sherman silver-purchase
| bill and the Mckinley tariff bill are now
| things of the past. The repeal Of the two
measures last mentioned had. he said been
Followed by return of prosperity. The
charge of republicans that democrats had
1alled 10 PROVIDE revenue sufficient Tor
| the wants of the government was met
with a citation to the income tax law,
which, although identical with the earlier
law for the same purpose. had been de-
| clared unconstitutional by the United
States Supreme Court.
Against Free silver.
Mr.. Thayer took ground against the free
coinage of silver. THE true interests Of
| all our people, he said, "who cannot
constantly and closely watch the money
market, is to have every dollar issued or
authorized by the government at all times
under all conditions and in all it's uses
the exact unchanged equivalent not only
| In 0ebt-paying but in its purchasing power
of any dollar"
This, Mr.. Thayer held, can be observed
only by the maintenance of the monetary
standard universally adopted by the civil
| iZed woSld.
"Of What avail" he added lis ii to pass
resolutions for the single gold standard, IL,
as now appears quite probable, Mr.. Nc
kinley is to receive the nomination for
| President? The people well know that Mr..
| Mckinley is upon record as a white metal
| advocate; that he has long, consistent and
uninterrupted record in Congress favorable
| to silver. We do not forget that as chair
man of the committee on resolutions of the
republican national committee in 1883 he
submitted platform which condemned the
| policy of the democratic administration in
| its efforts to demonetiZe silver We see him
! as one of the great leaders of his party in
his commanding position chairman of
| the ways and means committee urgently
| supporting the silver purchase bill, which
| increased the annual amount of silver the
| government was forced to purchase even
under the Bland-Allison law Nor is this
all"
Defounced the A. II. A.
Mr. Thayer denounced the American Pro-
tective Association, which he compared to a
fungus growth that sprang from and took
| root hourished and fructfed in the very
heart Of the republican party
Mr. Thayer closed his address with an
| eulogium upon the administration of Presi-
| dent Cleveland.
De1egatcs-at-Large Chosen.
During the delivery of Mr.. Thayer's adj
| dress the applause was loud and enthusias-
| tic, especially upon the severe criticism of
the American Protective Association, and
at the mention Of President Clevelands
| name.
| The election of four delegates-at-large
was then in order and the names of John
| L. Russell of Leichester, George Fred VIII
| liams of Dedham, John w Corcoran of
Clinton and james w. Donovan of Bos-
ton were presented by Congressman FItz-
gerald.
J. I. o'sulIivan of Lowell. condemned the
ticket as machine-made, but upon the vote
Mr.. O'Sullivan was the cnly d:ssenter
Thomas J. Gargan, chairman of the COM
mittee on resolutions, received am ovation
| dS lle dIOSS anu reported the platform.
The Platform.
| In opening, the platform declares that
never in any epoch in our country's his
| tory has the executive chair been filled by
a predetermined statesman that the Pres
| ident chosen by our psrty, Grover Cleve-
| land and he is congratulated upon the
''firmness, ability and wisdom" with which
! he has conducted his office. Upon the sub
| ject of national finance the platform dwels
at length, follows:
we declare that the republican party
| practically controlled the finances Of our
country for quarter of a century. They
| inauSurated a currency system which led
| to the Initiation of values and the creation
of corporations with fictitious capital. Wat
! cred stocks and securities were foated
l pom the markets of the world at their face
value, while in many instances they were
rot worth half that amount.
When Grover Cleveland came TO the
| presidency in 1885 he was confronted with
| this condition of our finances. BY his cour-
age and fidelity and by the prudence and
economy of democratic House there was
| accumulated at the end of its first term a
surplus of more than S300,oo0,oO0 In the
| treasury, $3.50 600 Of which was in gold