The San Francisco call., 1896-07-02
HIDING UNDER A SILVER PLANK

Governor OF that State for the furtherance
OF his own ambitious designs.
No one has yet come to the front TO ols-
pute the supremacy in Democratic coun-
ellis OF this colleague of Herr Most, this
pardoner of bomb-throwing anarchists.
When one looks deeper into the matter he
will see that under present conditions
there is no reason why any good Demo-
crat should dispute the claims OF Johann
Proudhon Altgeld to act as the drum
major for this brass band OF Democratic
office-seekers. Altgeld is satisfactory be-
cause he can do the business, the aforesaid
business being the capture of the Federal
offices by the Democratic Office brigade.
and that,is sufficient. That is the Lake of
Como which delights them in their politi-
cal dreams, and they cannot see that it is
beneath the dignity of the Governor of the
State of Missouri and the Justice of a State
Supreme Court to logroll in the interests
of certain candidates when the Governor
of the great State of Illinois, which gave
to the Nation an Abraham Lincoln, is do
ing the same thing.
For about the first time in its history,
the National Democratic party stands
without principle. The tariff for revenue
forms, but now that important issue Is to
be consigned to the political junk shop,
and the battle for office is to be made upon
the silver issue, which, until now, had not
been recognized as a principle of the Demo
cratic party. That principle has been
taken up simply for the purpose of obtain
ing the votes of the silver States and of
the adherents OF silver coinage throughout
the rest of the Union. The tariff issue,
which has been the prominent battle cry
of the Democracy, and which has been the
watchword of the Republican party
through all the campaigns in the past will
not be heard from the ranks of the Democ-
racy this year.
The Republicans will discuss this ques-
tion during the campaign, and will to the
end uphold the banner of protection to
American industries, whether victorious
or defeated. A principle which cannot
survive defeat in one or two or a dozen
campaigns and party which will aban-
don principle merely because of defeat, are
both unworthy of the respect of all good
citizens. The Democratic party to-day
stands in this attitude. 1t has made an
alliance with the silver men of the West
and South simply for the sake of getting
into power, and has abandoned all the old
principles with which it's silver.tongued
colonels were wont to make the welkin
ring.
Such OF the leaders as are here to-day
make no denial OF the fact that the battle
will be made on the silver plank, and that
the tariff proposition which so vitally af-
iects the welfare of the laboring men and
women Of this Nation must wait for an
other four years. You cannot get a DEM
ocrat here to talk with you on the tariff
If you ask him for his opinion upon any
political subject a stream of silver FORTH
with issues from his lips and will not be
damned unless you spell it with an ''n.'
Senator Cockrell of Missouri, who is
one of the big guns of the convention here,
to-day gave me the keynote to the tune
which the Democracy is going to sing in
the fall. The Senator is an elderly per-
sonage of large frame, with a massive
head, a benevolent, fatherly face, a gray
chin whisker and suit of sober black. He
might be mistaken for farmer who had
waxed wealthy in the production of corn
and potatoes, or he might pass for coun-
try Judge learned in the law When I
asked him to-day for an interview he be-
gan to squirm. He was awfully busy talk
ing politics with Tom, Dick and Harry,
and had on the day before talked whole
river of silver into the ear of reporter
for one of the New York papers. A look
OF anguish passed over his features when
informed him that it was not my pur-
pose to question him concerning his opin-
ions upon the silver issue, because that
matter and the complexion of the conven-
ton with regard to it had been already
exploited, and that there was no more OF
news to be had on that subject. Then l
asked him whether the Democracy was to
have a strong plank in the platform re-
affirming the devotion of the party to the
time-honored principle of tariff for reve-
nue. only. The Senator answered as / had
expected he would.
There is onlT one issue before the peo-
pie" he said, "and that is the free coinage
of silver. The tariff question has been
practically settled for the next four years"