Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1896-10-01
Mr.. Wilson Deserts the Democrats.

1
West Virginia, has announced his OPP
position to the nominees of the Chicago
convention and his determination to
support Palmer and Buckner, who, in
his opinion, are the Simon-pure expo
nents of Democracy. Mr.. Wilson re-
turned from Europe last week, and on
Friday gave an interview in which he
announced his position. 1t may be
well to observe right here that Mr..
Wilson's course is no surprise to his
former political friends, for the fact
has been known for some time that
Secretary Hoke Smith was the only
member of President Cleveland's cab
met who was not influenced by the
eminent executive spell-binder. Mr..
Wilson said on Friday;
! LAS for myself will most heartily sup
port Palmer and Buckner as the real
| democratic candidates on real Demo
cratic platform, representing all that
has been known additionally as DemOc-
racv from the foundations of the govern
ment. There never was time when II
was more important for genuine Demo
| Gratis to support genuine Democratic
principles, which are the principles OF
| free government, for by doing so they
will be able in the future to bring back
| the party to the support of its great his
| toric policies. Democratic principles
| are indestructible so long as we have free
government in this country, and will
| ALWAYS command the support of a large
part. and generally of majority, OF the
American people. But a party organi-
cation gives them practical vitality and
power and provides for them political
| habitation as well as a name. Hence
the momentous importance OF an organl-
cation to carry, as the late Governor
| Russell, of Massachusetts,, expressed 1t,
| the Ark of the Covenant safely through
| the present temporary period OF gloom
and danger. That the Democratic Ark
of the Covenant may not be forever lost
| i'm this time of division and disagree
ment it is essential that it should be fol-
lowed and guarded by all true Democrats
until it again becomes the rallying-point
of the Democratic hosts For these rea-
sons | shall heartily support Palmer and
| Buckner. | have been asked to canvass
| West Virginia in their interest, but my
| official duties will not permit my doing
so. | will, however, probably make one
| or two speeches for sound money and
true Democracy during the campaign.
II can conceive of nothing more dis
astrous in a business sense than the cleo
ton of Mr.. Bryan upon the financial
platform upon which he stands-nothlng
| that would hurt the whole country more
| in pecuniary and commercial way than
an abrupt change in the standard OF
value and the prolonged Reorganization
of business that would surely follow.
There can be no doubt that Mr.. Bryan
would carry out his promised policy.
| There should be no mistake about that.
He is thoroughly in earnest. He is an
ambitious, honest enthusiast, thorough
| ly convinced that the policy he advo-
| Gates is patriotic, and with the oratorical
ability to present it, perhaps, in more
plausible form than any other man in
the country. He is cool and self-confi-
dent, and strong in debate His power
as speaker in the House of Representa-
tives was not so marked in his set ora
tions as in his quickneSS in discussion
and readiness to deal with interruptions
| Very few Republican members encoun-
tered him without more or less discom-
| future"
Mr.. Wilson goes upon the same I'M
warranted assumption that the other
boilers base their action upon, name
ly, that the Indianapolis and not the
Chicago nominees are the real Demo
Gratis. He may deceive himself on this
point, but he cannot deceive others.
He cannot ignore these facts: At every
precinct, almost, in the United States,
the Democrats gathered and elected
delegates to their State and district
conventions; these conventions, in
turn, chose delegates to the Chicago
convention, and that body, composed
of representatives sent directly from
the people and in accordance with es-
tablished party usage, nominated Bry-
an and Sewall and adopted a platform.
The whole proceeding was regular and
proper On the other hand, the ad-
vocates of the gold standard, without
authority of the people, representing
no one but themselves, went as indi-
viduals to so-called State conventions
and selected themselves as delegates
to the unauthorized meeting at Indian
apolis, where they put up Palmer and
Buckner as the only true opponents of
Democratic principles. The Chicago
platform and nominees are the result
of the only genuine Democratic con-
vention. Mr.. Wilson cannot shove
them aside and set up the work Of the
boilers in their place.
Mr.. Wilson puts himself in a vastly
different attitude from that which he
occupied four years-and even two
years-ago. Then he lifted up his
voice for the masses as against the op-
preston Of the great corporations and
the tremendous influence of combined
wealth. He led with all earnestness
the fight of the people against the mo-
nopolists. Today he places himself
shoulder to shoulder with every mo-
nopolist in the country. He lines up
with the corporations, the trusts and
the combinations of wealth and infu-