The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-07-22
MR.. AxTELL SPEAKS.
Why He Cannot Vote for the Chicago
Nominees.

rvii1 why L cannot vote lVl tHe 'hieabo
nominees:
LIST. Because / cannot support a pat
form nor vote for nominees that adyo-
cate measures which II adopted by the
country will make 1t necessary TO reduce
the wages OF 8.Ou employees OF the com
pany am connected with and to dismiss
hundreds Of them. n there were no other'
this reason alone would be sufficient
%. 1 cannot vote for nominees whose
purpose IL Is 10 bring about conditions thdt
Will make IL necessary for railway coH-
panies TO pay brokers and SPECTATORS
premiums on the gold they must use TO
meet interest on their regular bohued
debts. l cannot consent TO increase III
terest charges Of railroads IN NHsiii'a
when l know the money must come iroih
patrons and chiefly from people h'lns
along the line Of the roads. ms feaSoh
is enough for me.
81. I cannot agree that i,~O"V deposit
ors i'm savings banks shall have their 81
so 10000 OF savings reduced, l cannot
vote for candidates who propose 10 cut
down the savings Of working people. can
didates who advocate conditions invoiV-
ing this deserve nothing but denuncia-
ton.
.th. ] cannot agree that wage earners'
who are struggling to provide III some
measure for the future 10y paying lhto
their societies and insurance lhsututioHs
all they can save. shall lose any part
whatever Of tho provisions they are en-
deavoring by means OF this insurance 10
make FOR themselves In their Ola age
and for their families In case OF death.
This alone is sufficient 10 cause me 10
decline 70 support platform when al
vocatos conditions that VIII bring such
a result.
5th / know OF honest. hard-working
people who owe money and who are de-
pendent on the goodwill OF those who
have loaned 10 10 them IN their eNtrem-
titles. ! cannot vote with people whose
purpose rs 20 cause laws 10 be passed
that viii disturb the friendly relations eN-
isting between these parties, or that VIII
force the cred tor % drive his friend INTO
distress. or take the alternative or losing
the money he I'm his kindness has loaned.
eth. ! know Of people VINO never "ould
have enjoyed home pnt lot
money they have borrowed en-
mortgages. cannot support
platform demanding measures that Will
enable debtors 10 keep and enjoy, without
reimbursement I'm full, the property they
have purchased with other peoples mon
ey. I am compelled 10 denounce the out
spoken intention Of supporters Of the
Chicago platform 10 perpetrate this great
wrong. The temptation held out 20 those
OF the people Of the United states who
are in debt 90 defraud their creditors Is a
crime on as large a scale as ever was at
tempted. The feeling aroused is In no
way lesscned by the cry about the So
called surreDrtious crime Of 1872 II there
was "a crime then. II does not justify
greater crime now. one made by the Deo-
pie with fuI knowledge. The debts Of to-
day are not the debts OF 1919, but are debts
incurred within recent period-a Few
months or "a few years The conditions or
1873 have mo- relevancy 20 existing debts
and are no warrant or excuse for the CO.
lossal impending crime countenanced by
the Chicago platform and the Chicago
nominees.
7th / cannot agree 10 abot in any man.
ner the Transformation Of the Democratic
party into d party of disorder and mis-
rule.
Sth. ] cannot agree that the ccntribu-
tions of the state and Of individuals 10
the support of Old soldiers shall be cut
down in value. I cannot vote for a party
that has in it programme the purpose 10
deprive SCARED and infrm veterans of any
part of their support.
9th. Becaue. the nominee for President
openly declared that he would not sup
port the Dem cratic party I'm this election
If IL failed g. endorse the free coinage of
silver al the ratio Of Is to ]. because he
SIS not "a Democrat. but a Populst, who
manipulated the Democratic Convention
of his State. and against the protests OF
true and tried d. lers. turned IL and the
party over 90 the Populists and ran the
campaign On the of0rt 90 elect the Popu-
D. an no. ia D.
Tot as candidate for The United states
Senate. II is satisfaction 10 every Dem
ocrat that this selfish attempt was over
whcimngly defeated. This happened only
two years ago. and If there We're TO other
reasons. this alone would Doe sufficient to
cause me 90 refus. 10 support such man.
10Th Because thc speeches made By the
nominee for Pr dent show him 10 be
without any proper conception OF the
great matters Doe VIII bee called upon 20
control He is "a young man. without any
executive experience whatever whose
prominence come alone from an eloquent
tongue. with which Doe uses phrases OF "a
kind DE thinks Will take with the audi
ence before him, and pours forth as sol
cmn truths statements that experience
and argument have often shown TO De
wrong and absurd
1lth. Because the candidate for Vice
President. being the President Of a ma
tional bank. stultlies himself by standing
on platform which denounces such
banks OF issue; and because a convention
or set Of men adopting such platform,
and then nominating such man places
itself outside AN claim 10 the respect OF
self-rcspectin people.
These among others Of a grave charac-
ter. are reasons why ] cannot support the
Chicago ticket. but the great reason OF
AN DIS that Democracy. through inheri-
lance teachings. and experience. has be-
come part Of my being. and l cannot
vote for its destruction.
DECATUR AXTELL.