The Yale expositor., 1896-09-11

| After announcement that the commit
| tees would meet Immediately. the conven-
| Upon reassembling the report OF the
| committee on credentials was read. and
| then while waiting for the committee on
| permanent organization DIR. Everett. OF
| Massachusetts, delivered stirring
| speech. which caught the convention. The
| committee on permanent organlzation
| then reported recommend ng Senator CAT
| fiery, of Louisiana, for chairman, John X;
Wilson, of Indiana, for secretary. ana
| Walter Kessler, of Indiana, sergeant-at-
arms. The report also recommended that
| the organization of the party be made
permanent, and that the eommittee, be
| The report was adopted and Mr.. Bulitt.
| of Pennsylvania, and Mr.. Lawlor OF
| Minnesota escorted Senator Caffery, OF
| louisiana, 10 the platform. In assuming
| the gaVel Senator Caffery made strong
| speech. The convention listened closely
| and frequently Interrupted by applause.
II tender this convention my deepest
| thanks for the high honor of selecting
| me TO preside over its deliberations.
| honor ever conferred upon me.
| Charged by our party with the func-
| ton of ministering in its temple OF faith,
| and teaching the people Its true doctrines,
| our priests have desecrated its affairs,
| broken its shrines, and taught false doc
| trines TO the people. We now enter the
| sanctuary of the temple and take posses
| sion Of the Ark of the Covenant of our
| faith which we will hereafter vigilanty
| guard. protect and defend. We wiz puri-
L
| broken shrincs. And lest the hearts OF
| the people be stolen away from true Dem
| ocratic faith-the faith of our fathers and
| founders-we must separate from our
| brethren who have wrought this evil, and
| from those who have followed their evil
| teaching. We cannot follow them in the
! swift TO destruction, and their way Is the
way of death. The ties that bound us
were as strong as hooks OF steel, and we
| part from them iE sorrow.
Loyalty to party discipline and organ
| ization has ever been the pride ana
| strength of our party. Loyalty to prn-
! ciple has ever been and ever will be, Its
| cardinal leading tenet paramount TO all
! others. binding In conscience and guiding
| the action of every true Democrat. 3
Look at the Michigan frauds and other
devious acts and practices designed TO
| pack the Chicago convention. The plat
| form has the stamp of our party and
| claims its allegiance. But 1t is mere
| simuacrum, form without the sub
| stance of Democracy, and no Democrat
| is bound by it, nor is Ii entitled to his
| fealty. The declarations of that platform
are open, palpable and fragrant depar--
/ lures from all that Democracy has stood
| for. They assai the money standard OF
| the country and declare for the inflated
and deprecated standard OF free silver
| at the ratio of 16 to /. They assail the
| right and power Of the executive TO pro-
| tect property under the control and in the
| custody of the Federal Courts in any
state in the nation; they attack the integ-
! rity of coordinate branch Of the gov
| eminent: they declare that the function
| OF issuing paper money Is 70 be exclusive
| lY exercised by the government itself;
7 they assail the right of the citizen 10 con-
| tract for payment In any legitimate com
| modify; they declare that the OBLIGATIONS
4 OF the government, for which gold was re-
| cciVed and for the payment OF which In
| the same coin the national faith Is
| pledged. may be paid in deprecated
| coin: and we declare that each and every
| one of these attacks and declarations Is
| un-Democratic. They are an assault up
| on the constitution, the honored principles
| of the Democratic party and the distin-
| guished patriot and statesman who has
| twice led ii TO the only victories II has
| achieved in thirty-six years.
| 1T is the Ishmael of platforms. II
| raises its hand against some Of the prlnci-
| pies OF both parties and al principles Of
| the Democratic party. 1t is begotten of
| the unhallowed union between Dcmocra-
| cy, Populism and anarchy And that the
| scriptures NAV be fulfilled, IL VIII be n
| fugitive and g wGrderer on the face Of
| Fellow citizens. we are not traitors to
| our party We are in the house OF our
| fathers. We cannot be driven from It, We
| viii defend the honor OF our country and
| the integrity OF our primo pies as long as
| life endUres. We can neither be ousted of
| our political heritage nor forced into the
| ranks of our old-time adversary. We IN
| tend to preserve intact. unimpaired and
| unsullied by, and through the organlza-
! ton which we perfect to-day, the DEM
| ocracy Of jefferson. Jackson, Benton and
| Cleveland. We propose to furnish re-
| fuge and an abiding place for such or our
| brethren as. shocked and grieyed at the
| betrayal of our principles at Chicago are
| inclined to 20 into the Republican camp.
The principles of Democracy are i'm
| perjshable, They are antagonistic TO the
| paternalism of the Republic IN and the
| socialists the destructiveness of the anar-
chlst and the vagaries of the inhat!onist
| and rc?udiator.
! we cannot make bed fellows. even In q
| night OF furious storm and thick dark
| ness, of our lifelong antagonists. We can
| not even TO escape as great evils as are
| the necessary result ct ne success Of the
| Chicago platform, be ire eXecutioners OF
| our loved and venerate3 party. We can
| not. even by implication, be held TO the
| false theory that the people can be made
| rich by taxation, nor to the theory that
| the federal power and treasury can or
/ ought TO be used to impair the autonomy
OF. the states on one hand and, on the
| other to dispense largess TO favored
| classes. The election of Mckinley or OF
| Bryan, with our support, would mean the
| destruction of our whole party for gem
/ Grafton. For. when our peop.e recover
| from the debauoh of Po?uEsm and an
| archy they will discard the men who have
led their orgy. II we go 10 Mckinney,
/ those men will be the recognized eXpon-
| ents of Democracy. When the fumes of
| the debauch are dissipated and sober rea-
| son resumes her sway, our flock VIII
| turn toward It's fold, only to find 1t de-
| stroyed. We therefore. stand fast We
sound a bugle call throughout the land for
| all Democrats to rally for the support OF
| government and law. for the honor or the
country and for the maintenance and pre-
servation of their creed. it's memories and
| its glor es. If not needed now IL viii be
| in the near future. And then those clouds
which lowered over cur political horiZt n
| and darkcned our councils will take night,
| those opposed eyes which lately met in
! party conflict will be turned one way and
| united and triumphant Democracy VIII
march on TO victory under the aegis OF the
| constitution and under the precepts OF the
apostles of OR faith"
John p. Irish. OF California, followed
| Chairman Caffery and maintained his
| reputation as an orator. His Grafton nm
| ished the day.
The hour was late when Chairman CAT
ferry called me second days session TO
| order. He irlC emed the convention that
| the committee on resolutions was not
| ready TO report, and begged its patIent
| indulgence for few moments. He had
| hardly finished the sentence before
| thousand voices shouted for Breckin-
ridge. For fully minute this roar for
| Kentucky's famous orator came from all
| quarters OF the hall. 1t was noticeable.
| however, that many remained silent
while the demonstration was going on,
and here and there went up a hiss. with
few exceptions New York sat silent. But
the cheers went on, and at last Col
Breckenridge arose. He seemed TO hest
tate but was pushed along toward the
stage on which the press benches are To-