Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-08-14
AN old LEADER
Bourke Cochran Denounces the
Democratic Platform.
1T Is A QUESTION OF MORALS

the Situation the Gravest in the
History of the Country, Exceeding In
Importance the Crisis of 1s60-He Ad-
vises Democrats to support the Me-
KinIey Electors.
Bourke Cochran, the eloquent Tam
many Democrat of New York, whose
speech in opposition to Cleveland's S nom-
ination in 1899 made his name house.
hold word in this country, has been in
terviewed as to the action of the nation
al Democratic convention. Speaking of
the situation he said:
II regard it as the gravest in the his
tory of the country, exceeding in i'm
portance the crisis of 1860. The seces-
sion movement was but an attempt to
divide this country between two gov
ernments, each of them designed to
protect property within the limits of its
jurisdiction. The movement launched
at Chicago is an attempt to paralize in
dustry by using all the powers of gov
ernment to take property from the
hands Of those who created 1t and place
it in the hands of those who covet it.
This is question of morals as well as
politics. No political convention can
issue valid license to commit offenses
against morality, and decline to follow
Mr.. Bryan in crusade against honesty
and the rights of labor.
"Do you mean that you will actively
oppose the Democratic party or abstain
from active support of it?'
I'm contest for the existence of civ
ilization no man can remain neutral
Whoever does not support the forces of
order. aids the forces of disorder. If l
can do anything to thwart q movement,
the success of which should regard as
an irreparable calamity not only to this
country, but to civilized society every
where, l shall certainly do it."
"What do you think of Tammany's
action in indorsing the ticket?"
81 simply can't understand it. They
strongly opposed the platform at Chica-
go on the ground that it was an assault
on the integrity of the nation. They
decline to ratify it even now, which
shows that they have not changed their
opinion of it. Yet they have indorsed
the candidate who stands upon it, and
whose election will mean that the plat
form which they themselves denounce as
singular combination of lunacy and
villainy shall be incorporated into the
statute laws of this country"
"Will you support Major Mckinley
outright, or do you favor the nomina.
tion of another Democratic ticket?"
81 believe that all Democrats who are
so thoroughly in favor of sound money
that they place the defeat of Bryan
above the interests of any organization,
or party, should meet in convention for
the purpose of considering the form and
method by which they can give the
greatest efficiency to their opposition.
For my part, do not believe that the
nomination of other candidates for pres.
ident and vice president, however emf
nent and deserving they may be person
ally or politically, would serve any use-
full purpose Nobody believes that they
would be elected, and any Democrat
whose hostility to Populism and Repub-
icanism would not allow him to support
elther Bryan or Mckinley could show
his opposition to both by remaining at
home on election day quite as well as by
voting for third ticket. 1t would be
more convenient to himself individually
and would not create visible separa-
tion between himself and his party or.
ganization.
But how can men rupturing party
ties be sustained by some sense of asso-
citation among themselves?
'That end could be attained by the
adoption of platform declaring for
sound money; against extravagant ap-
in favor of economical
administration in every department of
government ; in favor of tariff for rev.
enue only, and ample for the purpose;
against the paternalism of the Repub.
ican party and the Populistic socialism
of both the Chicago and st. Louis csn.
in favor of that American lib
erty which can be maintained by so linn
iting the power of the government that
1t can never interfere with the daily
of law-abiding citizens. The
plank OF pressing Importance in such a
platform Is, of course, the currency
plank. Now, the mere election of Nc
Kinley will be the defeat of the silver
Your obvious policy, then. would be
to indorse the Mckinley electors?"
Precisely. The Democrats who will
have achieved the success of their finan-
cial plank By the election of Mckinley
will yet constitute an opposition to the
party the day after the elec-
ton, based on principles which are GER
tainly to be ultimately adopted by the
American people. What is needed,
is not new ticket but new
platform which will declare in unmis.
language the cardinal features
of the party faith, and which, while in
dorsing Mckinley electors, will provide
for really Democratic opposition to the
administration during the
period of its existence"
What is your opinion of the ulti-
mate outlook?'
Everything depends on the manner
in which it is waged. To my mind there
is but one test of prosperity which can
be applied to country, and that is the
rate of wages paid to labor. There can
be no prosperity where low wages are
paid. There can be no distress where
the rate of wages is high. 1t can be
easily demonstrated that this whole free
silver movement is conspiracy against
wages, and if the campaign is fought
on this line l have no doubt that every
northern state-that is to say, every
state in the Union in which it is practi-
pahla IN hnI1 fraa a1aot,nn .r.l1 Io