Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-22
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM

| convention will do today in regard to the
platform declarations of the Alabama
democratic convention on the financial
| question. II is clearly evident that a
very large majority of the convention
| agree with the position taken by the
Montgomery Advertiser some five months
| age, when in commenting on Governor
| Oates letter to the Mobile Register it
| said: This aim of the governor is very
| credltable to his heart, but we respectful
ly submit that in the light of recent party
history, in the state and out of 1t, his
counsel is not wise. The situation does
not admit of concessions and compro-
misses on the currency question. The is
sue must be fought to finish even more
than the tariff. The financial question
has become burning one SO far as the
party is concerned, and vital one to the
country 1t cannot be temporized with
any further, from the standpoint of either
party or country"
large majority of the delegates now
in Montgomery evidently came to the
conclusion that at that particular time
and on that particular point the Adver-
tiser was eminently correct, notwith-
standing the fact that that paper now
has the following to say on the same SUBJ
ject: "Unquestionably the only proper
thing for our state convention to do is to
refrain from making a currency plank at
all Let both sides leave 1t alone and al
low the national convention to make it.
That body's action must be binding in
the end. anyhow; and why run the risk
of making plank that will have to be
torn up after July 7?' The State Herald
has from the beginning of the campaign
just closed been in favor of and coun-
seled party harmony, and it is still in ia
Vor of party harmony. However, in spite
of the efforts of this paper, the financial
question was forced to the front and
made the issue in the campaign. Such
being the case, We fully agree with the
convention in the conclusion that we are
, now sure it has reached We have no
doubt but the very best thing that could
be done by the convention today is to
| make a clean, clear-cut declaration on the
| financial question. entirely in line with
| the well-known views and convictions of
Captain Johnston on that question. Such
declaration will be but the putting of
| the will of the democrats of Alabama, as
declared by them at the ballot box on the
18th instant, in the form of a plank in
the state platform of the party. The very
| essence of democracy Is that the majority
| shall rule, and when the convention to-
day declares upon the financial question
| 1t must and can only be accepted as the
| declaration of every democrat in Ala
| bama To say or to intimate that 1t will
destroy the harmony of the democratic
party in Alabama for q majority of the
democrats, in convention assembled,
to proclaim its position on any
question is a reflection upon the party
loyalty of Alabama democrats that the
State Herald hastens to resent. Alabama
democrats are true and tried, and when
a majority of the PARTY speaks the man
| or newspaper who thinks the men who
constitute the party in Alabama will not
| rally as one man to the standard erected
| is reckoning without his host If in the
| contest the advocates of the free and I'M
| limited coinage of gold and silver at the
| ratio of 16 to 1 had gone down in defeat
it would have been the duty of the con-
vention to have proclaimed by the plat
| form of the party that the democracy of
| Alabama held to and believed in the sin
gle gold standard doctrine, and upon that
platform they should have placed Mr..
| Clarke as the partys standard bearer,
| to his support But In the contest that
| doctrine went down to defeat in Ala
bama, and today it will be the duty, as
we are sure 1t will be the pleasure of
the democratic party in Alabama, in con-
vention assembled, to proclaim by its
| platform that the democracy of Alabama
| adheres to and believes in the doctrine
| of the free coinage of gold and silver at
1 tI..r to Nf T. 4 -.
| democrat from Jefferson county, Capt
| Joseph Il. Johnston. upon that platform
| as the standard bearer of the democracy
| of Alabama. 1t will also be the duty of
the convention, and we doubt not that
1t will be duly performed, for 1t to send
| twenty-five delegates to represent the
| united democracy of Alabama on the
| floor of the Chicago convention entirely
| in line with the principles proclaimed to-
| day as the faith of the party In this
| state. The Alabama democracy has as
| much right to be heard upon the floor of
! the national convention as has the de-
mocracy of New York or California, and
| certainly those who are insisting that the
| party in this great state should close it's
| mouth until the other states have spoken
| and told them what to say are simply
| jesting. In all candor we do not~think
that, on mature reflection, any man in
| Alabama would be in favor of sending
| delegates to Chicago from this state who
when approached as they doubtless will
| be, to tell how their constituents stood
on the financial question would be COM
| PEELED to reply: 1--WE can't say until we
| are informed by the delegates from the
| other states what to say.
| ------------> . -
ECHOES FROM WASHINGTON.
| A special from the national capital,
| speaking OF the impressions in that city
relative to the prospects of victory at
| Chicago for free coinage, says in sub
| stance:
| at is now conceded on all sides that
| the free coinage men will control the Chi
| cago convention, and the gold contrac-
tionists of the east are becoming frantic
| over the situation.