Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-03

|
acteristic rcclllessness does not hesitate
to appeal to base human passions IL
order to attract votes. That in this in
cendiary's role, standing as he pro-
fesscs to stand on principles as I'M
| Democratic as those of Herr Most, he
| should deserve, by any conception OF
party regularity, the support of true
| Democrats Is past comprehension and
| eXplainable only by ignorance of the
man and his platform or disloyalty to
genuine party faith. No sound con
ception of party regularity can justify
encouragement to social disorder. Not
even the honest believer in a silver
standard or the most enthusiastic BIZ
metallist can, if he be patriotic
citizen, conscientiously support the
forces of political anarchy Even the
advocacy of free silver coinage by
Bryan and many of his associates is
only a cloak for the spirit of revolution
behind it. Every true bimetallist must
blush to have his cause dependent for
success upon those who would reor-
ganiZe the supreme court when its de-
CisionS do not please a party conven-
ton. who would repudiate the national
debt if free silver coinage did not ac-
complish bimetallism. who would at
tempt to destroy the sanctity of private
contracts. who would have the govern
ment take and operate the country's
railroads and teleGraphs who would
restrain the strong arm of the law
from the suppression of disorder. Even
if | believed that free coinage of silver
by the United States independently
n nd q1nnp Nntl1H
tons. restore bimetallism. | could not
bring myself to entrust so delicate and
important an undertaking to men Of
Bryan'S ineXperience or associations.
and | would suffer forever the alleged
evils of a gold standard before ! would
be party To contempt for law. to an
attack on our highest court and to a
subversion of our form Of government
by loading it down With ungovern-
mental functions. Before such
spectacle how would the shades Of
jefferson. Jackson ana Tilden shudder
and shrink.
Let not this fact escape Democratic
attention. Every appeal in the name
OF party regularity To support the
Bryan ticket is an appeal to support
the governmental ownership of rail
roads and telegraphs to attack the I'm
dependence of the federal judiciary to
abolish the merit system as a test OF
fitness for public office TO refuse 10
uphold the national credit by the issue
of bonds when necessary. To scale
down the public debt by reputation,
to invite not only the evils which would
follow a silver standard but those
which would follow irredeemahlc paper
money for even purely fiat money
seems to be recommended in this
Chicago platform The men who rep
resent such a conglomeration of poor
principles and radical notions are not
Democrats.
The revolutionary spirit which forced
Hryans nomination is manifest in his
speeches now being delivered through
out the country.
He appeals To the base instincts OF
the ignorant or to the misery of the
distressed He strives to array class
against class. to incite employee
against employer. to stir up debtor
against creditor, to make this a contest
OF the poor against the rich. May God
prevent this incendiary's work, In
this broad land il has been our proud
boast that avenues of success have
been open to all. The rich today were
the poor of yesterday No families of
inherited wealth dominate our politics
OF our society. Before the law all men
are equal. The same opportunities do
not come TO all men: some succeed,
many fail. but no barrier 10 success or
position is created by law. Industrial
conditions may be affected by unWise
laws, and when this is demonstrated
we attempt to change them through
the opportunity which every man has
To register his vote at the polls But
though some men succeed and many
TAIL this is the lot of life. and no can
dldate for the presidency has ever
dared before to use this fact To arouse
man against man and to kindle the
Tires of social discomfort and disorder.
Proud as We have been of America 5
material prosperity We have been
Prouder still Of the self reliant. indie
pendent and sensible spirit of her
people.
Bad as the times are. Stagnant as in
dustry is, distressed as many homes
are for lack of employment. the com
mon sense Of the American people will
not be deceived by appeals to passion
hut will perceive clearly what is the
truth. namely. that present conditions
are largely caused not by the in
huences against which Mr. Bryan in
iurid words declaims but by fear of the
very remedies which he suggests.
All of Mr. Bryan's specious pleas and
arguments for silver are based on the
assumption that the free coinage of
silver by the United States alone would
establish and maintain bimetallism-
the parity of gold and silver at the eX-
changeable ratio of is to /. If that as
sumption is incorrect or ill-founded
each of his arguments falls to the
@round and every one of his predC-
tons loses its force. Not one Wori
has he uttered in advocacy of a silver
standard. Not one word does he dare
utter in behalf Of a silver stan
dard. He will declaim by the hour
against the evils of gold monometal-
lism, and nearly everything he says
on that subject is equally applicable to
silver recommendation also. Bimetal-
lism is a genuine Democratic doctrine
but himetatliSm can never be attained
by the men who dominated the Chicago
convention or by the method implied