Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-09-10
GEORGE ROBERTSON
Talks to the Ledger About the Nation
al Democratic Party-The Organi-
zatlon and Its Doctrines.

Talks to the Ledger About the Nation
al Democratic Party-The 0rgani-
zatlon and Its Doctrines.
George Robertson, n of the dele
gates at large of this State to the Ma
tional Democratic convention at In
dianapolis and the member Of the State
Central Committee from this district,
when asked by a reporter of the LED
GER concerning the convention and
the National party said: 81 see it
stated in the press of the State and
hear it charged by persons opposed to
US that the delegates to indianapolis
were furnished free transportation by
the railroads to the convention. There
can be no reason for making this
statement except to injure. The state
ment is a falsehood. Every delegate
to Indianapolis from Missouri paid for
his transportation there and back. In
quiry of the ticket agent at Mexico
will disclose that Mr.. E. @. Kennen, of
Laddonia, one of the Ninth District
delegates, bought his ticket at Mexico
for Indianapolis and return. What ia
true in his case is true of most 9TH
ers going from the interior of the
State. All who had not provided
themselves with tickets at their homes
with the st. Louis delegates bought
tickets in st. Louis. This sort of
charge does not come with very good
grace from the leaders and speakers
of the P~opocrats, whose delegates to
their State conventions have recently
attended these conventions on free
transportation issued by the railroads.
Nor does it come of very good grace
from them when some of their officials
ride on free passes all the time and
are able to procure them for their fam
lilies by reason of the fact that they are
leaders of the dominant party in the
State, and taking advantage of that
fact are able to enforce their demands.
There we're $40 delegates upon the
floor of the convention. Every State
but three and every territory but one
were e ted by delegations. A
large majority of the delegates were
young men, being under As years of
age. 1t was a convention of repre-
sentative men, every business and in
dustry and all the professions being
represented. From the South the
farmers predominated in numbers.
They g all Democrats and were
there to declare, and st the same time
to protest-to declarestheir allegiance
to the time-honored tenets of Democ-
racy and protest against the base sur
render of the party ito pa~ternalism
and populism; to protest against Sec
tionalism and the separation of the
people into classes and then arraying
class against class. It was a national
convention in which a national senti-
ment prevailed. The national Demo-
cratic party is what the Democratic
party has always been, a party of
equal protection to all and special
privileges to none. 1t is the same
as taught by jefferson and,
as has always been, the foundation and
guidance of the Democratic party.
We are opposed alike to the protec-
ton of the iron baron of the Ale |
ghaneys, as proposed by the Republi-
cans, and the silver baron of the
Rockies, as proposed by the free sill
verites. Either is ~paternalism and
both are opposed by the true Democ-
racy. We adhere to the doctrine of
for only, abandoned by
the Chicago convention. 1t ~denounces
unlawfulness and resistance to the
constituted authorities. In fact, there
is not an utterance of the platform
adopted at Indianapolis that is not
Democratic and founded on the teach
ings of the Democratic PARTY as ex-
emplified by its great leaders, Jeffer-
son, Jackson, Tilden and Cleveland.
1t will be endorsed by every Democrat
who is more Of a Democrat than a
Populist, unless it be that class of
Democrats who, lacking the courage
of their convictions, prefer to support
something else because it has been
labeled Democrat" We invite all to
examine our platform of principles
and the speeches made by the speakers
of our convention and to compare
them with the Chicago platform and
the speeches delivered by the crowd
which dominated the action of the
convention at Chicago and then it will
be seen whether the national Demo-
Gratis are not the Democrats from
principle although the name and reg
ular organization has gone into the
hands of the Populists and free silver
Republicans that controlled last July |
at Chicago.
Our speakers will present our side
to the people during the campaign and
we will vote a Democratic ticket. |
When asked why we do not vote for
Mckinley our answer is, we are not
Republicans, and when asked why we
do not vote for Bryan we answer be-
cause we r not Populists. We de-
cline to support either of these twin
sisters of paternalism. When the
fusion is closed in this State, as it has
been in several states, between the
Populists and the late members of the
Democratic party, who still label
themselves "Democrats," when the
Democrats are asked to vote for con-
fessed Populists and asked to vote for
them because they are Populists, then
no further demonstration is needed
that the Chicago convention was not a
Democratic convention and that their
nominees are not Democrats. We are
Democrats in principle and will con-
tend for the name, and will publicly
and in the courts, when this fusion Ia
perfected, compel these fuslonists to
adopt a name denoting the party and