Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-06-13
STAUNTON CONVENTION.
Virginia Democrats Declare in Favor of
Free Silver and the Unit Rule.

form declaring for the free coinage OF
silver, at the ratio of IL to 1 and by s
vote of two to one instructed the
delegates to the national convention
at Chicago, to vote as u unit fol
candidates for President and Vice
President who Endorsed the free
coinage proposition.
a resolution was passed declaring
that the Democrats of Virgins
would hail with enthusiastic delight
the nomination of Senator Daniel as
one of the candidates of the party or
the national ticket.
Delegates at large were elected as
follows:
John w. Daniel, w. A. Jones
Claude A. Swanson and H. S. X.
Morrison; alternates, w. 0. Harda-
way, Roger Gregory, George Is
Keezell, Frank Hume.
The electors at large are:
w. b. McIlwaine, of Dinwiddie,
and j. w. Marshall, of Craig.
Peter j. Otey was chosen for
national committeeman.
One of the features Of the day was
the speech of United States Senator
Martin, made during the afternoon,
while the platform was being waited
for He declared himself for the free
coinage of silver at 1G to l, and
surprised many by making Il bold
assault upon President Cleveland,
whom he characterized us a party
wrecker." The Senator's utterances
along this line were received with
mingled applause and Kisses.
GnnrracSrno artN- Nnelnr'S 1p.
fence of the principles of sound money
was another feature of the day. This
speech followed that of Mr.. Martin,
and in it Mr.. Tucker indirectly
deprecated so severe a criticism of Il
Democratic President in such a place,
and reminded those present that
they helped to elect Mr.. Cleveland.
FRRE-CoINAGE TRIUMPH.
Senator Daniel read the majority
report of committee on resolutions.
| The Senator was cheered to the echo
as he read the faith of the silverites,
signed by % of the 80 committeeman.
Hon. e. B. Munford, of Richmond,
handed in a minority report, signed
by himself, Ed. Echos and Judge
Watts, of Portsmouth, declaring
against flee silver without interna
tional agreement and opposing the
unit rule.
Senator Daniel took the floor, OPP
posing the minority report, and made
an eloquent silver speech, favoring
the unit rule. The Senator said that
England, with her vast gold mines in
| India and Africa, was yet after more
gold, and that was the Venezuelan
question and the Transvaal trouble.
John Bull wants to depress prices in
America because we furnish him with
wheat, beef and woods, and this was
disclosed by Balfour's speech. Senator
Daniel reviewed the prophecies or
Sherman in 1878, when the Ohioan
said that coinage of $5O,00O,0O0 of
silver would drive gold from the
country. when, presto, change. wages
rose in two years II per cent. and
gold flowed this way. Later it was
said repeal the Sherman act and
prosperity will will come.
Il was in favor of replacing re
pealed Republican Legislation by
Democratic doctrine said Senator
Daniel.
Have times become better? AT
last the issue has gotten beyond the
politicians and the people have taken
it up. The present financial system
is organized ruin. This is fight-no
dress parade"
The minority report on resolutions
was voted on and lost by vote OF
/ ,276 to 81.
| R. G. Marshall, q silver man, op
posed the unit rule in the majority
report, but even the unit rule went
through by vote of 1,015 to 542.
THE PLATFORM.
The Democratic party of Virginia,
in convention assembled, declare as
follows:
/. We adhere to the principles of
| Democracy as announced by Jetfer
son, Madison, Monroe, and Mason and
the patriots of their day, that this is
a government OF and for the people,
and we deprecate the growing in
fluence of trusts and great combfna-
tions of capital as dangerous TO the
welfare of our people and fraught
with disaster to our institutions.
2. We are opposed to McKinleyism,
! which proposed to tax the poor man
for the benefit of trusts and capital
lists, and we favor tariff tax for
revenue limited to the necessities of
an economically administrated gov
ernment and adjusted so as to throw
its burden most lightly upon the
great producing classes of our coun
try.
3. We oppose the Republican party
because, while processing to protect
our laboring men and mechanics,
they are in practice filling their
mines and factories with pauper labor
| from Europe, foreign to our laws and
language and inimical to our insti-
tutions. We point to the fact that
that party was the author Of all the
acts of financial legislation which
stimulated the panic and brought on
hard times to the country and that
it has utterly failed to suggest any
scheme of relief.
4. 1t is the unwritten law of this
republic, established by the custom
and usage of 100 years, and sanctioned
by the example OF the greatest and
wisest of those who founded and
maintained our government, that no
man should be eligible for a third
term Of the presidential office.
5. We denounce as false and SIAN
derous the charges made by the
Republicans against the Democrats
of Virginia as to the reason which
actuated the General Assembly Of the
State III submitting to the people the
question of holding a constitutional
convention. We point to the public
school system, to the settlement OF
the public debt, and to the good will
that exists amongst all the different
races and sections of the Common
wealth as evidence of the wisdom of
Democratic rule.
6. We are for sound money-the
soundest that the world has ever had
or can have-the money of our con
stitution, the money of the people,
the money of civilization through the
ages past and destined to be such, as
we believe, for ages to come. This
sound money should consist Of silver