Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1896-08-13
To Democrats.

To the Democrats OF kentucky:
At a conference of Democrats of
kentucky who are opposed to the
revolutionary declarations and doe
trines of the recent Chicago plat
form and its nominee, We were ap-
pointed the Democratic Executive
Committee for the State of Ken
lucky.
The meeting of that State con-
ference was for the purpose of or
ganizing anew the Democratic par
ty in this State. 1t was the con-
viction of those present las it is
believed to be of the true Demo-
Gratis of Kentucky and of the Unit
ed States) that the action Of the
recent convention held at Chicago
was SO revolutionary, and SO con-
trary to all Democratic tradi-
tiOns and principles, as to place it's
platform and its candidate clearly
outside the bounds of the Demo
cratic party. That Chicago con-
vention openly repudiated all pre-
vious Democratic platforms and
principles; and enunciated reckless,
dangerous and un-American creeds,
many of which have been traced
back to Populist and greenback
conventions, or to the pronuncia-
mentos of Populists or socialists. 1t
declared for what would lead to
the reputation of national and in
dividual obligations and credit. 1t
formulated scheme for debasing
the nations money, under which
the established standard of values
would be reversed, the purchasing
power of the wages of labor be re-
duced in half, and our nation be
set back from its financial place
among enlightened peoples, to a
monetary fellowship with Mexico,
Nicaragua, Peru and the silver
monometallist nations o. Asia.
1t embodied a proposal TO destroy
the present form of our currency (;
substituting the standard of de-
based silver dollar, worth fifty
cents, and irreatemable paper
which, if successful, must force the
instant departure of all gold from
the country, and then silver, an I'M
precedented contraction, the unset
Ting of all existing values, an in
evitable business panic, the shut.
ting down of great industries, the
loss of their work by the laboring
men, and widespread bankruptcy. 1t
advocated the right of lawless par
ties to seize and destroy the proper
Ity Of others, without legasEest=aint.
I 1t Ge--nGed ana threatened our
courts of justice and law and order.
1t repudiated the long waged bat
tie of the Democratic party for
sound money, and ignored the
principle of a tariff for revenue on
ly. In the place of local self-gov-
eminent and the right of indiyid-
ual liberty, which have been the
tenets of Democratic faith for q
century, that platform declared for
paternalism and socialism. 1t adj
vocated converting the government
into an unlimited banking monop-
oily for issuing fiat money. 1t de.
nounced as "crime" the action OF
the Executive and Judicial Depart.
ments of the government in pro-
tecting private property against
lawlessness and anarchy; although
that action had been approved by
the substantially unanimous vote
of the Democratic representatives
in the House and Senate, and by
the unanimous judgment of the Su'
preme Court of the United States
1t denounced the action of oul
Democratic President and Secre.
tary of the Treasury in protecting
the credit of the nation; and, for
the first time in the history of con-
ventions pretending to be Demo
cratic, it denounced the Democratic
party itself, through the admins
tration.
The candidate upon that plat
form has announced that, if elect
ed, he will "enforce the platform
to the letter." He is proved to
have previously been, and to be
now, a Populist, and not Demo-
crat; and he, through his Chair
man of his National Committee,
representing him, has since been
engaged in seeking, and has OBJ
tanned, the nomination of the con-
vention of Populists at st. Louis,
as the "Populist" candidate. He
is thereby pledged to enforce the
communistic and undemocratic
doctrines of that convention also.
He has repeatedly announced that
he would never support a platform
or candidate declaring for the old
Democratic principle Of honest
money.
He is published without denial)
as saying in his address at Bir-
mingham; Nothing in heaven
above, or on the earth below, or in
hell beneath, could make me sup
port gold standard candidate on
a gold standard platform :" and at
jackson: $50 help me God, 1 will
die before l will support it,"
A platform with a candidate
that has thus sought to be, and has
been, received into enthusiastic
fellowship by the Populist st.
Louis convention, and who has
thus openly declared his determin-
alton not to support the party, can
not seriously expect to be accepted
as the platform and the candidate
of the Democratic party.
For these reasons the true Dem
ocrats of Kentucky and the nation
are refusing to recognize either of
those platforms, or their joint can
didate, as Democratic; and do not
recognize any organization there
under as the Democratic party or