The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-08-26
A CALL TO ARMS.
Gold Democrats Sound Their Fir st
Bugls Note


At the meeting Of the National Ex-
ecutive committee Of the gold Demo
cratic party held at Chicago Tuesday
Chairman Bynum, of Indians, presid-
ed, and all the members were prese mt
except General Charles Tracey, OF
New York, who was detained by party
work, in the metropolis. Assurances
have been received that the organiza-
tions Ina the following States, which
were not presented at the lndianapo-
lis conference, will have full delega-
tions at the convention on September
2: Louisiana, North Dakota, Georgia,
Mississippi, Colorado, Wyoming and
South Carolina. The expectation is
there will be AZ States TO answer the
roll.
The sub-committe appointed to pre-
pare an address 10 the Democrats OF
the United States made a report, re-
viewing the history of the party rs al
ways opposed to fiat money, and de
scribing the method in which the Chi
cago convention was conducted. The
address then continues in part:
Sin violation Of the trust committed
to them, majority of the delegates as
sembled in that convention, ignoring
the rights of the minority, unseated
regularly-elected delegates TO ma ke
places for others in sympathy with
themselves. They proclaimed sec
tional combination of the South and
West against North and East. They
impeach the honesty and patriotism Of
President Cleveland, who, under ex-
ceptiOnal embarrassments produced by
past errors of legislation, has heroically
maintained the honor and the integri-
ty of the republic. Against the protest
of one-third Of the delegates, they
promulgated a platform at variance
with the essential principles Of the
Democratic party.
"The platform proposes to degrade
the coin of the United States by means
of the free, unlimited and independent
coinage Of silver by our government,
and by the exercise of the power Of the
Nation to compel the acceptance Of
deprecated coins at their nominal val
ue, thereby working an injustice TO
creditors, defrauding the labOrer Of a
larger part of his earnings and saw
ings, robbing pensioned soldiers Of a
part of their pension, contracting the
currency by the expulsion Of gold coin
from circulation, injuring, If not de-
stroying, domestic trade and foreign
commerce.
'It demands the free coinage Of sill
yer at the arbitrary and fictitious ratio
of Is to l, although the ratio establish
ed in the worlds market is about 50 TO
|, and although neither experience
nor reason warrant the belief that the
commercial ratio between the metals
can be reduced, by the action of this
government, to any ratio even approx
imating that proposed.
ats declarations invite, and have al
most produced, a financial panic, and
many of its proponent. announce that
to accomplish their purposes they
are prepared to involve their country
in disaster comparable to nothing in
its history save the calamity Of civil
war. 1t assails the independence Of
the judiciary by threat to reorganize
the courts whenever their decisions
eontravene the DEGREES of the party
caucus. 1t seeks to allure Office-seek-
ers and spOilsmen to its support by at
tacking the existence of civil service
laws, which good men of all parties
have labOred 50 long TO establish and
to extend to all departments Of the
public service.
"The Chicago convention having
thus departed from the recognized
Democratic faith and promulgated
doctrines new and strange TO the DEM
ocracy, all Democrats are absolved
from obligation to support its program.
More than this, as the doctrines an
nounced are destructive to national
honor and private obligation, and
tend to create sectional and class dis
tinctions and engender diseOrd and
strife among the people, all good eiti-
zens of the republic are bound to re-
pudiate them and exert every lawful
means to insure the defeat of the can
didates that represent these false doc
trines.
''To this end we request all Demo
crats who are opposed to the platform
adopted and candidates nominated at
Chicago to organize in their several
States and to send representatives TO
the convention of the National Demo
cratic party to be held at indianapolis
on Wednesday, September =, 1885, in
accordance with the call heretofore IS
sued by the National committee"
The address is signed by Chairman
W. d. Bynum, Charles Tracey, j. NJ.
Falkner, +. w. NJ. CuteheOn, Els b.
Usher, 5. A. Holding, +. W. Lehman,
w. b. Haldeman and John P. Hop
kins.