Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-18
THEY HAVE SHOT THEIR BOLT
National Democrats" Inhict an
Address Upon us.
OLD STRAW THRESHED OVER
Denurciation Of the Chicago Platform Is the
Keynote-They Are GANG to Save
Party and Country.


national executive committee of the gold
democratic party was held at the Palmer
house today. Chairman Bynum of In
diana presided and all the members were
present except Charles w. Tracey of New
York who was detained by party work
in the metropolis.
The principal business which called the
committee together was the preparation
and adoption of an address to the demo-
cratic voters of the country. A sub-com-
mttee Was chosen to draft the address.
Assurances have been received by the
committee that the organizations in the
following states, which were not repre-
. scented at indianapolis, are sufficiently
advanced to make it certain they will
have full delegations at the conventions
Louisiana, North Dakota, Georgia, Mis-
sissippi, Colorado, Wyoming, South Car
DINA. Nothing has been done in Idaho.
Utah or Nevada towards organizing and
Mr. Bynum said he did not expect to see
those states represented at indianapolis.
The expectation Is there will be forty
two states to answer to the roll call on
September 2
The committee appointed Walter Kess-
Ter of Indianapolis sergeant alarms for
the convention. He is a young man who
graduated from Yale and read law and
is now in the stone quarry business.
Hugh Wallace. who recently resigned
his membership in the national demo-
cratic committee from Washington be-
cause of the silver plank, called when
the committee was in session and was
invited inside.
Chairman Bynum said to reporter for
the Southern Associated Press: New
York is the best city for the national
campaign headquarters and l shall work
and vote for it. Ours will be a campaign
of education and New York is the pro-
III ,tt int for 1nCf Of hn ftIrn
The committee could command more as
sistance in New York than in Chicago.
There are to be so many headquarters
here that we will get mixed up"
The committee went into session on the
address is drafted by the subcommittee
at o'clock, and four hours later gave out
the following:
An Address to the Democrats of the
United States:
After reciting the history of the demo-
cratic party and dwelling at considerable
length upon what constitutes a democrat,
the address proceeds:
The delegates to the convention held al
Chicago were authorized and had the
power to proclaim platform embodying
their views of the true solution of the
particular problems Of the government
now agitating the nation, but upon the
condition that such platform should be
consistent with the cardinal principles
held by the party throughout it's exist
ence. These principles constitute the es-
sential element of the party's life. They
distinguish it from all other political or
CARNATIONS. If they are abandoned the
party ceases to exist. 1t was, therefore,
not within the power of any majority of
the delegates assembled at Chicago to
bind the democrats of the United States
to platform inconsistent with the par
tvs principles, or to any action that
should result in their surrender.
In violation of the trust committed to
them a majority of the delegates assem-
bled in that convention. ignoring the
rights of the minority unseated regular
ly elected delegates to make places for
others in sympathy with themselves.
They proclaimed sectional combination
of the south and west against the north
and east They impeached the honesty
and patriotism of President Cleveland,
who, under exceptional embarra ssments
produced by past errors of legislation,
has heroically maintained the honor and
integrity of the republic. Against the
protest of one-third of the delegates they
promulgated platform at variance with
the essential principles of the democratic
party.
This platform is in its policies danger
Gus to the welfare and life of free gov
eminent. 1t is mischievous in it's ten
denotes. But even more threatening and
mischievous was the spirit of the con-
Vention that adopted 1t, spirit mani
Tested not alone by it's affirmative ac-
ton, but as well by it's reckless rejec-
ton of every proposition tending to tenn
per the declarations of the convention
with conservatism and justice
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 de-
preciated coins at. their nominal value,
I'D.
ors, defrauding the Iaborer of large
part of his earnings and savings. robbing
pensoned soldiers of part of their PEN
sions, contracting the currency by the
expulsion of gold coin from circulation,
injuring, il not destroying, domestic
trade and foreign commerce.
It demands the free coinage of silver
at the arbitrary and fictitious ratio of
Is to l, although the ratio established in
the worlds market is about SO to ], and
although neither experience nor reason
warrants the belief that the commercial
ratio between the metals can. be raised
by the action of this government to any
ratio even approximating that proposed.
Tt threatens in certain contingencies
to increase to an unlimited extent the
volume of legal tenders issued by the
federal government, the ultimate effect
of which would be to enforce the with
drawal of all coin from circulation and
to compel public and private business
to he transacted in appreciated paper
. currency, constantly ffuctuating in
value, and 10 invite the ruin and confu~
sion that always followed the adoption
of such a policy. .
The Chicago convention having thus
departed from the recognized democratic
faith and promulgated doctrines new and
strange to the democracy, all democrats
are absufved from obligations 10 support
it's programme. More than this, as the
doctrines announced are destructive of
national nonor and private obligation
and tend to create sectional and class
distinctions and engender discord and
strife among the people, all good citizens
of the republic are bound to repudiate
them and exert every lawful means to
insure the defeat of the candidates that
represent these false doctrines.
The duty of the hour Is to stand stead
fast in the defense of our ancient faith.
In this crisis there is at stake more than
the possibility of temporary victory. The
honor and prosperity of the democratic
party are at stake. A political organi-
cation that Is untrue to itself. its prin-
ciples its history and traditions. is dis
graced and dishonored. The. existence of
our great historical party that has with