The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-07-18
The Doubling Democrats.

1He DOuDIluO
The following editorial is taken from
the Kansas City Times, and the INTEL.
LIGENCER asks every gold democrat ir
this county to read it.
If the sound money democrats of the
east can find no stronger reasons for 6
bolt than their Illinois compatriots
have just complied into IL manifesto &c
the nation, they will do well to think
again before repeating the fatal folly
of 1860.
The Illinois kickers attempt to justify
their actions as follows:
ga national convention, convened
under the constituted authority of our
party, has just closed its session in the
city of Chicago. 1t entered upon its
work by violating all party precedents
in the rejection of a distinguished
democrat as its temporary presiding
officer. 1t deprived a sovereign state
of a voice in its deliberations by unseat-
ing, without cause or legal justification,
delegates elected with all the regularity
known to party organization.
alt refused 10 Indorse the honesty
and fidelity of the present democratic
national administration.
alt adopted a platform which favors
the free and unlimited coinage of silver
by this country alone at the ratio of 16
to /, and thereby it repudiated a time
honored democratic principle, which
demands the strictest maintenance of n
sound and stable national currency.
"Finally, to make it still palmer that,
although IN name, it was not in act n
democratic convention, it nominated
for president one who is not, in his
political convictions, and has not
always been, even in his professions, a
democrat"
Their first grievance, as to the arbi-
trary methods of the majority in the
convention, is fatally weak for the
reason that such action did not affect
the final results in any wise, and how
yer wrong, as a blnnder, violated no
principle OF democracy, and did no
material injury to the minority.
Their second complaint, that the con-
vention refused to indorse the admins
tration, goes to show another ssimma-
terial error" as the lawyers would say.
We think the convention made a mis-
take in this respect, but it a not be
denied that it had the right as well as
the power to do as 1t did. 1t was a
matter of judgment and not of manda-
tory principle.
Their third grievance is found entirely
upon an assumption and not upon a
proven fact. The free silver men claim
that the gold standard is leading to an
approaching currency, 20O-cent dollars
which, if true, would constitute not
only an equally unstable but a far more
disastrous currency than the 50-cent
dOllas which the gold men complain of.
The question as to which is correct is
n Of fact and judgment, and all
believers in a republican system of
government should cheerfully acquiesce
in the decision of the majority.
Their last plank, directed against Mr..
Bryan, is the capsheaf of a weak case.
Any nan who accepts the democratic
platform as his political creed, and
becomes its earnest champion, is GER
tainly q democrat, no matter what he
was in the past, and the world will
probably consider him a far better
democrat than those who, although
democrats from birth, now seek to
pull down the temple of their fathers
because one of its foundation stones
was not of their choosing.
The whole truth is, these reasons of
the Illinois malcontents deserve to fall
into the limbo of the man whose soon
science will not permit him to submit
to the will of the majority" The
logical result of this plea of conscience
would lead such men to TAXI up arms
if the result of the election happened
to run contrary to their views. Fol a
matter of conscience can not be altered
by a legal election any more than by a
political convention. A true man
should rather be a martyr and face
death itself than surrender any part of
his conscience to the keeping of others,
matter what the form and terms of
the s%urrepder.
In point of fact, the question of
is manifestly one of judgment,
of conscience. And a political
of members of the same
party is a court of honor, just as the
final election Is the court of law.
What honorable man would prefer
to abide by the decision of the
majority of his political friends as a
of honor, but rather to wait and
be kicked into submission by his politi-
enemies, backed by the strong arm
IF the lawP