The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-09-18
NOBLE DEMOCRACY.
S. D. Halliday Of Ithaca on the
Chicago Platform and
the Party of the
Future.

ITHACA, N Y, Sept. IS, 1S96.--Mr. L.
3. Halliday. the lawyer and Democratic
leader, has written the following letter to
ex-President White, of Cornell Univer-
sity:-
Hon. Andrew D. White, ithaca, New
Ny Dear sir-some time since you adj
dressed a letter on the issues of the day
to a number of our personal friends in
the Democratic party, and you did me the
honor to include my name in that list
/ did not respond at that time, because
l had hopes that some good would come
out of the Buffalo convention. That
hope is now gone.
/ believe in the old Roman maxim that
''Whatever one thinks or the republic, let
it be written on his forehead and | am
prepared to give my views and define my
position.
OF course do not believe in the free
and unlimited coinage of silver as pro-
posed in the Chicago platform, but that
part of the platform is by no means its
worst feature.
One of the best things President Cleve-'
land ever did was to put down the Chi
cago riot. He was interfered with and
were prominent in the Chicago conven-
| tion and the Chicago Platoon in effect de-
| nounces the President for that act. and
| III .rectly but none the less effectively en-
| courages rioters.
The effort to strip the courts of our
| country of one of their principal weapons
| in preventing disorder and wrong is
| another step in the same direction
| But to my mind the worst feature of
| the whole platform is it's attack upon
| the integrity of the Supreme Court of the
| United States.
We all know that men are mortal, and
when they are appointed to judicial po-
sitions they do not always cease to be
partisans. But the policy of our Federal
Government has always been TO remove
the judges of Its courts as far as pos
| sble from all partisan influences They
| are appointed for life, in order that they
may not be in any way accountable to
| or dependent upon the changes incident
| to our system of government. But this
| Chicago platform indirectly but undis-
| guisedly proposes to reorganize and pack
/ the Supreme Court, so that the judges
will be the mere tools and puppets of the
| Bryan administration, if he is elected,
and pledged to carry out some of the
principles of the political platform on
| which he was nominated. When such an
alarming doctrine finds its way into the
platform of great political party, it is
time for every patriot to seize his muslset
and cry halt" The whole tendency of
the Chicago platform is bad, and its
adoption by the electors of this country
would be menace to our system of gov
eminent and disgrace to the nation.
When Ii Hung Chang was recently in
terviewed by the reporters of the New
York press and was asked what effect
the free coinage of silver would have up
on China his only answer was that the
United State would never adopt the free
and unlimited coinage of silver. When
ever the same question In any other form
was pressed upon his attention his uni
versal answer was precisely the same, but
with increased emphasis. We are now on
a. steady and firm monetary basis and
with currency sufficient to transact all
the business of this country. and Lii Hung
Chang could not believe ii possible thai
an intelligent people would change from
this to debased and dishonest and un-
certain currency, and suffer all the evil
consequences that are Inevitably incident
to stch a change. If within few weeks
when that distinguished Chinese states
man reaches his home he should be in
formed that majority OF the electors in
the United States had voted for precisely
that thing the good opinion of this corn-
try and its institutions which he now un-
ioubtedly has would be considerable
lessened. The same would probably be
equally true of every leading statesman
IN every other country
You will remember that sone fourteen