Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-07-16
given to emigrating. The lowest. $3.50,
was among the Hungarians. and we
all know what kind of citizens they
make
The Democratic Situation in Maine.

| The Democratic situation in this
| State has its serious aspects as well
as it's ridiculous, though the latter pre-
dominate very largely. While some of
the politicians are simply debating in
| their minds as to the eXpediency of
rank and file of the Maine Democracy
many anxiously considering what is
right for them to do. They have
| trained too long in the Democratic
| ranks to look upon something not
labelled Democratic without suspicion
and yet they believe that the party
| has left its moorings. that it has been
captured by men not Democrats at
heart nor by professions or principles
| that in reality there is no Democratic
party today. They believe in an honest
dollar. They realize that free silver
at ratio of 16 to is reputation. and
that the Populist platform adopted in
the name of the Democratic party is
! reputation of Democracy. Shall they
| repudiate repudiationists? Or does
party fealty demand that they shall
vote against what they know to be
right and for what they know to be
wrong, undemocratic, dangerous. revo-
lutionary, anarchistic. subversive of law
and order? With such an issue before
tn hesitate lnnc
ror arrive at the wrong conclusion. If
newspapers must reflect the opinions of
, their constituents unless they do.
their mission is short lived-they as
, sumo a graver responsibility than does
the Individual when they bolt their party
ticket. But in the West. in the hot
beds Of Populism and reputation, in
the South amid similar conditions lead
ing Democratic newspapers have bold
that they will not endorse nor work
for Altgcdism, Tillmansm and Pop
ulism. In the East the greatest and
most influential newspapers that ever
upheld Democratic principles recog
nize that Popocracy is not Democracy.
The issue presented to sound money
Democrats is we'll expressed by the
leading Democratic paper Of LeXing
ten. Ky, that has just declared that it
while the American citizen owes a
duty, to the party whose cause he has
eSpoSsed, he owes much higher and a
more sacred duty to his country" A
! Democrat OF Democrats. Assistant
Secretary Hamlin of the L. S. treasury
has no hesitancy in saying: When
once this dangerous element has been
stamped out at the polls by an indig
nant people, we can divide and discuss
the political questions which, for
generations. have kept alive the two
great political partics.'
1t would be difficult to better or more
clearly outline the path of duty for
sound money Democrats. Nor need
this duty be effected by any sense of
sentiment toward those now masquer-
aiding under the guse of Democracy,
Mr.. Bryan did not represent in that
convention the Democratic party of
Nebraska, only the silver faction of it.
and cannot command united Demo-
cratic support at the polls in his own
state. Only last year he uttered these
words from the stump and has never
retracted them:
Nothing in heaven above. on the
earth below, or in hell beneath could
Are not the sound money men of that
party just as honest, just as firm in
their convictions as is Mr.. Bryan? Are
they to stutify their cause as well as
themselves by even tacitly admitting
that they are not?
There are some, however, who re-
crat more complicated than in any
other state This is true, but the pur-
pose of the sound money Democrats
ought to be none the less firm and
their duty to oppose anything favor
ing Popocracy is just as certain as the
duty of sound money, law abiding men
anywhere. Many of them are advocat
ing the support of their state ticket on
the ground that the platform and can
ddate are both pronounced for the
existing currency basis. But the free
silverites nominated free silver man
| from this State because they hoped to
cut down the Republican majority
| here Some may have believed that
free silver can carry Maine. Indeed
| the estimates they have made, as to
the electoral vote they assume to be
certain of. included Maine, but to cut
down the Republican majority in Sep
tcmbcr is really the purpose of the
shrewder leaders. Moreover they
want to do it on a free silver basis be-
cause they believe they will catch
|