Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-30


maintain the federal government. Is 1t
right is il fair to labor that it shall be
taxed to build our naYies, support our
army assume the entire burden OF pay
ing the pensions of the old soldiers, clean
out your channels to deep water dredge
your rivers-in fact maintain the entire
fabric of our government while the IN
come from wealth shall remain untaxed2
If accumulated wealth objects to this
fair division of the burden OF govern
ment it is not difficult to see why they
object to the increase in the volume OF
metallic money, -
The time and occasion VIII not permit
a discussion of the reasons for this I'M
holy alliance betw en- these three great
moneyed interests. The war they are
making on the democratic platform ana
nominees is a war of SelflshnesS ana
gresd, but with the mass of the PLAIN
people behind the party, with r1ght WRIT
ten on it's banner and justice INSCRIBED on
its shield, it will prevail even agdlHst
this combination. You may search TINS
platform from its preamble to its closing
sentence and not a word Will be Iouhu
that will justify the oft-repeateu ehdibs
from the gold standard press, both IN ana
out of the state, and the corporate rludeh,
m asly effort at the formation OF new
party headed and differed by profess
sonal politicians and corporation attor-
neys. that would Justify the criticism
that the democracy is aiming a single
blow at the subVerSion of social ofuer
or the rights of property.
We do demand that the producer shall
have a legitimate share of the proceeds
of his toll; we do demand that the Ameri-
can la borer shall not be put in the conol-
ton of the pauper labor of gold stanaafa
Europe; we do demand that the FARMER
in every field of our common country x
CARELESS of section, shall nave lroHl 3iS
proceeds of his farm
Il. A hoxr fha
We do contend that the party founded
by Jefferson shall mot b. controiiea py
corporations, banks and money syHul-
Gates. and that the wealth of this couh-
try shall bear it's legitimate snare ol the
burdens of taxation. If this is anarchy
If this is socialism, then the democratic
party is a party of anarchists ana So
ciaHsts.
In the canvass that Is just OPP ming
SANDER, vitupera ton and falsehood Will
be the chief weapons used; but we must
not permit them to fight this battle on
ground of their seleetion-on talse issues.
They will contend that we fail to indorse
Mr. Cleveland; that we criticised tha SUI
preme court when they Will be studlously
endeayoring to avoid a discussion or the
three planks in the platform at Whlcn
they are so much dissa tisded. what dlt-
ference do you suppose 1t made with a
certain lot Of railroad attorneys, the head
of this boiling, republican movement III
Alabama, whether or not we crltlclS7u
republican supreme court? When were
thew appointsd the next friend of this
august tribunal? When did they wake
up to the fact that a republican Judge
was so immaculate as to be above cru,
csm? Do you suppose that railroau
attorney who never before took the least
interest in either local or national poh-
ties felt very much aggrieved because we
failsd to indorse Mr.. CLEVELAND? why
these roads are owned principally by Tor
eign syndicates that are spending ulll-
lions of money in this canvass educating
their employees ON the money queStion
and in a corruption fund, and they claim
that it is all because we failed to lndOrSe
Mr. Cleveland and criticised our supreme
court Wen, the fact Is, we forgot TO IN
dorse Mr.. Cleveland until 1t was too latF
to ascertain which side he was on; ana as
to the supreme court If they are as init
mate with the foreign bondholders oflcor-
porations in this country as the present
circumstances would justify us in infer
ring, a little wholesome criticism may
help them to find out
'Where They Are at"
For twenty-five years the doctrine mas
been preached to the intelligent labofer
and farmer of the United states tnat
they must not be placed on equality with
the pauper labor of gold standard Eu-
rope. Now the democratic party is
charged with anarchy and socialism for
teachings of republicanism and the lead
ership of Billy Napoleon Bonaparte Nc
Kinley to that very British gold stand
ard and reducing our farmers and labor
ers to q level with the pauper labor OF
these same gold standard countries.
They have been on the gold standard for
many years; it has reduced their labor
ers to paupers; it has driven them by tens
of thousands into exile hunting homes in
every cline, and now you try to convince
us that the same causes in America will
produce entirely different results. If the
gold standard in Europe has reduced the
independent land owner to a poverty
stricken. degraded tenant, the laborer to
pauperism, then here the same results
must follow the same causes. The pic
ture has been drawn in the following
words by master hand:
1--WE have transplanted the deadly Upas
tree from an alien soil and planted it in
the free soil of this union. What are the
results? 1t has given the homesteadS of
thousands of toilers to the creditors. 1t
has given one-third of our railway mile
age to receivers. 1t has given reduced
earnings to every one of the other two
thirds and dividends upon stocks and in
terest upon bonds to but few. 1t has
given idleness to 100000 of would-be
toilers in shops and fields. 1t has given
productive capital no scope for use and
little or no returns for risks assured. 1t
has given to silver miners ruin. 1t has
given the farmer 40 cents for wheat and
the cotton planter 4 cents for his cotton.
1t has given nakedness, hunger and cold
to millions of men, women and helpless
children. 1t has proved
A Sea of Tears
and an avalanche of graves and prayers
for succor. 1t has blighted hopes and
paralyzed aspiration in a million of
homes. 1t has produced a crop of de-
faulters and convicts until the jails and
prisons overflow. 1t has produced mobs
and riot and the calling for armed forces
of the nation to check and control. 1t
has produced 800, O00, 900 more of govern
ment bonds, which are so many financial
letters to shackle the feet of industry.
The cause at trial is that of debtor VS..
creditor, humanity VS.. selfishpess, free
government as our fathers designed to
found VS.. the rule of an organized plu-
tocracy."
Mr.. Chairman, we have met here to rat
ify the nominations made by the Chi
cago convention, and to approve the
platform of principle enunciated by that
great democratic gathering. 1t has been
the custom of the southern people al
ways to approve and ratify that which
they believed to be true, and believing In
the true principles of democracy and