New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-21
TURNCOAT POLITICS.
49, EXTRAORDINARY RECORD OF PARTY
QUALIFICATION.

-,,ocsArlc STATE ORGANIZATIONS WHICH
SINCE CHICAGO HAVE SWALLOWED THEIR
CONFESSIONS AND PARADED THEIR
POLITICAL APosTAsY.
-,>,,, Providence fashioned us holler.
annrpose that might our principles sw we
A.. e. man cam wen perVis'T marc nSS Il is So
wv. almost a perversity of fate that the
..or,st and sat,rist who in The Bigow
So. dashed the weaknesses and cowaro'ce'
fAp. and hypocrisy. Of an earlier gem
ton ~ American politicians should not nave
erS'' "a. h,s choicest sarcasms revitalized
~. u.no,nted by the extraordinary seh-coh'la-
a"' Qualifications of the present poht'-
-, ..nnaisn. American public men ana po".'
cal Can" - ,ovy neriods have escaped the
.S.-ge Of Inconsistency or freeo
o"". ,-or, the faint Of temporzing policy re'-
"h0'' ms.,ohface'' Wings of 1916. at "hoi
nap' -, I,owelrs verses was aimed repre-
'"e ~. .xtreme type then known or poN'ical
SEN. and cvnicism. But surely. in point vi
ny orteuot OF principle. reputation OF past
w. xr,,essions and shameless surrehuei Vi
p, .elfrespect and consistency '"o
p-,,..." leaders Of ante-bellum times are
- .,,tc,a.sed by the Democratic pontio'a"S
es'' under whose direction the party or
,u.,,on in some fourteen States mas wi'"'''
,rths utterly reversed It's opinions anu
~. and accepted as unauestioheu party
,at Il had already denounced as naeran-
80 ,amnable party heresy NO nioie Vi
N.,s,,,on Of political cynicism IS 10 DC iou''' -
American public annals
sor>DMONEY PROTESTANTs AT CHI
CAGO.
..,,,sd 20 slightly more than one-third OF the
-, representation-sent delegates 10 '"o
r~.,,X,ratic National Convention at chicago
,.a 20 res,st the adoption Of free-siiVer
80, platform. In the list Of commemorative
"a rostern and Northwestern-opposins
y.oud,ation programme Of the Western ana
s...,e-r wings Of the party, were Maine, New
,.,,nsb,re Vermont Massachusetts. Connecti-
-. pboae Island New-York. New-Jersey' PENN
,r.r,o Delaware Maryland, Minnesota WIS
80, South Dakota and Michigan. Nebraska
,s also represented at Chicago by soio-
lard delegation, which obtained seats IN the
,o-,,orarv organization OF the Convention pu'
,,,s excluded subsequently without oppositio"
~, the recommendation OF the Commuee OH
Credentials The anti-free coinage delegates oo-
,.iously did not reflect the real sen''fhe"' Vi Wv
Democratic party in Nebraska, or represent ."e
majority Of the Democratic voters there' anu 'O
-. ..o.o, Nahraska Is not added TO the lst Oh
80. a.e,,,e,v committed, before the meeting
81 the National Convention. to the sounu-"h'"
cause , .,a
,c,h,gan's attitude at Chicago was also the
subiect Of a vehement and bitter dispute i"e
state Convention, which after goou uea' ~
clever manipulation. was captured oy tue an
silver managers, and elected Delegation oou'io
hv the unit rule TO the support OF SUNNI
nancy programme adopted PLATFORM "ii'"
while mildly denouncing the free-shNei 'o''e
,er..v left the question of local party policy TO
hs determined largely by the declarations 10 DC
,osas subsequently at Chicago. Contests were
.,,a,rst four Of the district delegates and
cha National Convention, after an exciting ana
,., oo,test unseated them. thus carrying
Inc whole vote Of the state. by an application OF
-, witt r,,,e into the free-silver column. Unoer
,h. circumstances the Michigan Democracy ike
81, % Nebraska will have TO be absolved from
,ncons,stencv and qualification in accepting SUD-
seouent,y the new and revolutionary platform
promulgated by the victorious Bryan-llllrhah-
AltgeId wing Of the National party.
with the other fourteen States no such apoi-
ogy or Justification for a shameless reversal Oh
political principles and traditions is possible
Each and every one had committed Itself freely
and without reservation to the cause OF sounu
money and had denounced the free coinage OF
silver as a preposterous and suicidal Natlonal
nol,cv Yet within two months the Democratic
organizations. or what is left OF them' IN these
tonr+aen States seem engaged in a scramble TO
zee which shall go furthest in subservient ac-
acknowledgement Of the Chicago Conventions au-
thority or show greatest zeal In repudlatlng
what 1t formerly held unquestioned truth
MAINE LEADS THE WAY IN APOsTASY.
Maine the home Of the Boy Orators running
a,s IN the Democratic end Of the Reputation
ticket was the first State TO experiment with
no,;t,cal apostasy The State Convention which
mot on June II TO choose delegates to Chicago
had made this direct and emphatic declaration
We onnose the free coinage OF silver and favor
,he single gold standard, unless ulHerent stand
ard il adopted through internauohai agreement
strong gold-standard Democrat Edward +.
Winslow was also selected as a candldate 10
head the State ticket at the September election.
Mr. Sewan's nomination for the Vice-Presidency
on free-silver coinage platform put the DO
rnocracv Of Maine in a most embarrassing and
painful position. Either the National canoioate
~ tho state platform had to be sacrificed. and
the platform, as was 10 be expected was pre-
ferred for nartyrdom. Mr.. Winsio" was INDUCED
TO withdraw from the race for the GoVernorship;
q new State Convention was called, Melvin p.
Frank a free-coinage Democrat. was chosen to
renace Mr. Winslow as a party candidate and,
finally, the following bald and cynical resolution
adopted:
p.so,vaA Tba, We take from our State platform
the following declaration: I'VE oppose the free
coinage Of silver and favor the single g9ia stand
international agreement" and that we indorse the
National Democratic platform. with Bryan ana
Sewall
On this lame. impotent and mpudent compro-
n,re between principle and expedency the State
cannatgn was relaunched. That 1t should have
ended IN last Mondays crushing and well-de-
served disaster can surprise no Just or right
thinking observer.