The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-09-30
Declines the Nomination.
Cannot Stand Upon q Plat
form Which Endorses Silver,

ALBANY, Sept. 26.-John Boyd
Thacher has declined to. accep: the
Democratic nomination for governor
Mr.. Thacher was nominated at But
falo by the Democratic convention on
the l7th of September The plat
form adopted by that convention, in
so far as it equivocally endorsed the
Chicago platform, cannot be sub
scribed to by Mr. Thacher a.y more
than he could nave given his ap
proval to the Chicago platform itself
in many of it's essential features. The
result of this is his declination to
stand as q candidate He had been
led to believe that the Democratic
State platform would be entirely &C
ceptable to him and would not DO
violence to the stand taken by him at
Saratoga On June "a in favor of an
international bimetallism currency
Therefore be had agreed to stand as
a democratic candidate for governor
for the sole purpose, as he says, OF
striving to keep the party in this
State together for the future as well
as for the present His idea was that
the fight in this State should be con-
fined to State issues. The silver
wing of the party decline to accept
his analysis of the political situation
in this State and have demanded that
an out-an-out silver man be placed on
the ticket for governor and that the
fight in this State shall be made upon
the national issues and more partieu-
larIy upon the Democratic proposition
of free coinage at the l6 to l ratio.
Mr.. Thacher thinks that his decli.
nation will result in Wilbur F. Porter
of Watertown. his companion on the
present ticket as candidate for lieu
tenant governor, being named by the
State committee at it's meeting on
Monday night as the candidate for
governor There was intense excite
ment about the city when Mr.. Thach-
er's declination became known short
ly before noon. At the hote! Ken
more the utmost surprise was mani
tested by the members of the Motif.
cation committee when they learned
of Mr.. Thacher's decision.
Mr.. Thacher arrived at the hotel
Kenmore at IL o'clock and proceed
ed to the rooms of the notification
committee. He remained closeted in
secret consultation until nearly
l O'Clock.
At 1880 O'Clock, Chairman York of
the notification committee called the
meeting to order and formally mott
fed Mr.. Thacher of his unanimous
nomination for governor by the Dem
ocrats.
In reply Mr.. Thacher said:
"Mr. York and nembers of the NO
ti6cation committee: | am deeply
sensible of the honor conferred upon
me b. the Democratic party of the
State of New York in naming me as
its candidate for governor.
ri am constrained to decline the
nomination. I was away from Al
bany and at my country home during
the convention and did not learn Of
my nomination until after 8 o'clock
Thursday afternoon.
It was not until 9 o'clock that night
that / had an opportunity to learn the
character of the platform adopted by
the convention There never had
been submitted to me press copy,
manuscript copy or any other copy
of the proposed platform. lfany one
bad been entrusted with the duty Of
presenting such a copy, the trust had
not been fulfilled | had no reason
to expect, after the convention at
Saratoga and after the attitude of the
delegates from New York in the
national convention. that the next
State convention would commit the
Democratic party uureservedly to all
parts of the Chicago platform.
81 addressed communication to
the honorable, the State committee.
at the earliest moment consistent
with maturing my thoughts and two
dsys before it's meeting in New York.
In that communication stated that
my views on the financial question
had not changed since I had publicly
uttered them at the State convention
in June, and that l assumed my NOM
ination was made with the expecta-
ton on the part of the coyention that
as the governor Of the State of New
York has absolutely no official ques.
ton of national finance. could make
the contest upon certain clearly de.
fined State issues which l then EMU
merated aud which | deemed vita!