Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-23
PROUD OF HIS COMPANY
Hon. Tennent Lomax GIories in
True Democracy.
THE PLATFORM ALL RIGHT
And That We've Bit of Bolt at Montgomery
Doesn't Count-A Loyal and Eloquent
Speech

Following is the eloquent and able
speech of Hon. Tennent Lomax at the
Bryan and Sewall ratification meeting in
Montgomery:
When Mr.. Lomax was introduced the
applause lasted for several minutes, dy-
ing down only to be taken up again.
Finally he was permitted to proceed with
his speech which was a powerful pre-
sentation of the cause of democracy.
He began by saying he the man
from Montgomery county who was said
to have turned anarchist at Chicago.
He was sure when he mentioned the dis
tinguished anarchists whose company he
joined at Chicago he would be excused
for following such course, viz: Daniel
of Virginia Walsh and Howell of Geor-
gia. Bankhead Keller Parks and Sprag-
ms of Alabama, George, Walthall and
Money of Mississippi, Reagan and Gull
berson of Texas Jones and Berry of Ar
kansas, Bate and Harris of Tennessee.
Wat Hardin and Joe Blackburn of Ken
lucky and Stone, Cockrell and Vest of
Missouri. men who for thirty years had
been leaders Of political thought in the
south and under whose teachings he had
learned the lessons of democracy. These
were the anarchists at Chicago.
He referred to the boiling opera house
meeting as a wee bit of bolt launched
al the same place as the bolt of 1892 was
organized, and said he was informed that
the leader and chairman of that bolt had
not even registered so as to become a
lualfied voter He took up and answered
their criticisms of the platform, showing
that they had denounced one plank in
The platform which was a literal copy of
the plank on the subject in the platform
pn which Mr.. Cleveland was first elected
breeident-the plank on river improve
m, nts He declared that bimetallism,
Ehe equal and free coinage of both gold
Agd silver at 16 to /, had been a cardinal
doctrine of democracy ever since the con-
stitution had declared for gold and silver
as money of the country, and challenged
the production of a single paragraph in
any democratic newspaper, or a single
utterance of any democratic speaker
prior to 1890, which had failed to de-
nounce the crime of 1878 and to demand
free coinage. He denied that the plat
form attacked the supreme court or that
there was any demand therein to pack
that court. The demand of the platform
was for such legislation as could be had
under that decision or If the court should
be differently constituted in the future
for an income tax, which will compel
those who lived in gilded palaces and en-
joyed the protection of the government
TO pay equally with the poor man just
proportion of it's expenses. The boilers
denounced this plank as a demand for
packing the court and yet seek to elect
Mckinley, the nominee of the only party
that ever did pack the supreme court,
nota bly, under Grant to get the legal ten
der decision on greenbacks. He read ex-
tracts from the opinions of the dissent
ing judges and said they were the at
tacks on the court IL any had been made.
He read the plank protesting against
unjust and arbitrary interference by the
federal government In local affairs and
against government by injunction, and
challenged any man who claimed to be
a democrat to say in so many words that
he favored unjust and arbitrary inter-
ference in local affairs by the federal
government. This had been the doctrine
of Alabama and southern democracy
since 1885, and he had grown up listening
to democrats and newspapers. denounc-
ing the unjust interference of the federal
judiciary in local affairs, and that its
counterpart might be found In the Ken
lucky resolutions of 1898; that he had,
few years ago. seen some of the very
men who were now prating about this
plank applaud an address before the Bar
association of Alabama denouncing the
eneroachments of the federal judiciary
as menace to the government.
He discussed other planks CT the plat
form, and declared that 1t was III entire
accord with the declaration of party
creed promulgated by Jefferson.
Did time permit, the speaker declared,
ne could demonstrate that the other
planks in the platform were equally In
UCCOIu with Tic pTtncipieS Oh true uCitOC-
racy, and that the platform of the Chi
cago convention was In absolute and en-
tire harmony with the principles of de-
mocracy epitomized by Jefferson In his
declaration of party creed and which
were that the ultimate aim of all gov
eminent is to do equal and exact Justice
to all men; to establish peace, to promote
commerce and honest friendship with all
nations and to form entangling alliances
with none; to secure the people and the
states In all their rights and to preserve