Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1896-06-05

York, New Jersey and Connecticut, who
have three times turned the scale in the
ele ction of Democratic Presidents with the
Democratic constituencies in New England
and Middle States, who have furnished so
many votes since the war to save the South
from proscriptive legislation, and with those
OF the middle West, but doubtless part of
the border States of the South. | cannot
see how it is possible for any calm man to
think that party committed to free silver
at 16 to can carry any part of the country
except section of the South and some OF
the small Rocky Mountain States. The great
States of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio
and Michigan, three of which we carried in
1899 and secured votes from the other two,
rs also Iowa and Minnesota, would vote by
tens or even hundreds of thousands against
us. Especially am | concerned as to the
effect upon the South of its advocacy Of this
issue. Its relative importance in the union
is decreasing. 1t can maintain potential in
t1uence and even leadership by supporting
sound, benefcent national policies. II will
sink into unimportance il it arrays itself
against the sound system of finance which
the majority of the American people and q
solid North are determined to maintain.
Heretofore sectionalism and subserviency
to class interests in the Republican party
have made a solid South and a divided
North. Shall the errors of the Democrats
of the South make henceforward solid
North and divided South? In their loyal
and splendid support of tariff reform the
Democrats of the South have had the sup
port of millions of the best and most patri-
otto citizens OF the Northeast and North
west BY that inspiring union we have tri-
umphed again and again, and leadership has
generously been accorded to Southern men
ira t;yn # thai in hn nj
war A Confederate soldier has been raised
to the Speakers chair in an election in which
Northern Democrats supplied more votes
than their Southern associates. Under
Southern leadership two general tariff bills
have been carried through the House, the
Sherman silver law has been repealed, and
the odious election laws have been blotted
from the statute books. Shall we part COM
pany with those brethren who have In VIC
tory and in long years Of defeat stood SO
manfully and heroically with us against all
sectional legislation? look with gloomiest
apprehension to the disntegration of the
great historic party whose traditions are the
safeguards of government, whose mis-
sion is to maintain, not to destroy, the pros
perity and progress of all the country, and
whose union Is our only bulwark against
force bills, against consolidation Of power,
against colossal public expenditures, against
high taxation and tariff monopolies. We
broke by long and supreme efforts some OF
the letters which bound US in the power of
these last, and it would now be the strangest
and most melancholy revolution in the his
tory of party warfare should we disarm our
selves for further resistance, and helplessly
submit to be bound with heavier chains.
"The financial question is to day the great
single, acute issue. 1t will be settled and
settled definitely on sound principles by the
American people, but chief issue as it may
be for time, 1t will soon pass away, as the
greenback and like temporary issues passed
away, and the great question OF raising six
hundred millions annually by a just and
equal system of taxation, free from private
greed and extortion, with distribution of
burdens that will not make labor subservi
ent to capital or foster class interests in the
country, or obstruct freedom of commerce,
or take away the chief heritage of American
youth, the opportunity of rising in life on
its merts this is the momentous, this is the
abiding issue. To fight for this issue is the
historic mission OF the Democratic party -
Our enemies challenge us to this contest
where future glory and greatness and victory
surely await us. Shall we ingloriously de-
cline that challenge, turn our weapons
against our best iriends-the Democrats Of
the North--and go down into remediless de.
feat as the champions of losing cause?"