Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-06-10
THE CONVENTION.

der by Hon. j. Taylor Ellyson. chair.
man of the State Democratic commit
tee. AS soon as quiet was obtained,
Mr.. Ellyson said: ut is made my very
agreeable duty, as chairman, to an.
nounce the following temporary organ
ization: Temporary President, Col.
onel John Bell Bigger; Temporary
Secretary, Mr.. Joseph Button; TEN
porary Sergeant at Arms George
Hutchinson
The next half hoLr was consumed in
reading the reports from the various
district conventions of their selections
OF members of the standing commit
tees of the convention.
A motion to adjourn to o clock wa,
made but large element seemed anx
ious to resume business at 8 o'clock
while many thought the time to-
short. and wanted fixed as the hour
When the vote was taken it was hare
to tell from the sound which side wa
n the ascendency. Pausing for mo
ment, Colonel Bigger said: "Gentle
m ell of the convention, in the hop,
that the convention may pc. harmo
NOUS in all other matters, as we'll as il
this, take the liberty of suggesting
that we split the difference, and tina
we adjourn to $3.50 O'clock"
The recess hours were busy one,
with all of the committees of the con
vention, and with the Silver Steering
Committee, which held long anG
most animated session.
AFTERNooN-sE
The Committee on Permanent Or
ganization recommended the following
officers, and they were elected:
President, Micajah Woods; Vice
Presidents Zone from each district)
Secretaries; j. Bell Bigger and Joseph
Button; Assistant Secretaries-Cla
ence E. Young, of Campbell. and mem
bers of the Democratic press of the
State of Virginia here present Ser
geant at Arms, George A. Hutcheson
Capt. Woods on taking the stand
made handsome address in every
way temperate and calculated to pro
duce harmony. The report on plat
form having been delayed, various
speakers were called to the platform
amongst whom were Hon. J. W. Mar
shall, Hon. Thomas s. Martin, Hon
Fl. St. Geo. Tucker, Gen. Eppea Hun
ton, and Hon. Camm Patterson. A,
this point the convention on platform
reported. There were majority and
minority reports. The former was
read by Senator Daniel and the latter
by B. B. Munford, Esq. The follow
ing plat forms were reported:
The Democratic party of Virginia, il
convention assembled, declares al
follows:
1st, We adhere to the principles o.
Democracy as announced by jefferson
Madison, Monroe and Mason and the
patriots of their day that this is 6
government of and for the people, anG
we deprecate the growing influence Of
trusts and great combinations OF
capita! as dangerous to the welfare of
our people and fraught with disaster
to our institutions.
End. We are opposed to McKinleyism
which proposes to tax the poor man
for the benefit of trusts and capitalists,
and we favor a tariff tax for revenue,
limited to the necessities of an econom
ically administered government and
adjusted SO as throw it's burdens most
lightly upon the great producing
classes of our country.
3rd. We oppose the Republican par
ty because, while protesting to protect
our laboring men and mechanics they
are in practice filling their mines and
factories with pauper labor from Eu-
rope, foreign to our laws and language
and uncOngenial to our institutions
We point to the fact that that party
was the author of all the acts of finan-
cial legislation which stimulated the
panic and brought on hard times to
the country, and that it has utterly
failed to suggest any measure OF relief.
4th. 1t is the unwritten law of this
republic established by the custom
and usage of a hundred years aud
sanctioned by the example of the
greatest and wisest of those who have
founded and maintained our govern
ment, that no man should be eligible
for third term Of the Presidential
office.
4th. We denounce as false and Sian
derous the charges made by Republi-
cans against the Democrats of Virginia
as to the reasons which actuated the
General Assembly of the State in
submitting to the People the question
of having Constitutional Convention.
We point to the Public School system
of the State, to the settlement of the
Public Debt, and, to the good will that
exists among all the different races
and sections of the Commonwealth as
evidences of the wisdom of Democratic
rule.
9th. We are for sound money-the
,oundest that the world has ever had
Or can haye; the money of our consti-
tuition, the money of the people, the
money of civilization through ages
past and destined to be such, as we
believe, for ages to come. 1t can not
De that this great nation, the foremost
If the earth in riches and power is
Unable to frame financial system of
is own, and while we should welcome
In international agreement that would
ettle the yexed question we are un.
willing to defer action or make the
interest of our own people dependent
lpon the course of others. We hold
% the use of both gold and silver as
he standard money of the country,
md to the coinage of both gold and
liver without discriminating against
ither metal or charge for mintage.
The immediate and complete restora
ion of the timetable system of money
which existed in the United States
rom 1893 until 1873 is, in our opinion,
by the interests OF COM
nerce, manufactures and agriculture,
7hich are alike suffering from the
ontinuous fall of prices and the |
onseuuent embarrassment or bank |
uptcy of those engaged therein. And |
q order so to restore it we demand the |
rec and unlimited coinage of both |
old and silver at the ratio of 16 to 1,
7ithout waiting for the assent or
of any other nation.
18th. This sound money should con
st of silver and gold. and of paper
in silver at the option of
ne payor, the unit of the whole mass
{ metallic money to be kept at parity