The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-08-20


July last was convened in the usual way
under call issued in due form by the
national democratic committee. Every
state and territory in the Union. from
Maine to Alaska. was represented by the
full quota of delegates, and | may add
=, with perfect truth that more intelli-
gent and thoroughly representative body
| OF democrats was never assembled upon
| the American continent. The convention
was called for two purposes; first to for
mulate platform declaratory of prin-
ciples; and second, to nominate candi-
| dates for president and vice president of
the United States. Both these purposes
were fully accomplished and accom-
plished according to the usages that have
been recognized and the methods of pro-
cedure which have obtained in demo-
cratic conventions for fifty years. The
acts of the convention were therefore
the acts of the democratic party.
although all !. have said is literally
true, yet the fact remains, of which
everyone is conscious that there were
eXtraneous circumstances leading up to
the convention which attracted unusual
| attention to it's deliberations and invest
| ed them with international Importance.
| To such an extent was this true that
| | may say that no political convention
| has been assembled in this country since
| the civil war upon which public interest
| has been riveted with such intensity in
the outcome of its deliberations. not only
| the American people, but the nations of
the earth felt such deep concern. We
| are all familiar with the circumstances
| to which | refer. The existing national
| administration was created by the DEM
| ocratic party. The campaign of 1899
was fought almost entirely on the tariff
| 1t was Il war waged against the excess
| sive, mOnOpOistic, trust-breeding sched-
i ules of the Mckinley law The demo-
| cratic party was united almost as one
man against that law, thousands of those
| who believed in the policy of protection
conservatively administered for the peo-
| pies good and not for the enrichment
of private individuals. protested against
this monstrous measure of express indi-
| vidual and corporate emolument.
| but. Mr.. Chairman, | desire to say
| that although the tariff was made the
issue of 1899, there were thousands of
democrats who then believed than re-
| form in our monetary system was of far
greater Importance than a reform in our
revenue policy. | was among those who
so believed. Those holding to that belief
did not in any degree underestimate the
Importance of the tariff issue: on the con-
trary its Importance was wholly appre
ciated. but they believed. nevertheless,
that control of our financial affairs by
mercenary combination of Wall street
bankers, dominated by foreign influences.
was more perilOus to national safety and
more pernicous to national prosperity
than all the tariffs the misery hand of
gluttonous greed could write. However.
we acquesced in the decision of our
party convention. accepted the issues as
made and as one man rallied with
alacrity to the standard of revenue re-
form. We rcjoiced in Mr.. CleveIand's
election and confidently expected, as we
had right to, that he would bring the
and strip monopoly of its opportunity to
plumber the people. But in this just eX-
pectation we were doomed to disappoint-
ment. Instead of Governing congress for
the adjustment of the important issue
upon which he was elected he inconsis-
tently threw ii aside and began almost ut
the Threshold of his administration to
exercise the powers of his office to com
NIT the country to Il financial system in
augurated by the republican party and
which the democratic party had time and
time again condemned in both state and
national convention. In the beginning of
this attempt the masses of the people
disappointed and distressed. looked on
with amazement. With absorbing inter
est and with constantly increasing re-
sentiment they watched the rapid delelop-
before them one by one in quick success
sion and when they came to understand
their full meaning and intent their resent
ment turned to wrath and they rebellcd.
Then began with the democratic party
one of the most remarkable struggles
that has ever occurred in the political
history of this country. 1t was II strug-
gle for mastery between the national adj
ministration and the great masses of the
N N uh nj IN pty
which created that administration. The
prize they fought for was the national
convention. The convention was to de-
eide whether the democratic party was to
abide to the traditions of its fathers and
adhere to the principles. whether it
should come out squarcly for the prin-
ciples of true democracy or become a
plant tool to advance the merccnary
ends of Il great plutocracy. The people
easily won.
'',The paramount question before the
convention was. should this great country
sit and wait for England or act indie
pcndcntly for itself? Shall it be II vassal
or an Independent sovereign country.
The republican convention declared for
American subserviency and for submits
sion 1t upheld the British plan for Il
gold standard. fraudulently plastered up
on the country. and declared that we are
utterly incapable of maintaining an in
dependent policy of our own. COnfessing
that the gold standard is fraught with
evil to our people and that bmctallism is
best for this nation and for the world.
it yet declared that we are helpless. that
we must stand idle while our industries
are Frustrated and our people are ruined
until England shall consent for MS to lift
our hands i'm our own defense. TO this
low state has mammOn brought this great
party of the immortal Lincoln. For
years pIutocracy has been winding ITS
Shiny and poisonous coils around the re-
publican party and it will strange it to
death as the sea serpeDts of old stranglcd
the priests of Neptune and his sons. SO
also it laid its foul corroding hand on the
democratic party--the party of Jefferson
and Jackson and used all its giant
strength to bend it to its purposes. Within
both parties there was Il mighty struggle
for supremacy between those who believe
in the sovereignty Of the people and those
who believe in the divinity of pelf. In
the republican party the hand of Marcus
Aurelus buckled Il golden mail and sent
it forth dedicated to the service OF pluto
cracy in this free land of ours.
But in the democratic party. thank
God. the people were triumphant. There
the clutch of the money power, after "A
tremendous conflict, was broken. The
priests of mammOn were scourged from