The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-10-16
Remarkable FIops Made In
Democratic Platforms.
GOOD LESSON IN POLITICS.
States That Declared Unreservedly for Gold
and Then al Moments Notice Whooped il
Up for SiIver-Party and Not Principle in
Many Organizations Wording of Money.

LII q IECEuI ISSuG Vi the NEW VI n
Tribune is given the following review
of the manner in which the silver dec
laration of the Chicago Convention eff
fected the Democratic organization of
many States. The Tribune gives its
remarks a Republican coloring, but
the comparison of platforms, before
and after, is a good evidence of what
party power will do in the United
States.
Fifteen Satisfactorily one-third of
all, but entitled to slightly more than
one-third of the total representation
sent delegates to the Democratic Ma
tional Convention at Chicago pledged
to resist the adoption of a free-silver
coinage platform. In the list of COM
monwealths-chiefly Eastern and
Northwestern opposing the Repudia-
ton programme of the Western and
Southern wings of the party, were
/ Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont Mas
sachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
! New York New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, Wis
consin, South Dakota and Michigan.
Nebraska was also represented at Chi
cago by a gold-standard delegation,
! which obtained seats in the temporary
| organization of the Convention, but
was excluded subsequently without OPP
position on the recommendation of the
! Committe on Credentials. The anti
free coinage delegates obviously did
not reflect the real sentiment of the
| Democratic party in Nebraska, or re-
present the majority of the Democratic
voters there, and for that reason Ne
braska is not added to the list of States
ffDI, Cd no anaf-
| ing of the National Convention, TO the
! sound-money cause.
Michigan's attitude at Chicago was
also the subject OF vehement and
bitter dispute. The State Convention,
which, after a good deal of clever ma
nipulatiOn, was captured by the anti
silver managers, and elected a delega-
ton bound by the unit rule to the sup
port of a sound-mOney programme,
adopted a platform which, while mildly
denOuncing the free-SilVer coinage
heresy, left the question of local party
policy to be determined largely by the
declarations to be made subsequently
at Chicago.
With the other fourteen States no
such apology or justification for a
shameless reversal of political prin-
cipleS and traditions is possible. Each
and every one had committed itself
freely and without reservation to the
cause of sound money and had denoun-
ced the free coinage of silver as a pre-
posterous and suicidal National policy.
Yet within two months the Democratic
organizations, or what is left of them,
in these fourteen States seem engaged
in a scramble to see which shall go
furthest in subservient acknowledge
ment of the Chicago Convention au
thnrifU or hnW zeal in
pudiating what it formerly held as un-
questioned truth.
Maine the home of the Boy Orators
running mate on the Democratic end
of the Reputation ticket, was the State
to experiment with political apostasy.
The State Convention which met on
June II to choose delegates to Chicago
had made this direct and emphatic de-
| claration:
We oppose the free coinage of silver
and favor the single gold standard, un
less different standard is adopted
through international agreement.
A strong gold-standard Democrat,
Edward P. WinslOw, was also selected
! as a candidate to head the State ticket
at the September election. Mr.. Sc
wallis nomination for the Vice-PreSi
dency on a free-silver coinage platform
put the Democracy of Maine in a most
embarrassing and painful position. Mr..
WinsIow was induced to withdraw
from the race for the GOvernOrShip:
new State Convention was called,
Melvin P. Frank, a free-cOinage De-
mocrat, was chosen to replace Mr..
Winslow as a party candidate, and,
finally. the following bald and cynical
resolution was adopted:
Resolved, That we take from our
State platform the following declara-
ton: I'VE oppose the free coinage of
silver and favor the single gold stand
ard unless different standard
is adopted through an international
agreement" and that we indorse the
National Democratic platform, with
Bryan and Sewall.
VERMONT AND NEW HAMPSHIRE
RECANT.
The Vermont Democrats, though
likewise conducting a September State
campaign, avoided the open and flag
rant challenge to political morality in
volved in Mr.. SewalPs policy in Maine.
The State Convention, which met OH
May 81, to choose delegates to Chicago
and nominate State ticket, had passed
this resolution:
We demand the maintenance of a
gold standard of value, as being in the
true interests of all our people, espe-
cially those obliged to labor for what
they receive; and we are opposed to
the free coinage of silver, except by
international agreement.
The Democratic candidate for Cover
nor, Dr. j. H. Jackson, announced that
he had accepted the platform made at
Chicago and would stand upon it; so
no further party action was deemed
necessary. DR.. Jackson was defeated
on September 2.
The Democratic organization in New