The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-08-02

Colonel Robert F. Coates has reDudi
ated the alleged Democratic convention
at Chicago. He has been mad ever
since the aggregation met there. MIR
Coates is an old time Democrat whit
never did believe in departing an iots
from party principles. When a report
er for the Eagle met him az the city
building yesterday and asked him why
ne was not at the ratification the othe,
night he said:
las Democrat repudiate both the
platform promulgated by the Chicago
convention and Its candidates nominal
ed on that platform. 1t was not IN any
sense Democratic convention, and
hence i repudiate the convention itself
as not Democratic convention.
Its first official act was un-Demo-
cratic and revolutionary. For forty
years the national committee was &C
corded the prerogat tive OF naming the
temporary chairman. In every contest
ed case before its committee on creden-
tials it turned down the delegations
that were Democratic and seated the
delegations with Populistic instruc-
tons. In the case Of the Michigan dele
cation 1t threw out the regularly elect
ed delegation with the proper creden-
tials and seated an improvised delega-
ton Of Pops without a sign Of creden-
tial or single excuse for being on the
floor of an alleged Democratic conven-
ton.
In its declaration Of principles 1t has
turned upside down and inside out all
of the time honored principles of the
Democratic party. The tenacity with
which the Democratic party from its
earliest history has chung to the prfn-
ciple of sound money is historic. The
cardinal, fundamental principle that the
coinage value and the commercial value
of the dollar must be exactly the same
is the one article of faith which the
Democratic party has at all times OBJ
stinably maintained. The doctrine that
the government can take fifty cents
worth of silver and make a dollar out
of it, was disowned by the makers of
the dechara ton of independence" and
is as un-Demoncratic as the cross and
crown candidate who declared two
years ago he would not vote a Demo-
cratic ticket without free silver Is to
attachment to it, and who the Popu-
lists of this town recently endorsed as
a simon pure Democrat. The denun-
citation of the supreme courts and the
administration of the Democratic party
IS another new discovery by the au-
thors of the modern mana charta The
endorsement of Altgeld and his an
archistic notions and its denunciation
of the administrations success in pre-
venting the obstruction OF the property
of the people Of Illinois by the anarch-
lists Of Chicago is outrageously I'M
Democratic and was dishonesty stolen
from Herr Most and the Sedgwick
county Populdst platform.
Taking 1t all in all the platform no
more resembles Democratic declara-
ton of principles than PETERS speech
on the bond deal. or Governor Waits
inaugural address.
But what else could you expect
when Populists were put on the list of
delegates and Democrats on lists of al
ternateS as was the case in this
county and when Populists were allow
ed name the delegates in Democratic
as was the case in Spencer
Kentucky, and when alleged
Democrats and Pops are contending
about which is the true Democratic
party as is now the case in Alabama.
IN fact man, especially. Kansas
man, is compelled to run the gauntlet
Of Populisttic inspection before he can
be labelled Democratic. But return
ing the rape on the Democratic party
at Chicago by the Tillmans, the Simp-
sons, the Waits, the Pennoyers, the
Altgelds, the Bryans and the Mosts of
the country. want to say as a Demo-
Graf, 1 resent IL and am heartily in
favor of the Democrats of the country
reorganiZing the party ON strictly
Democratic lines"