Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-03-26
Pain TnIk from Ex.Goy. Campben.

cratic Presidential nomination. -
Continuing on the party situation
he says:
Every true Democrat should,
however, rally at this crisis about
the standard Of the party. This
talk Of IA possible split should cease.
These will be trying times for the
Democracy. The party has met
three bitter defeats since the viCto-
rirs Of 1892. 1t is just AS well not
to ask why, or blow in the ashes of
tn" past for reasons now. Those de.
foutS have torn and strained and
weakened us. If they are to be fol-
lowed by split in the conventions
and assertions at the polls then are
the days of Democracy numbered
and the era is at hand. | say il with
tirmness, tor it is my unqualified be-
lief that should the party be split ut
the Chicago convention the party has
met its death. 1t is for that reason
that eNhort every true man of the
faith 10 stand by the Democracy
through the next campaign. We
may fail, but let us fail and fall to-
gether. DO not let us annihilatc the
party in advance by the suicide of a
split"
He then inveighs strongly against
the threat many are making to bolt
in case the party's candidates and
platform shall not be acceptable to
them. On this point he says:
i prescribe no medicine | will
not take. For myself | will say
that whatever the Chicago platform,
and whoever the candidates, ! will
support both with heart and strength
and vote the ticket without mark.
| have my views on finance as full
and clear as any man, yet ! say to
you that il next summers Demo
cratic convention declares for gold
recommendation and against silver in
any form for all time, and then
names an utter gold bug as the can
didate for the Presidency, l will
give my full and faithful support to
the ticket and do my best to pull it
through. If, on the other hand, the
platform declares for independent
free silver coinage, 16 to |, silver
mOnOmetalism, if you please, and |
the utter death of gold as a money |
metal, and selects candidates to cor
respond, yet will give my hearth
est support to the ticket and work
with zeal and ardOr to secure a vic
tory. Yet | believe both Of these
proposals of finance would be wrohg.
| do not agree with either. But if
the party is to live, if il is ever to |
see IA national success again, men
must learn that miuorities must |
yield 10 majOrities and that the trea.
son of bolt and split must be done
away with"
AT this point in the interview Gov.
Campbell seemed to see the uccrs-
Slty to" some explanation of the
strong language he had used and the
very decided position he had taken.
He proceeds, therefore, to declare
the reasons for the faith that was i'm
him:
81 was born a Wing aud raised a
Republican, and became a Democrat
with my eyes open and with reasons
for the hope within me. | became
Democrat because | believed, and
still believe, that it is the party of
the common people, as against a
party Of aristocracy, and it has
within its keeping the ark of politi-
Cal covenant which guarantees to the
people of this country the rights and
liberties granted by the Constitution.
The Democratic party is the party
of the people as against the Repub.
ilcan, the party Of privileges, and
The Populist the party Of anarchy.
AND 1t is this which has preserved
the Democratic party. Its war re-
cord was and is not TO be defended.
1t would have killed any other party.
The Wings died for less. Yet be-
cause 1t was the party of the people,
Tor the people, by the people, the
people forgave it the worse than
mistakes of the first half of the six
ties. And now thirty years after
the war, if the members of the party
will only be true to themselves,
whether we win next fall or not there
is still future of success and vic.
tory to follow. But bolt and split
now and we are undone for all time,
The Democracy is destroyed forever,
sown with salt. 1t will live only as
memory like the Wings, the Fed.
eralists, and other combinations of a
past that is far or near"
SAYS tx. Gov. Fleming, one of the
School Book board, "there can be
no denial of the fact that the law
passed by the last Legislature 1.-THE
School Book law is about the most
bunglesome piece of legislation ever
placed upon our statutes, and shows
as clearly as anything else they did
the absolute incompetency of a Re.
publican Legislature. Should a new
] CNnlrarl haNn IL he unnln NH out Z,