The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-06

vontion-The s.stradd1er of 1856 on
Slavery Was Not Acceptable TO the South.
The North Wanted Douglas Whose Views
Were Extreme-states Which Seeded.
Attempt to Bring Them Back at BaIti-
more Two Months Later - virEinia's
Threat-Ths Withdrawal of the Southern
states-Was 1t Planned to Bring About
the Disruption of the UniOn?-Its COnse-
quence to the Country and to the Demo
cratic Party.
LCopyrights 1851
Thirty six years ago the Democratic
party split on sectional lines on collateral
issues of the great slavery question.
Every effort was made by both sides to
bring about compromise on which north
ern and southern Democrats could stand,
but without avail.
1t took the Democratic party a quarter
Of q century to recover from the effects of
that division, and the wonder is that it re-
covered at all.
Today the Democracy confronts an issue
on which sectional lines are drawn quite
as plainly-the question of the standard of
currency. The delegates from the west and
south in the Chicago convention which
meets on the It'll of July will favor the free
and unlimited coinage Of silver by the
United States irrespective of the attitude
of the other nations of the world. The dele
gates from the east will favor the main
tenanee of the existing gold standard. The
free silver men viii have an unquestion-
able majority in the convention. viii they
take advantage Of that fact and commit
their party to free silver COINAGE If they
do, will the gold standard men walk out of
the convention as did the delegates from
many of the southern states from the Dem
Ocratic convention of 1860?
Last December Governor W. j. Stone of
Missouri told me there was no danger the
silver men would bolt the Chicago conven-
ton if the gold men were in the majority
there. But, he added, it was altogether
likely the gold men would bolt if they
We're in the minority.
Now the gold men are in the minority,
and they have not announced an intention
to bolt; but, speaking through Mr.. Whit
ney of New York they have said what is
almost equivalent to such declaration
that they cannot support a nominee who
runs on n free silver platform. Mr.. Whit
ney meant by this that the Democrats of
the east would not vote for a free silver
candidate, not that they would support
any other candidate or join any other
party. He thinks the Democrats of the
east will stay at homo and vote for no one.
The Republican party is already divided,
though the division is not so serious as the
ty would be- The number of states which
through their delegates to the St. Louis
convention went out of the Republican
party is not Create Judged by the action
of the St. Louis convention, only a small
part of the Republican party is in favor of
the free coinage Of silver That part is not
represented by any one in authority except
three members of the United States senate
On the other hand, the Democratic party,
which is in power ut Washington, finds its
majority in national convention diametrie-
ally opposed to the policy Of the leaders it
elected four years. ago. 1t finds itself di-
vided so evenly that there was a question
for many months before the delegates were
elected whether the national convention
would be for silver or for gold. Less than
a year ago SO certain were the gold or
''sOund money men that they would con-
troll the convention that the only candi-
dates seriously discussed were "s0und
money" men, and chief among these was
". R. Morrison of Illinois. Now Colonel
Morrison has withdrawn from the race be-
cause he cannot favor the free coinage Of
silver and because he sees that the drift of
the convention is hopelessly in that direc-
ton.
Not all the eastern members of the Dem
ocratic party are for sound money" as
not all of its western and southern NOM
bers arc for silver. Not all of the southern
delegates to the famous Charleston cOnven-
ton of 1860 walked out of the convention
hall; not all of the northern delegates sus-
tanned the platform and the report Of the
committee on credentials two wedges
which split the Democratic party in half
at the adjourned meeting of She convention
in Baltimore and put two hopeless Demo
cratic tickets in the field against Lincoln
and Hamlin.
Until the Charleston convention Of 1850
the Democracy had fought over principles
often but the viii of the maj Ority had been
accepted when the record was made. 1t had
fought over men quadrennially, but when
the tvo-thirds vote of the convention
named the party candidate all the dele
gates to the convention aequieSced in the
verdict. The split in the convention of
1860 was the first step toward the condl-
ton which resulted in the secession of the
southern states and inaugurated the long
continued civil war. There is n belief in
the minds of some historians that the dis
cord in the Charleston convention was the
result and not the cause of the desire for
secession; that the troubles of that con-
vention were inspired by southern men
who wanted an excuse for taking their
states out of the Union Mr.. Blaine did
not believe this He thought the differ
ences in the convention were unavoidable
and the results inevitable.
The conflict in and out Of congress over
the right of the territorial legislatures or
of congress to prohibit slavery in the terri
tories had created restless condition in
the south and in the winter Of 1859-60 an
outbreak seemed imminent. 1t was for
this reason southern city was chosen as
the meeting place of the convention The
southern Democrats we're arrayed against
the northern Democrats, and the belief was
general TINT a northern candidate nOmi-
mated in northern city on a platform en-
bodying the ideas of the Democrats Of the
north could not command the support Of