The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-09-30
WE ALE STILL PUZZLED.

Our friend Of the LynchbuTR News says
that The Times memory is at fault as TO
the position which the News took pre-
yous TO the Roanoke Convention with
reference to the reafiirmation Of the Chi-
cago platform by that convention. But
TO be omen and free from cOnceaiment,
says our contemporary, the editor or the
News had no objection 10 a partial real
frmatiOn at Roanoke Of the Chicago plat
form: as for example the declarations on
the currency tariff and trusts. This was
not because we held that national issues
were involved in the State election fey-
ccpt incidentally IT. the choice Of United
states SENATOR but because Democratic
state conventions IN Virginia. since ne
reorganization OF the party IN lSH}. had
habitually endorsed the preceding nation
m platform on the conspicuous issues OF
the day"
Very well. We are getting at the bot
tom OF facts now. Our contemporary ad-
mits that there was no precedent for re-
affirming the Chicago platform as
whole and. infercntially. that he was op-
posed TO that course. We note also that
our contemporary says in two places that
ne had no objection" 10 reafiirming GER
tain planks OF the platform, which we
construo as a negative endorsement
merely.
But why .yas IL necessary 10 have drag
ged in the Chicago platform at all? our
friend says because. since the party was
recognized I'm 1889. it had been the custom
Of the State conventions 20 reaffrm GER
tain planks Of the next preceding nation
al platform. But II our friend had gone
back to the records Of the convention OF
1873. he would have found that there was
notable exception 90 this rule and toat
national issues were ignored And why
Because IN 1872 the National Democratic
party had nominated and run on it's tick
et for the Presidency a man who was not
Democrat and for whom many Demo
Gratis i'm Virginia refused 10 vote. The
party was much split up on the Gre.ly
issue: therefore the convention ignored
national issues entirely and Democrats re-
united on state platform. That wos
the real precedent TO have followed
when the Roanoke Convention met in
August last. the Democratic party OF
Virginia was again divided on national
issues, a large number Of Democrats hay-
ing refused to support the platform and
the nominee OF the Chicago convention.
AS no national issues were involved
Sound Money Democrats asked that the
Roanoke Convention follow the precedent
OF the convention Of 1873 and formulate
platform this time on purely State issues.
| simply roitcrating the general principles
Of Democracy upon which all Democrats
were agreed. II that had been done
Sound Money Democrats could have given
their cordial support 10 the Roanoke tick
ct without an apology. reservation, or pro-
| test and the Virginia Democracy would
! certainly for the time being at least have
been firmly and harmoniously united.
with good hope OF healing the breach for
the future
i,ow then. as tine News admits. that 10
national issues were involved and that
there was no precedent 70 reaalfmi1g
the Chicago platform as a whole. and as
the editor Of the News. according to our
information. declined 10 vote for the Chi
cago platform as whole when the VIII.
glria vote was polled at the Chicago con-
venuon. we cannot understand why ne
did not protest i'm the Roanoke Conven-
ton against reafiirming that self same
platform. We are stiI puzzled