The news & observer., 1897-06-18
washington PostD

verely critical, nave btth hiaue i'S"'"'
the recent utterances by representative
Bailey, the leader of the Democratic mi
nority in the House, in which he endorsed
the renomination of Mr.. Bryan as the
party's candidate for President III l9oo'
AS Mr.. Bailey at one time did not lndorse
the political views of Mr.. Bryan, and
said so i'm speeches and interviews, these
comments were natural. n representative
of the Post asked him yesterday If he
had anything to say in reply
There is nothing in any statement
which | have made" said Mr.. Bailey,
that can justify the charge that l have
renounced or modified my opinion which
expressed last year. 1t is well-known,
and / distinctly stated so at the time,
that the questions upon which | differed
with Mr.. Bryan were entirely outside of
tie Chicago platform. 1t is also well
known that since Mr.. Bryan became the
Democratic nominee for the Presidency
he has adhered strictly to the platform
adopted by our convention which nomi-
mated him. He has accepted the Chicago
platform as the creed of our party and
has insisted that we shall not only live
up to it, but that we shall live within it;
ana HIS poSitiOu III tuho itopSN1
my cordial approval.
FIRST TO INDORSE PLATFORM.
L was one of the first. if not the very
first, to give an unqualified Endorsement
to the Chicago platform. | said to the
committee on platform and resolutions
that with the change in their currency
plank. which l was then urging, and
which was adopted, their platform was
the clearest and best declarations of Dem
ocratic principles that lad been made by
any convention since the one which nomi-
mated Mr.. Buchanan in 1856. | repeated
that statement in my Gainesville speech.
believed than. as all men know now,
that the more our platform is studied
and discussed the stronger it will grow
in public favor, and certainly | am ready
to support for our Presidential nOmina-
ton a candidate who embraces every op-
portunity to emphasize this as his opin-
ion. But | would favor Mr.. Bryan's
denomination under existing circum-
stances. even if still had reason to sup
pose that l might be compelled, at some
future time, to anita gonize some of his
views. because / know that if our Ma
tional Convention in 400 should fail to
renominate him it would be regarded as
an abandonment of the position which we
took in 1896 and would completely demor-
aEze and disorganize the party.
| THE DUTY OF EVERY LOYAL
DEMOCRAT.
| Mr. Bailey was asked: What prompt
ed you to make any announcement on
the subject at this timer to which he re-
piled:
Because | know that since my nomi-
nation by the Democratic caucus my
name had been connected with an effort
which is being made in certain quarters
to create dissensions in our party, and /
desired the country to know that / had no
sympathy with such a movement In
common with the Democrats throughout
the country 1 feel that the fight of 1900
ought to be made on the lines laid down
in 1896, and, of course, if that is to be
done the Chicago platform must be re-
adopted without omission or addition, and
Mr.. Bryan must be renominated.
Besides all this, l think it is the duty
of every loyal Democrat to do all in his
power to prevent anything like contest
in the next Democratic Convention over
the adoption of a platform or the nomine-
ton of candidate, for, with these two
questions determined with practical una
nimity in advance there will be nothing
to engender strife wIunin our party, and
we will enter the campaign of 1900 more
confident, more aggressive, and more
united than we have entered any Presi-
Dental canvass since 1oJ6. 1t was in the
hope of contributing something toward
this result which | so earnestly desire
| that I gave ont the interview To which
you refer"