Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-06-03
A Common Ground for Meeting.

A Common Ground for Meeting.
Gov. O'Ferrall, officially the most
prominent Of the boilers from the
Democratic party that Virginia fur
nished last November, says in a tele-
gram to the New York Journal that all
Virginia Democrats can come together
in the State campaign this fall by let
ting only State issues into the platform
and keeping all Populistic ideas, such
as free silver, out of it. 1nview OF the
fact that free silver will as certainly be
in the platform as that the convention
will meet, the Governors telegram
may be taken as notice served on the
Democratic party of Virginia that he
will not think better of his desertion
last year and will not apply for read
mission to it. We say ''readmission"
because the Governor was thoroughly
sread out" of the party, ifsuch thing
could be.
But the time of denunciatory reso-
buttons is now past, the heated utter
ances OF a surprised and indignant
party belong to year ago, and any
former Democrat who left the party
last fall can logically go to the Repub-
lican party without creating ripple.
1t is far better for us to discard all
bitterness in discussing who are and
who are not to constitute and control
the Democratic party hereafter. And
lit were also wise to discard
sentiment-sentimen though often
appealed to by party orators
, has no real place in the affairs
of a great, robust, political party.
And Ia determining how the Demo.
q cratic party in Virginia is to be com
q posed we cannot afford to ignore the
, fact that ereafter-certainly unit
! bimetallism is established in this coun
+ try-many who have been Democrats
will be Republicans and many who
have been Republicans will be Demo
Gratis. The Democrats who left thell
t party last November, the holder onel
o who voted for Mckinley and the feeble
Q folk who voted for Palmer, were com
i posed of several classes with as many
o sets of motives. One class was con
q WINGED that return to bimetallisn
would bring irremediable ruin on thu
country. As a rule these men wer'
J, frank and sincere and voted for Nc
IS Kinley. Another class was influenced
n by pecuniary motives they wer
70 afraid of having what they had, de
7, creased in value. They were not in
d terested in the fate of the country a
It large, but were for taking care
c. themselves. They were sincere, bu
not frank, and voted for the deco.
ticket. A third class left because the.
8. hoped under Mckinley to get tn
/ good tines which Cleveland had s.
e. lamentably failed to give. They wer
le simpletons as events have shown. O
Of the first class, but few will return t.
8. the Democratic party, certainly no
8, until it has established the fact by
trial that b1metallism cannot hurt thi
country Of the second class, thos
le who having recovered from the PAM
" into which the gold bug tom toms an
1T stink pots threw them last November
re shall study the matter for themselve
N will return, while those who prefer t
S, have others do their thinking for theI
TX will keep on the road to the Republ
It. can party. OF the third. and mos
Iy numerous class, the return to the Den
is ocratic party will be general. All thes
n classes are the creation of a politics
situation and there is no excuse fo
bitterness in discussing them or diI
cussing with them. A great deal of tn
W. bitterness that has been displayed i
20 the past has arisen from the claim pu
al forth by the boilers that they are tn
- true Democratic party. But great q
IA lowances should be made for men i
20 their situation. A man who has bolte
M his party in the year that it cast tn
or largest vote in it's history; who afte
ID the smoke has cleared away finds hin
:, self in about as small a band of voter
or as has figured at any election in thi
~ country, and who finds himself hel
in Indifference or contempt by the yer
party he bolted to help, must be allow
ed some latitude in which to cut
caper or two.
With none of these classes-whethe
~ going from the party or returning t
= it-has the Democratic party, as
party, anything to do. It is not ii
70 policy to reward or punish boilers;
= is not its policy to make any test TO
~ any body, nor is it its policy to allo'
10 anybody to make test for it. In thi
40 State the Democratic party this yea
. . will stand by and adopt for it's owl
u every word of the State platform Q
% last year and the Chicago platform Q
10 last year. It intends to especially EN-
phasize the free and unlimited coinag
of silver and gold at 16 to 1. 1t Invite
and will officially invite every Demo
st. crat. Republican and Populist, no mat
e. ter how they voted last year, to ente
u. its ranks and support its issues. T.
Oh those Of its own party who shall fin'
J. it impossible to support its platform Q
10 1896 it bids goodbye and God speed
Oh it being equally impossible to alter tn
re platform to suit them. To those WIN
"a oana To If If bids no lcoIno