The record-union., 1897-07-15

the scene and exploded the bomb than it
was succeeded by another device equal
ly misleading. This was a plan for
paying the national debt in greenbacks,
and for flooding the country with an ir
redeemable currency. There being moth
ing back of it, however, except fallacy
and noise, it speedily came to an end.
Yet it held it's own long enough to con-
solidate the Republicans, to divide the
Democrats and retard the coming of
that better understanding between the
sections of the Union, which good men
We're earnestly seeking. Whilst it last
ed its votaries stigmatized everyone
who opposed it as a bloated bondholder
and an enemy of the people.
Finally, brought back to power, in
spite of its reactionary elements, the
Democratic party had to face the re-
sponsibilities of Government. But the
| Iimpracticables, who had done their ut
termost to keep it out of power for
ever, and had grossly obstructed it
progress, were neither extinguished or
| subdued. They proceeded with their
work of party dismemberment; they
defeated the party's declared tariff pol
| icy: they defeated it's conservative fiS :
| cal policy. Then, fully organized, they
devised scheme having all the evil
advantages of the two which had pre-
ceded it, with something to spare. This
was nothing less than the abandon
ment of the high ground which the
| Democratic party had always occupied
/ in fighting battles of the people, and
the concentration upon a lower level Of
dsaffected elements of society.
1T was something more than a new
departure. 1t was to all intentS and
purposes a revolution. 1t took no ac
| count of the party's origin and ma
ture its orderly antecedents and de-
| Lucrative character. Precipitating a
national convention into a tumult, il
proceeded in a frenzy of excitement to
adopt platform, subversive Of Dem
ocratic principles, constructed to meet
! the requirements of the silver prOtec-
tionists on the one hand and the Pop
uiStS on the other-and nominated
ticket which depended wholly for it's
election upon the success of it's appeals
! to class hatred.
Then followed such a campaign as
patriotic men may we'll wish never to
see again. And to what purpose? To
this simply: That over divided Dem
ocracy the Republicans might march
| to easy victory; that the revolution ar
ranged so carefully and forced with
such a high hand was a failure; that
the combination of Populism and free
silver Republfcanism and reaction
Democracy was not strong enough to
carry the country; in one word, that
these over-sanguine gentlemen had
perpetrated a dreadful miscalculation,
splitting their party wide open to make
a futile fusion with the winds; and in
point of facts, selling their birthright
for a promised mess of pottage they
failed to get.
For thirty years the men who head
ed this disastrous movement have
been seeking Intellectually to defect the
party policy from the higher to the
lower plane of POLITICAL thought and
action. During the sixties they were
shouting, Down with the constitu
tional amendments During the sew
enties they We're shouting, Down with
the bloated bondholders.' In the sad
die at last it was Down with the
corps of law-down with the money of
the people, and the credit of the ma
tion-and up with the red banner OF
reputation and anarchy
Il would do no man injustice. 1 would
nlisstate the position of no set of men.
But I would submit that the whole warp
and woof both of the organization and
the argument of the Bryan -Sewall-W Wat
son campaign of last year led to this
conclusion, and nowhere else; and | con-
tend that if there be not enough of en-
lightened conservatism and capacity in
the strong arm of Democracy, unterri-
fled and undefiled-still true to the spir-
it of the fathers and the traditions OF
the past-the country will presently be
reduced to a condition where the good
of the many is wholly subordinate to
the will of the few, and it will matter
little which extreme the few may in
reality represent.
LAS good Democrats-as men who love
their country and their party and would
fain do something to rescue the one from
destruction and to preserve the credit
and order of the other-we are here this
day We are here to appeal, it may be
for the last time to the serious sense
and judgment Of our fellow Democrats.
We are here to protest against the va
garies of body of incompetent leaders,
" no have prostituted the name and
principles of the party and who seemed
more than ever bent upon pursuing the
course which has wrecked us, yet who
present no claim to the party confidence
except such as may be allowed two de-
feats in hand, with the deluge yet to
come.
LAS a political issue, the free and in
dependent coinage of silver at a ratio
of 16 to /, or any other ratio, is as dead
as the institution of African slavery.
After the wretched experience the Dem
ocratic party has had of it, there would
be no thought of keeping it longer be-
fore the people, even to vindicate those
who are resposible for the evil it has
done u.s. except that back of it still stand
the silver kings of the rotten boroughs
and the stock jobbers of the Senate Of
the United States Senate. These repre-
sent millions of present and speculative
wealth, supplying the needed SineWs Of
war, and whilst the agitation lasts-no
matter what comes of it or who suffers
it can be made to serve the ends, some
time political and sometimes pecuniary
OF those who have it in their special
keeping, and who never mean to let it
go until forced to do so by public opin-
ion.
I'm Gods name, ask, shall the great
historical Democratic party, with all its
glorious achievements and noble possi
bilities, be scuttled and sunk by such
men, and in actual sight of an open sea
and safe harbor? 1t is with the rank
and file of the party to say. To the
rank and file, therefore, We turn with