Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-15

was failure: that the combination of Pop
Glism and free silver RepUblCanism and
| reactionary Democracy was not strong
enough to carry the country: in one word.
that these Oversanguine gentlemen had
perpetrated dreadful miscalcula tion. split
ting their party wide open to make a futile
fusion with the winds: and. in point Of
fact. selling their hirthright for a prom
ised mess of pottage they failed TO get.
Democrat TO say whether this is not a
truthful report of the proceeding down to
the occasion which has brought us to-
gether.
The Same Old Crew.
For thirty years the men who headed
this disastrous movement have been seek
ing Intellectually to defect the party policy
from the higher to the lower plane Of
political thought and action. During the
COS they were shouting. Down with the
constitutional amendments" During the
'f0s they were shouting Down with the
bloated bondholders,' In the saddle at last
II was Down with the courts of law-down
with the money of the people and the credit
Of the uation--and UP with the red banner
of reputation and anarchy!
81 would do no man injustice ] would
misstate the position Of no set of men.
but | submit that the whole warp and WoOf
both Of the organization and the argument
OF the Bryan-Sewall-W Watson campaign of
last year led to this conclusion, and no.
where else; and. ] contend that, IL there
be not enough OF enlightened conservatism
In the people to interpOse between the war
ring extremes of agrarianism and rapacity
the strong arm of a Democracy. unterrified
and undefiled-still true to the spirit of the
fathers and the traditions of the past-the
country will presently be reduced TO a con-
dition,. where the good of the many is
wholly subordinate to the will of the few
and II will matter little which of the ex-
tTemes the few may in reality represent
AS good DemOcTats-as men. who love
their country and their party, and would
fain do something TO rescue and TO pre-
serve the credit and order of the other-we
are here this day. We are here to appeal.
il may be for the last time. to the serious
sense and judgment of our fellow Demo-
Gratis. We are here to protest against the
vagaries of a body of Incompetent lead
ers. who have prostituted the name and the
principles Of the party, and who seem more
than ever bent upon pursuing the course
which has wrecked US, yet who can present
no claim 10 the party confidence except
such as may he allowed two defeats in
hand with the deluge yet to come!
The FaIIacy of Free Silver.
AS a political issue the free and in
dependent coinage Of silver at the ratio of
lG to l. or any other ratio. is dead as
the institution of American slavery. After
the wretChed experience the Democratic
party has had OF 1t there would be no
thought of keeping II longer before the peo-
Pile even to vindicate those who are re-
sponsibe for the evil It has done US ex-
cept that back OF it still stands the silver
kings of the rotten bOroughs and the stock
jobbeTs of the senate of the United States
These represent millions of present and
speculative wealth. supplying the needed
sinews of war, and whilst the agitation
lasts--no matter what comes of Il or who
sIIffers-it can be made 10 serve the ends
sometimes political and sometimes pecun-
iary of those who have it in their special
keeping. and who never mean TO let il go
until forced to do so by public opinion in
Gods name, ask, shall the great historic
Democratic party, with all its glorious
achievements and noble possibilities he
scuttled and sunk by such men and in act
ual sight OF an open sea and a safe har-
hor7 1t Is with the rank and file OF the
party to say. To the rank and file there
fore. we turn with eager, hut with conf
TaUslr
as friends and brothers to look about
them. to stop and think. and. seeing whith-
er we are being hurried by passion and er-
ror. to help us reverse the engines before it
is too late.
4 Barren IdeaIIty.
81 am not unmindful OF the circumstance
that many honest Democrats have baen
honestly deluded into the belief that there
is something in the free silver suggestion.
Gentlemen. there is nothing bsolutely
nothing. 1t is the most barren CT barren
by myself some seven years ago when
say that If the skies should rain silver
II the creeks and the coves should over
flow with sllYer-sO that the farmer could
come and fill his baskets and HIS sacks
with Il. and cart IL of-it would Weld him
no permanent relief. but under the theories
and methods OF taxation. both national and
domestic. TO which he tamely submits. il
would quickly find its way back to where
all his earnings and aCcretiOns go: that
iS. into the pockets of persons named by
law to rob him. Since ] live on a farm
and when the mortgage is lifted shall own
a farm. | may claim to be something of a
farmer myself; and I speak from the stand
point Of immediate practical personal
knowledge. when | declare that not mere
ly Is the farmer robbed by the tariff-priC-
ing all that he has to sell in a free trade
market and taxing all he has TO buy TO en-
rich 4 favored few-but that in every pos
sIble way. through a vast establishment Of
useless officials. through the public charI-
ties and corrections through every public
appropriation and expenditure is he made
to pay excessive tribute and 10 carry extra
burthens. Being his cOmpatriot sharing
with him every common interest I GER
tainly am equally his friend and his neigh
Dor. and not his enemy. 7 could not do
him an injury without doing myself an in
jury: and two things ! assert, waiting upon
the event for my vindiCation: First. the ir-
idesCent dream OF free silver coinage at
the ratio of Is 70 J. which means nothing
but silver monometsllism. will never ma
teralize in this mighty land and never
should. and. second that it is 10 the farmer
a blessing that II never will. for the reason |
ihst. whilst MeNicaniZing our currency. and
building a Chinese wall around our rom
merce, it would reduce him to q condition