The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-10-05
Nor so MUCH PUZZLED now.

Our esteemed contemporary, the Lynch
burg News does us an injustice in say
| ing that The Times seems determined
mot to understand the News as to its
! attitude on the question OF the relation
| OF Federal issues to the present State
campaign and the necessity or tactical de-
STABILITY OF reaffrming at Roanoke the
| PLATFORM adopted at Chicago"
We assure the News that we have hon.
estly been puzzled at its attitude and
have honestly endeavored TO get at the
exact status OF our contemporary posi-
| ton.
But its last article has largely cleared
up the mystery. The News says:
There is not n line or syllable in the
| Chicago platform that Is not sound Demo
cratic doctrine or that the editor Of this
paper does not endorse In the abstract.
| There are two planls OF the platform
| that he objected TO at Chicago. purely
upon grounds of expediency. believing
| that one OF them was inopDortune ana
| that tho other would be perverted and
| lied about And so il turned out. As 20
platform at Roanoke. the News
| thinks 70 would have been suf-
fcient TO have endorsed the salient
| declarations OF the national convention
relating to the currency. tariff and vicious
combinations i'm restraint of trade. The
| Democratic party OF Virginia i'm its
| primary meetings and in the state CON-
vcntion at Roanoke, thought differently.
The editor of the News was very
modest figure and a very unimportant
factor I'm the state convention. and he
aid not care to pit his opinion against
the settled conviction Of the entire body.
particularly as il was. after all, mere
question OF tactical advantage. or. II the
Richmond Times pleases, n work Of super
eroeatOn. And, now. what OF itF why
should anybody be puzzling over II! Inc
writer. II may he added, was disposed TO
make it as easy as possible without the
sacrifice of any party tenet for the es-
tranged Democrats to come back But
others believed-and we half suspect they
were right-that failure to reassert al
firmatively the whole doctrine of the ma
tlonal platform would offend more Demo-
| Gratis than IT would please boilers, and 1T
would enable some of the latter to twit
the partv with having abandoned its
principles And Il is possible that the
Richmond Times would have been first to
seize the suggestion.
Let us recapitualte. The News origi-
nally set out with the proposition that
Gold Democrats could well afford to sup
port the Roanoke ticket, on the ground
that Federal issues were not involved in
this election. and that good people ought
to stand together in support OF good gov
ernment for this commonwealth. II view
OF that statement, we expressed our sur
| prise that the News had been in favor Of
] dragging in national issues by reafilrming
the Chicago platform The News replied
| that 81 was not IN favor of reafilrmlng
that platform as n whole.
Tn view Of that statement. we then ask
| ed why the editor Of the News, who was
a delegate to the Roanoke convention,
did not protest against the act of the
convention in making the Chicago plat
form a part of the Roanoke platform. We
also asked If the editor Of the News, who
was a delegate to the Chicago convention,
did not vote against the Chicago platform
was poled on that question.
The answer 10 both questions is given
by our contemporary above. He candidly
says, as to the first question, that he did
not care TO pit his opinion against the
settled conviction of the Roanoke conven-
ton. That he wanted to make it as easy
as possible. without the sacrifice Of any
party tenet. for the "estrayed Democrats
to come back. But others believed, and
| the News half suspects that they were
| right-that a failure to reassert aftlrma-
lively the whole doctrine of the national
platform would offend more Democrats
than it would please "boltors" (why not
"estransed Democrats" this time?.
And now we are puzzled again. Rle
News tells MS TINT national questions
were dragged in to please the silver Demo-
Gratis and IN utter disregard of the
wishes OF the "estranged Democrats ana
yet our contemporary also says that the
"estranged Democrats" can wen afford to
support the Roanoke ticket, because no
national issues are involved. How can we
| be otherwise than puzzled?
Another interesting question now arises.
| The News says that the reafiirmation of
the Chicago platform was a mere ques-
ton OF tactical advantage because the
"others" We're afraid OF offending the sill
yer people. Afraid Of what? That they
would bolt? or that they would not sup
port the ticket? Perish the thought But
suppose there had been more Gold Demo-
Gratis than Silver Democrats in the State.
| What cause would there have been pur-
sued in the line OF tactical advantage?
Was it only question Of counting noses
and not OF principle?
As to the second question, II Is only half
| answered. ana we Will thank orr con-
| temporary 10 designate which two planks
in the Chicago platform he opposed as a
delegate TO the Chicago convention.
4
SOME INTERESTING FACTS REGARD