The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1897-01-16
STONE HTS GOLD DEMOCRATS
He Says That They Do Not Represent
the Real Democracy.

-~Ss~~ 0SAAA~Oe
Governor Stone of Missouri wa
recently rendered a banquet at JET
ferson City by few friends, and il
response to the toast, Our Friends,
proposed by Judge Burgess of tn
supreme court, theGoyernor, among
other things, said:
"The great victory won in Mis-
souri, entities the Democracy of tn
State to the congratulations tina
have been showered upon US by GU
brethren throughout the Union.
believe if the other States had beer
organized as this was we could have
wrested victory from our enemies
in the national contest. Even as i
was, and under all the circumstan
ces surrounding that struggle, fee
that we are.in large measure vic
tors even in the hour of defeat
Eighteen months ago the Demo
cratic party was in state of com.
plete Reorganization and seemed te
be nearer dissolution than ever be-
fore in it's history. The national
administration, which our party had
created, had turned against the lone
established principles and policies
the ancient faith-of the party
and was using all its tremendous
power in the support Of ideas and
principles, many of which the party
had opposed for nearly century,
and ali Of which it had been repeat
eddy committed against.
"That doubt and confusion would
result from situation like this was
inevitable. The first and most i'm
portant fight we had to make was
a fight within the party to rescue
its organization from the hands OF
those who would betray and destroy
it. Missouri and Illinois, the two
greatest commonwealth of the Mis-
sissippi Valley, took the lead in
this work of rehabilitation. When
the Democracy Of those States held
their conventions in 1895 at Spring
field and Pertle Springs they sent
forth words of cheer which stirred
the hearts of their brethren through
out the Union like the clear notes
of bugle call, and filled them with
hope and courage. Within the party
the struggle was waged for suprem.
acy between the disciples of Jeffer-
son and Jackson on the one hand
aud the perverted hosts Of plutoc-
racy on the other. Chicago was the
final battlefield. The battle there
was battle of giants-arduous,
determined, unyielding. The party
was rescued and saved. but those
who had determined to rule or ruin
it left the convention with mutter-
ings on their lips and proceeded at
once to organize mutiny against
the authority of the party organi-
cation.
''1n this way the battle at the
polls in 1896 was opened, and not
withstanding all Of these difficulties
and embarrassments we failed only
by narrow margin in winning
triumph. We were de-
feated, but out OF the dust and
shadow of the conflict we came forth
better organized and in finer condi-
ton for effective work than we had
been for years. | venture to say
fear that never in our his
tory has political party come up
out of defeat so little depressed by
disaster and SO imbued with the
spirit of battle as did the Demo
cratic party in November of last
year. | have never seen or heard
Of man who voted for Bryan who
was sorry that be did so, and who
is not both anxious and willing to
try the issue again as speedily as
possible. 1t is because of all this
that | say we are victorious even
in defeat.
"Now as to the future: As for
myself | do not want in 1900 to be
compelled to fight over again the
battle within our party such as We
had to fight preceding the Chicago
Those so-called Dem
ocrats who constitute the Cleveland
Palmer contingent fell outside the
Let them stay there,
Or go into open utilization, as they
have been in secret utilization, with
he Republican party. Those peo-
pie have since the election repeat
sdly declared through their national
and State committees and through |
he press that they represent the i
zeal democracy and that we will
lave to come to them. As to what
hey claim to represent / am indif- |
erent; we will not quarrel about
erms; they can claim what they |
will. But when they talk about |
he Democratic party surrendering
o them it will never be done while |
ruth is omnipotent and Americans
preserve their manhood"