The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-23
THE TAGGAGT-KERN PERFORM
ANCE.

The cowardice of which Mayor Taggart
made an exhibition in his convention yes
terday was unnecessary. He had demon
strated that the silver push was an in
consequential coterie of "polly-wants-a-
cracker" heelers. Assure the two score off
them of any sort of a position where small
compensation could be secured in the public
service and each of them would be gold
bug" Mayor Taggart understands this, and
he demonstrated that they have no follow
ing by beating them in all the primaries on
Wednesday night. Yet, to gain the few
votes which these men have and those of a
few Populists, he caused an Endorsement of
the Chicago platform to be made in the
platform of the convention. 1t was a sur
render to an unarmed squad CT the camp
followers of the enemy after victory
No man who knows the mayor believes
that he would like to see a Democratic ma
tional victory which would force the coun-
try to a silver basis. Even the leaders of
the silver push are pleased to have
forced Mr.. Taggart to indorse their hobby
rather than because they believe that he is
a free-coinage advocate. Even this sur
render has not satisfied the leaders of the
push" Already they demand that the sub
ordinates of the mayor who did not vote for
Bryan last fall be dropped and out-and-out
silverites - namely, themselves - be put in
their places. They will yet force him to
make such pledges. Even the leaders of the
push share the general lack of respect
for men who have made a public display
of, cowardice.
In his platform the mayor announces his
park policy, which is to drop the scheme of
assessing surrounding property, to the
value of which the park may add, and turns
to advocating the policy of paying for the
construction by an issue of longtime,
low-interest bonds" After pledging adher-
ence to a financial her'esy which year ago
so frightened the small money owners of
the country, who are the bond buyers, that
they drew every dollar out of the mercan-
tile banks and savings banks which they
could reach, Mr.. Taggart's platform maxi
ers talk of issuing longtime, low-interest
bond After indorsing the Chicago plat
form it is very doubtful, if elected with
such a plank in the platform, if Mr. Tag
CART could sell a half million dollars of
low-interest bonds unless the word gold
should be written on the face of every
bond. Word would so from credit house to
credit house that city government pledged
to the denomination of Bryan is in the
market with S12 per cent. bond. The re-
suit would be that Mr.. Taggart would not
be any more able to sell an Indianapolis
bond than he would have been year ago,
when the blghting free-siver heresy had
destroyed all confidence. Mayor Taggart's
scheme to build a park by the returns of
bond sales is neutralized by his unnecessary
Endorsement of the free-slver heresy.
II the surrender of the mayor was I'M
necessary cowardice the performance of
Mr.. Kern must, in all charity, be recognized
as a gratuitous exhibition OF abject self
abasement. A little over a year ago, in
the ablest speech he ever made, Mr.. Kern
warned the Democratic party of the ills
and evils which would follow the free coin
age of silver. That speech was the result
of investigation and embodied the worlds
experience. The influence of the silver
heresy upon the country showed that Mr..