The news & observer., 1897-07-15
ONLY TRUE DEMOCRAT
EXTRACT FROM HIS sPEhCh BE-
TORE KENTUCKY GoLDBUGs.
n,u1oleRANT AND SHORT sIiHT,D'
"oysraowing With Excitement and A's'0toT-
nation; Vain, Selfish and VengefuP is The
Way He Describes the Over Six
Million Democrats OF
the Nation.

the Nation.
Louisville, Ky, July 14.-wnh va
Isls Watterson and Breckinrldse as 'ne
.tars. the convention of Nationai De.no
crot. was not wanting in interest. MI
Watterson's speeen was
stance he said: 70 cross
- Nd Thought never again TO cross
A. threshold of a party eonveh.ioh, va
to make another politlcai speeon ,;ea a.
49, vaars the chief aim OF my l,le dc
s.- az that life sustained any Ic of
= ,s,h,ie affairs was the restera.ion y,
-. union and the rehabilitation In lha'
U.;o, of the people Of the oouliiein
States. h.,;of that
I xbould not cheat my age OF any u
=. r;oht, or claims; that l shouiu iea.s
- ,ounger men the tasks and the op,
-tunit;es which had been mlne' anu
-. ;nexpressibly cheered o! the
..Fo husband out life's taper at the ciose'
40 toan the fame from wasting py re-
pose. a,d as
,b;. was not to be. From 1ar'
t,-o;cn land. / saw that party, "hten
nc always held TO be at once tne
a.lv,rlx of constitutional freedom ana
sha sunshine of enlightened progress
;n,n-e~nahle alike against the crusaNes
!. fana+;cism and the temptations OF fA-
5;ancr-tba citizens one hepe OF lndi-
ysdualism, and home-rule IN 'he o,e
as opposed TO the theories Or pa.e,hAl
;Sm and eentralization IN the feaesa.
Jefferson, Jackson Ilidea-cue ioe's
from its constitutional moorihgs
east adrift upon the shereiess sea -, ~
rolitical adventure. 1t IS drHuhs s'h'
without q pilot, or rudder, or compass.
I ssouId not be true 10 nay p-r,h' 10 hiy
teaching or 10 yon if / stood aioo!' = !
aer;ad tie obligations ef cohFiceloa's
ard coror.deship: If ] refused 20 JOIN ~
sask;ng one last effort 70 BRING paeh
fbe deTeltct 10 port, 10 reclaim TIE hoh9r
Of the flag
FsnafIr. brought back to power, In
srs4e ~ its reaetion9rv clements tAe
democratic party lad - faee the ls
e-.e-@ehfl5fSex o1 Government. bue lAe
Sr.sr.~sctfeafIes who had dome Their nE-
serrnoet to keep II olt Of power doE-
eyer ard had greatly obstructfa 3
progregx. were neither exfan giis7ea
nor sntdued. They proceeded WIN lneS1
work Of party disnembeFInenf. ne5
defeated the party's declared 1afiii
policy. They defeated it's conservative
fscaI policy. Then, fully ORGANIZE
thew devised a scheme having all the
ay;i advantages Of the two which had
preceded it, with something TO spare.
.It was something more than new
departure. 1T was to all intents and pur-
noses a revolution. 1t took no account
of the party's origin and nature ITS or
derly antecedents and deliberatiye char'
acter. precipitating a national con
vention into a tumult, it proceeded IN 7
frenzy Of excitement to adopt a plaf'
form. subversive of Democratic prlncf
r,les-constructed to meet the require
ments of the silver protectionists on the
one hand and the Populists on the othe'
and nominated a ticket, which depend
cd wholly for its election upon the sue
cess of it. appeals to class hatred
."Then followed such campaign as
patriotic men may well wish never %
see again. And to what purpose! 10
this sumply: that over divided Deihoc'
racv. the Republicans might march 10
easy victory; that the revolution, ar
ranged so carefully and forced with such
a nigh hand was failure; that the com
h;nation of Populism and Free-suvef
Renuhl;caniem and Reactionary Democ-
rocy was not strong enough to carry the
.onntrv. in one word that these over
s.ngu;ne gentlemen had perpetrated
droadful miscalculation, splitting their
nartv wide open to make futile fusion
With the winds; and, in point OF fact,
ceiling their birthright for q promised
moss Of potage tney failed to get.
ssFor thirty years the men who headed
4b;s disastrous movement have Oeen
seeking inefficiently to defect the party
nolicy from the higher TO tne lower
nlone Of political thought ana acuon.
during the sixties they were shou'lnS
..down with the constitutional aingnu-
rantsr During the seventies tney
wsre shouting down with the bloated
bordbolders.' In the saddle at last' II
was down with the courts OF law,
down with the money of the people ana
tho credit of the nation-and up WIN
the red banner of reputation ana an
archyv
"As good Democrats-as men who love
heir country and their party, ana
vould fain do something to rescue the
ane from destruction and TO preserve the
credit and order Of the other-we are
kere this daJ.
as a POLITICAL Issue the free and in
l.pendent coinage Of silver at the ratio
ef 13 to 1, or any other ratio, is as dead
m the institution Of African slavery.
After the wretched experience the Demo
eratic party has had of it there would be
~ thought Of keeping it longer before
dbe people, even to vindicate those who
are responsible for the evil it has done
nu. except that back OF it still stand the
silver Kings or the Rotten Boroughs
and the stock -jobbers Of the Senate OF
the United States. These represent mill
aons of present and speculative wealth,
supplying the needed sinews Of war, and
while the agitation lasts-no matter
what comes of 1t or who suffers-it can
De made to serve the ends sometimes
political and sometimes pecuniary of