The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-15


 Was Run Up at the Frankfort Conven-
 tion-Henry watterson's Fervid Plea for
 n Union of True Democrats.
 Louisville. Ky, July 14.-The state convention of the national democrats of Kentucky was called to order here to-day by Hon. A. J. Carroll of Louis- vile. In his opening remarks MT Car roll said that the money issue was forc- ed upon and accepted by those who were, from conscience and principle, unalterably opposed to the free silver delusion." He charged the Frankfort convention, at which the Hon. J. c. s. Blackburn was so great a factor, with having run up "the piratical flag" and followed this with the assertion, we will continue the fight with all the viz or of our minds and hearts until the last vestige of heresy Is eradicated.'
 Ex-Secretary Carlisle of the treasury and Henry w. Watterson were the principal speakers before the conVen- ton.
 MT. Henry Watterson said in part:
 The internal history of the demo- cratic party the last three decades has been marked by an almost unbroken struggle against the forces of reaction. Those forces arrayed themselves at first upon the side of a visionary scheme to upset the three last consti- tutional amendments and thus to alter, if not to reverse, the results of the war.
 He who opposed this visionary scheme
 was denounced as traitor to the south and a radical in disguise. The scheme
 of itself played directly into the hands of the radicals. It helped them to make
 their cases against the loyalty of the
 south and to solidify the north. It
 confused and perverted democratic
 counsels. It delayed the day of deliv-
 erance But no sooner had it vanished
 from the scene and exploded the bomb,
 than it was succeeded by another de- vice equally misleading.
 This was plan for paying the na-
 tinal debt In greenbacks and for food
 ing the country with an irredeemable
 currency. There being nothing back of
 it, however, except fallacy and noise,
 1t speedily came to an end. Yet it held it's own long enough to consolidate the republicans, to divide the democrats, and retard the coming of that better understanding between the sections of the union which good men were so
 earnestly seeking. Whilst it lasted, its votaries stigmatized every one who op-
 posed it as bloated bondholder and an
 enemy of the people.
 Finally, brought back to power. in spite of it's reactionary clements, the q o,-t1y to fo a responsibilities of government But the impracticables who had done their ut termost to keep it out of power forever and had greatly obstructed its progress
 were neither extinguished nor subdued They proceeded ? with their work of party dismemberment. They defeat
 ed the party's declared tariff policy. They defeated It's conservative fiscal
 policy. Then, fully organized, they de- vised a scheme having all the evil ad- vantages of the two which had pre- ceded it, with something to spare. This was nothing less than the abandonment | of the high ground which the demo- cratic party had always occupied in | fighting the battles of the people and the concentration upon lower level of | a 'disaffected element of society. It was something more than new departure. It was to all intents and
 purposes a revolution. It took no ac- count of the party's origin and nature, its orderly antecedents and deliberative
 character. Precipitating national convention into tumult, 1t proceeded in afrenzy of excitement to adopt a plat form, subversive of democratic prin- ciples reconstructed to meet the re- quirements of the silver protectionists
 on the one hand and the populists on the other-and nominated a ticket which depended wholly for its election upon the success of it's appeals to class hatred
 The followed such campaign as pat riotic men may we'll wish never to see
 again. And to what purpose? To this simply: That over divided democra- cy the republicans might march to easy victory that the revolution arranged so carefully and forced with such a | high hand, was failure; that the com- bination of populism and free silver re- | publicanism and reaction democracy was not strong enough to carry the
 country; in one word, that these over sangaine gentlemen had perpetuated a dreadful miscalculation, splitting their | party wide open to make a futile fusion with the winds; and, in point of fact, selling their birthright for a promised mess of potage they failed to get. For thirty years the men who headed this disastrous movement have been seeking Intellectually to defect the party policy from the higher to the low
 CT plane of political thought and action. During the sixties they were shouting: Down with the constitutional amend mentsn' During the seventies they were shouting: Down with the bloated bondholders!" In the saddle at last, it was: Down with the courts of law down with the money of the people, and | the credit of the nation-and up with the red banner of repudiation and an-
 archy!"
 would do no man injustice. I would
 misstate the position of no set of men, i put l submit that the whole warp and ] Woot both of the organization and the | argumnte of the Bryan-Sewall-W Watson l campaign of last year led to this con- | cluslon. and nowhere else; and, I con-
 tehd, that, if there be not enough of en- 1 hhshtened democracy unterrified and
 uhuenled-still true to the spirit of the
 Iathers and the traditions of the past | the country will presently be reduced 1 to ct condition where the good of the