The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-10-26
GOLD DEMOCRATS" "
Most Of the Leaders are Now
loyal Republicans.
GONE WHERE THEY BELONG.
The Columbia State Propounds
Some Pertinent Questions to
the South Carolina gold
Democrats.
Democrats,

hen IN 1895 The State gave to Pal
mer, Byrun, Cochran and the other
leaders Of the so-calied "Gold-Demo-
cracy' the designation Of Assistant
Republicans" there vas good deal of
indignant comment by newspapers in
this State which professed the same
creed. That the indianapolis ticket
was run for the purpose Of drawing
away votes from Bryan and thus aid
ing in the election of Mckinley they
refused to admit. They insisted siren
uously that it had been proposed on its
own merits and that the organization
behind it would endure after the cleo
ton, would maintain its individuality
and would eventually attract the bulk
Of the Democratic voters, weary of the
silver hcresy."
Well, two years have passed, and we
find not one candidate of the National
Democratic; party in the field for con-
gress anywhere in this Union. We find
the skeleton organization formed at
Indianapolis reduced to bone dust. We
find the men who voted for Palmer and
Buckner double-quicking to the shelter
Of the Democratic camp or the Repub-
liean camp. We find Bynum aad Cock
ran and others Of the leaders making
speeches fer hire in behalf Of the Re.
publican candidates for congress. And
finally ne fnd the Gold Democratic
candidate for president Of the United
States accepting an invitation to pre-
side over Republican meeting at De-
catur, H., next week, at which meet
ing Bynum. chairman Of the National
Democratic executive committee" is
to deliver the star address. In his
letter ex-senator Palmer says:
will not support any candidate who
favors the coinage of silver on the ra-
tic Of Is to l with enforced legal tender
quality. l adhere to the Indianapolis
platform. l am Cleveland Democrat
and l believe that if the party had ad-
hered to the policy Of the Wilson bill
and sound money, it would have sue
ceeded in the presidential election of
1896, and would have controlled the
government now. It's folly was to COM
nit itself to the Chicago platform in
1885, opposition to sounder opinions.
1t was dominated by mere resentmeats
and was unconsciously dishonest, as it
proposed to reyolutionize and Mexican
ize the standard values Of the United
States. i beg you to be assured that
no sound money Democrat can, under
the circumstances, in my judgment,
vote for any representative man who IS
not in favor Of sound, honest money. l
will vote for Isaac R. Mills, the Repub-
lican candidate for congress in the Sew
cnteenth Illinois district on the issue
Of sound money, as we have no candl-
date of our own.
What say the Palmer and Buckner
voters Of South Carolina to this?
What say the newspapers that tolled
them on to that error and guaranteed
the Democracy of the men who are now
openly in the Republican camp? Are
lot Palmer and Bynum and Cochran
unnistakably at last Assistant Re
publicans?" Did they not after all de-
serve the title? What do these papers
think of Mr.. Palmer's statement that
he, Cleveland Democrat" is going
to vote the Republican ticket? What
do they think Of his opinion that no
sound money Democrat can under the
circumstances vote for any representa-
tive man 'Tho is not ia favor Of sound,
honest money?' Do they endorse what
he says? If not, why? And if not,
what has become Of the principles"
they professed in 1896? And the 624
South Carolinians who voted for Pal
mer and Buckner in 1S96-did they
participate in the Democratic primaries
this year? If so, did they vote for gold
candidates only? And. if not, if they
voted FOR silver candidates for congress,
what has become Of their Indianapolis
creed? Have they given it up? We
hope so.-State,