The Portland daily press., 1898-07-01
TUE MAINE DEMOCRATS.

The Maine Democrats yesterday swal.
lowed Organism hook, line, bob and
sinker. There was not even feeble pro-
test inside the convention. though
Honest Sam" and few others had in
dulged in good many threats the night
previous. When they came to count noses,
however, the gold men found themselves
in hopeless minority, and refrained
from making protest, which could re-
suit in nothing but publicly exposing
their numerical weakness, and "Honest
SAINTS desire for the nomination proved
so much stronger than his devotion to
the gold standard that he ..apologized to
the silver men for all his threats and as
sured them that Bryan and Organism
had always been very dear to him.
Mr.. Llewsllyn Barton, who blossomed
out in the PRESS the other day as be-
lever in the Chicago platform, and ex-
pressed the opinion that it was not SUBJ
stantially different from the platform on
which Grover Cleveland had been nomi-
mated four years before, was on hand with
some more beliefs. His belief was yester-
day. so he told the convention, that il the
whole American navy had been sent to
Havana the day after the Maine was
blown up and demand for reparation
made accompanied with threat that if
it was refused Havana would be blown to
everlasting smash, there would have been
no war and the Cubans would now be en-
| joying the blessings of lf-government
| Nobody knew at that time whether the
Maine had been blown up by accident or
design, and Captain Sigsbee had asked
the American people to suspend Judgment
until the facts were ascertained, and yet
Mr.. Barton processes now to believe that
| it would have been right and proper to
| send feet to Havana the next day, aud
| without any ascertainment of the facts to
have said to the Spaniards, make repara-
| ton Immediately or we will blow Havana
| into bits AS matter of fact Mr.. Barton
doesn't believe any such thing. He was
| talking through his hat If the RESPONSE
bility had been upon him he would have
done just what President Mckinley did,
instituted an investigation to ascertain
the facts. No man of common sense could
have taken any other course. In his eager
ness to make sensation be stopped over,
and he is probably fully aware of it him.
self by this time. What Mr.. Barton pro-
nounced the greatest question of the day
the disposition to be made of the terri
| tory we may conquer from the Spaniards
the convention ignored entirely, show
| ing that his eloquence was largely wasted
In order, perhaps, to give "Honest
Sam" some local issues the convention
resolved in favor of the resubmission of
| the prohibitory amendment, cheaper rail-
| road fares, the right to carry more bag
gage and mileage tickets good for the
bearer. Resubmission might draw some
| votes outside the party, if it were not
coupled with Organism, but hitched up
| with that it will not get a single one,
while it will probably drive off some
Democrats as it did before. No doubt
erybody that travels would like to have
| a reduction of railroad fares, but before
the voters support "Honest SAM to
diminish their travelling expenses they
will be likely to want some sort of an ex-
PLANTATION of how his election will tend to
| bring that about. This the platform
entirely fails to give.