The Portland daily press., 1898-07-25

years ago in forming our lines for battle
against common enemy we threw off
ths parasites and deadheads of our party,
who, having robbed their party of its
mission, the public Of it's voice in human
affairs, straddled everything, concen-
trated on nothing. The last administra-
Glon having no definite purpose to serve
our people devoted itself to compromising
ana trading, and instead of carrying out
great mission, we spent four years of
energy IN the lowlands and played tricks
10 the underbrush until the party
through the greed, avarice, perfidy and dis
honor OF its trusted leaders was as dead as
the proverbial door nail, the people, the
masses, the. rank and file reyolted and
= W Eoa oh me e battle of ballots took place
Q, ooU, ooJ freemen had cast their ballots
ior the candidates of a purified Democrat
&c party, more votes than had ever been
before given to Democratic candidate
Tor President in the history of the nation.
want to here ask, do you still believe
that no party ever nominated man
who is SO small calihre as he'' Bryan
for the Presidency? Are you still "t6or-
oughly disguised with the Democratic
partly"
want to call attention to the platform
upon which you stand as Democratic eau
dldate for Congress, it says: Resolved,
that we favor the use of gold and silver
as a national money and are willing to
leave the national Congress to decide how
these metals be coined and the regulation
of the ratio thereof. You desire to be-
come part of "the national Congress-
and as such would be called upon to fix
the ratio thereof" Should you be elected,
what ratio would you consider desrable2
Would you support bill for the free, I'M
limited and independent coinage of silver
at the ratio of 16 to 1,or at any other ratio,
ifPSO what ratio If NOT xUhup
This platform is of your own personal
writing; why did youawabble, straddle
and dodge SO, on an issue SO vital to every
loyal Democratic?
You said in your letter from which I
have quoted, Il believe that If the silver
men of the United States should succeed
In placing law on the statute books of
the country, to coin silver free at the
ratio Of Is to l, it would be the greatest
curse that ever happened to the people.
Now even the rebellion of 81 with all it's
financial evils was compared with the
evil that such a law would infiict." Do
you still hold this view? If not, when
did thu change of heart take place? l
believe that you will agree with me that
in accepting nomination from con-
vention unanimously In favor of every
plank of the Chicago platform, with
record such as your letter shows, savors
strongly of political pie hunting hypoc-
risy.
1t is the honest belief of practically
every Democrat today, that in 1900 the
national convention will reaffirm the Chi
oago platform, and nominate Bryan of
Nebraska for President" You said in '96
that "were at home / should not vote
for any man who advocated such doc
trine." viii you say the same in 1902
| l would not address you thus, only that
this is serious matter to every man in
Ia hi tot
Democratic ticket in '96 as matter of
principle. You said in your closing re-
marks at the district convention II want
all the Democratic votes" | as a Demo-
| orat, want to know, on what grounds
you base your desire2 Shall we reward
disloyalty with loyalty, and Islander with
praise? Shall the traitor of 1896 be the
hero of 1898?
In the district platform which you
wrote, you commend Speaker Reed for
his course in opposition to annexation of
Hawaii. l will not discuss the pro-
priety of this act, but certainly you were
''hard up'' for ideas, and little rusty
on Democratic history. The Democratic
| party founded this nation.
In 1893 this party secured for us not
only the mouth of the Mississippi River.
| but all that territory stretching from
New Orleans northwest to the British
possessions and the Pacific Ocean, out of
| which seventeen states have been formed,
| thus extending our republic from the
Atlantic to the Pacific.
| In 1912 the party Inundated England
| both on the land and on the seas, and for
ever destroyed her pretensions to the
right of searching American vessels and
impressng American seamen.
In 1919 this party secured for the repub-
| lilo the state of Florida, and at the same
time declared that nc foreign power
should get another foot of this continent,
and in 1888, when corrupt wealth had
made itself master of the country and
| was seeking to reduce the American peo-
pie to state of vassalage, when it con-
trolled Congress and the federal courts,
just as it does now, that was Democrat
in the White House who rose up and said:
BY the eternal. the money power shall
not rule this land" And by that one
act he saved whole generation of Ameri
cans from the destructive policies that are
today running our country.
In lS45 the Democrats secured for the
republic the state of Texas and gave US
the gulf and the Rio Grande for a south
west boundary. and later they carried the
American eagle up the heights of Chapul-
tepeo, and planted the stars and stripes
over the palaces of the MonteZumns.
In 1S48 they secured for this republic
New Mexico, Arizona and California
Today as we look upon this grand
union, every foot of which was acquired
under Democratic administration, ex-
cepting Alaska, and then read your plat
form of twaddle, we are filed with dis
gust
If your views have met with an honest
change, then well and good, but.w want
norman to represent US in the halls of
Congress who can blow hot or blow cold
on any public question, so long as he is
given an opportunity to blow. We GER
tainly cannot be expected to elevate to
Office one who can with ease and grace
of a chameleon change his colors to
crafty his never dying lust for public
office.
Another question and I am done, and
trust that you will pardon this lengthy
communication, and favor the voters of
this district with an early reply.
Hon. Samuel L. Lord of Saco, in his
address accepting the Democratic nomina
tion for governor and also in his formal
letter of acceptance to the notification
committee, unqualifedly endorses the
Chicago platform. Do you propose to de-
cline to vote for this imam who advocates
such n doctrine?''
Sincerely yours,