The Portland daily press., 1898-06-28
Mr.. THOMPSON TO Mr.. BARTON
The Committeeman's Explanat,o,
Seem to Have Been satisfactoru
Brunswick, Maine Jnpe Or 1000

ulus d0dIOcSCN w JOd e1o id6iQDHr 1f
Democratic State COMMITTEES as,, III 1ne
the call issued by the COMMITTEES Wy II
tended to exclude such as hayino 90 III
with the Democratic party up to tba a aSt7
paign of 1898 do not believe in the r, Sana
pies in the Chicago platform of that uao.i.
I supposed l was making an inoni'
that might readily be answered by vas
no. I certainly did not intend to burden
a buoy man like you with the preparat;or,
of an essay twenty seven hundred wnrds
Moreover this voluminous prodncttn..,
leaves me as much in the dark as hefonu
respecting the intention of the co,nmittoa
for you wish it distinctly understood tbat'
you only speak for yourself and NOT for
the committee.
Consequently I am still concerned for
the fate of my friend hersom who when
he appears at Bangor armed with yonr
personal opinion that his belief in the
enforcement of the laws of the State of
Maine entitled him to full fellowship.
may find that the other fifteen members
of the committee including my discreetIv
silent friend Goldthwait in their capacity
as committee of oreden tials thrust him
into outer darkness because of his dishe-
lief in 'the free and unlimited COINAGE
of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one and
without waiting for the aid or consent of
any other nation and the last state of
that man be worse than the first
Your Interpretation of the call appears
to be as follows:
believers in s'the free and unlimited
coinage of silver at the ratio OF sixteen to
one and without waiting for the aid or
consent Of any other nation are directly
and expressly invited in consequence of
such belief.
Disbelievers in the doctrine stated
above are invited on the ground that they
are favorable to the enforcement OF the
laws of the State of Maine and in despite
of their disbelief in the principles enun-
ciated in the Chicago platform.
Consequently conclude that to these
latter at least, in your personal opinion.
belief in the free and unlimited coinage
of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one is
q non. essential of recent Democratic
faith.
You intimate that those who attend
the convention are expected to 8bide by
the decision of majority of the conven-
ton, whatever it may be, as to the best
policy for the party to pursue. A mans
convictions of right and wrong are part
of his immortal soul and may God have
mercy on that man who surrenders his
convictions to the dictun of a conven-
tion majority,
You say ITO begin with 1T is Demo-
cratic convention" and you then observe
-"The call not only includes every
46IUOCI1u ia Ull0 6tt&U6 UuU III goes DGYODQ
that and invites all who are in accord
with the principles and policy of the
party"
We used to think that being in accord
with the principles and policy of the
party was the supreme test of mans
Democracy: but 1t now seems that thers
is considerable number of men who are
in accord with the principles and policy
of the party who are not Democrats. IF
III, 10 tG III 1n<ri0p 1lv fnII0yEa hot hbo3-o
are a considerable number Of Democrats
who are not in accord with the principles
and policy of the party. Perhaps this is
what Mr.. Cleveland meant when he re-
Gently referred in this connection to
that "ways are strange"
You complain that certain Democrats
In 1896 allowed the opponents of the
of letting it speak for itself and then you
Immediately proceed to state the platform
''stripping'' it Of 'lits argumentatiye
frills and verbiage' and ''shearing'' it of
sits why's and wherefores. In this strip
ping and shearing process you relieve it
of some of its most offensive features.
For instance you shear it of its condem-
nation Of the Cleveland administration
for using the military power to protect
United States mails in trapsit from state
to state in time OF riot and you strip from
the currency plank that little frill the
word unlimited which to you may seem q
friu but which doubtless Senator Stewart
and other silver Iuine owners would
esteem the very juice of the matter.
You enumerate seventeen articles,
some of which are commemorate some are
innocent and more Notwithstanding the
stripping aQd shearing) are reprehensible.
In the latter category Yohld include
the denunciation of the Cleveland admin
istration for issuing interest bearing
bonds III time OF peace, the only possible
torsaken by Republicans and Democrats
alike, could save the country from q
silver basis and by which it could and
thank God did preserve the financial in
tegrity of the nation.
But let us proceed at once to the cur
rency plank which you enumerate as
number seventeen, a rather different
degree of relative importance from that
which it assumed in the campaign of
1896.
Respecting this plank you being Of
sound mind and body assert that in 1896
1.-The Democrats took logical, con-
sistent and unequivocal stand In keeping
with their record for years." You also
intimate that Grover Cleveland in 1884
stood on currency plank substantially
like that of 1896.
Now in 1884 the bullion value of q
United States silver dollar was Sc and
one-tenth cents. In 1898 the ballion value
of a United States silver dollar was 81
and eight-tenths cents. 1t Is now less,
The platform on which Mr.. Cleveland
stood in 1884 declared for the limited
coinage of silver dollars having bullion
value OF Sc cents. The platform on which
Mr.. Bryan stood in 1896 declared for the
free and unlimited coinage of silver dol
lars of a bullion value Of 50 cents and
that such dollars should have debt pay
ing power equal to the standard gold dol
lar. Mr.. Cleveland never stood ON such a
plank and you know it,
The declaration of the platform Of 1888
you tiscreetly omit.
In 1892 the Democratic platform con-
tanned these pregnant words-"But the
dollar unit of coinage of both metals
must be of equal intrinsic and exchange.
able value, or be adjusted through inter,
national agreement or by such safeguard
OF legislation, as shall secure the mainte-
nance OF he parity of the two metals and
the equal power of every dollar at all
times In the markets and in the payment
OF debts" challenge you Mr.. Barton to
point out in the Chicago platform in 1896
words of corresponding meaning to the
foregoing.