The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-02-08

another "a an ~ 81, but all the object
ors together are small in number hen
com pared with those who firmly believe in
the ability of this nation TO maintain the
parity at Is to /. If it is proposed to
!eay. the ratio TO Congress, it must he re
men bered that those who desire bimetal.
lism demand Affirmative action, and
eyeryone opposed to the ratio fixed in any
rruponed bill vii. be counted against any
kind of bimetallsm. If the ratio is left
to be determined by congressman who run
upon different platforms, it gives n
chance for variety of ratios which will
effectually prevent any Legislation favor
able to bime talllsm, and will also give u
chance for friends of the gold standard to
slip into Congress under the preteuse of
favoring some underlined ratio, but who,
as matter of fact, would use their posi-
tions to maintsir the gold standard.
"The ratio of rs to l has been adopted
by the Democratic party in convention
which, more than any recent convention,
received its authority direct from the peo-
pie The rank and file cf the party, in.
stead of leaving the ratio to the leaders,
expressed their own opinion upon the
subject, and that opinion has not changed
since the convention. This ratio has also
been Endorsed by the Populist party and
the silver Republicans. To abandon the
ratio would be wrong in itself, and as
impcltic as it would be wrong. If the
Democratic party were to allow its policy
on this question to be determined by n
few doubling Thomases, or by the desert
ers who supported the enemy In the great
struggle b tween Democracy and plutoc-
racy, it would lose the respect and conf
dence of those who no v look to it as an
efficient means of restoring government
OF the people. To turn from its clear and
courageous enunciations 10 wallow again
in the mire of ambiguity and deception
would ALLEVIATE those who have baen
drawn to it by the platform of 1896. The
Democratic party could have retained
within its folds the deserters Of 1896 if il
had consented to II meaningless platform,
but it preferred to lose some members of
the body rather than have the whole body
destroyed Regeneration die not come
too soon. The gold Democrats we're rap
lilly making the party rival of the Re-
publican party for the favor of trusts and
monopolies. If the Chicago platform did
nothing else.it drove from the party those
who had been manipulating the party for
private gain and using the Government
for public plumber. There are many Of
these deserters whose r,turn to the party
would bring weakness rather than add
strength. and there are millions of Dem
ocratS VINO would not surrender Il single
line of the Chicago platform to recover
every deserter who left because of real
antagonism to the principles set forth in
that platform. do not refer to those
who were misled There were many who
left because they did not fully understand
the issues raised, and they are coming
hack to their Own accord, because they
find themselves in sympathy with our
platform.
steadfastly standing by the right than by
weakly compromising with error, aud
those who are won back to the platform
will be useful when they return, while
those who profess NJ tachmeDt to the Demo
cratic name rather than to Dom ccratic
principles will always require watching.
"Fhe Democratic party has put its
hand to the pillow, and unless l mistake
the spirit which animates the members it
will not look back"