The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1899-02-01

The patron saint of to-day was a man
possessed OF convictions, with the
courage to express them, and the man
hood to maintain them. Although of
a nature fierce, aggressive and COM
manding, he believed in the virtue of
law, and recognized its vital import.
and did his part in maintaining it. In
paying tribute TO his memory it is well
for Democrats TO remember that, in the.
virtue of law lies the only safety for
this people, and that in its abuses, lie
the only dangers confronting them.
Almost from the beginning of time
in one form or another
has existed i'll every country Of the
peoI led earth. In early days all gov
ernments were administered wholly by
force, and to the strong belonged tn,
fruits, while to the weak fell the bur
den and the pain. The strong lived
and fattened upon the labor, the SORROW
and the tears of the helpless.
With the gradual establishment of
law these distinctions, in outward evil
dence, became less marked, until final
ly, in stern old Massachusetts, ard in
proud and brave and sweet Virginia
there arose the God given and God
blessed cry, that all men are born free
and equal-a cry at first as weak as the
wall of an infant, but which has so
grown IN vigor and acclaim that to-day
its sentiment pervades the world. That
cry meant then and it means now.
that every man is entitled to free and
equal chance in life, the fruits of his
own labor and his own ability, without
discrimination by law or otherwise.
And there. in sister colonies, Democ-
racy, born OF God, as old as Adam, in
herent i'll every human heart, reared
its organized body on American soil
and through all the pregnant years
since then, in the gloom of disaster and
defeat, in the warmth and sunshine Of
victory and triumph, it has lived, uE-
til, in 1896, at Chicago, it reached, in a
Democratic platform, the fruitiOn OF
perfect expression, and as its chosen
exponent put forward one who sits
with lis tonight and in whom we glory
as did those of old in jefferson and in
Jackson.
From the FIRST establishment of law
until to-day, the attempt has been tC
divert government from its true pur
pose, by the political abuses Of law, by
which governments are administered
The attempt has been to accomplish by
law that which was once accomplished
by force The attempt has been to Sc
administer government by law as tC
attain the same ends attained when
government was administered by force
to place the burdens upon those leas
able to bear them, 70 give the fruits tC
those least in need of them, to diver
the benefit of labor from those who la
bored to those who did not labor. Thu
growing intelligence and sense Of man
hood in the masses have sought more
and more to prevent these politica
abuses of law and the contest between
those seeking the abuses of the law anC
those seeking the uses OF the law, is il
progress to-day as it has been for cen
turtles.
Assaults upon the rights of Ih'
masses Ivy political abuses of the Law
are more dangerous and more efectiv,
than assaults by force When threat
ened by force YOU know your danger
and know your foes, and have the OPP
poriunity to content in open fight; bu
| the assault by abuse of Law is secret an'
silent; it is made lay ruules circuilOu
and unseen, aud when accomplished
every home i'm The land . alike ali'ecle'
and none escape. Before the people a
large have even the suspicion of dan
ger, laws are upon the statute books
Which, in their enforcement accom-
plish the same results attained by thos
in power when governments were ad
ministered by force alone. Millionaire
have grown and multiplied, and nov
the promise is daily made that billion
aires will soon be here. And yet ev
cry man " ho cares to think must know
that no man in this country has eve
accumulated as much as one millio
dollars unless by the aid of the Law
which i'm its operation, unjustly, OF
pressivelv and wrongfully took iron
one man the earnings of his own labo
and gave them to another.
Every millionaire in this land tO-da
oN es his condition to the political abr
SEES of law; all the concentration {
wealth in this laud to-day results froI
the political abuses of law and tn
existence of millionaires and the col
centration of wealth mean and mea
only that the earnings Of those VIII
labor are tsken from them by operatio
of law, and presented to those who d
rot labor. And 1t is 10 BE observe
that those who are engaged III the col
cenlraling business are just as ready
profit by the earnings OF Kepublica
labor as Democratic labor.
Every government whose death
recorded in history, owed its death
political abuses OF law. Every COVER
ment that has died owed lis death
the fact that the time finally came whe
/. the same result vas attained by abus
of law as formerly resulted by Cover
ment administered by force.
The abuse OF law is the danger col
fronting flis peop,e. The Chical
platform of 1896 was a protest again
abuses of law, and demand that the
abuses cease. And 1t may be said
some in far distant lands. rather Il
mai.cG hand Of Spain, than the avari'
OF Hanna; rather the cruel despotis
of a Weyler. in all that has been sa
Of him, than the infamy Of an Alge
rather the presence of armed troops
your doors. than the weakness Of
Mckinley.
] wonld say to those Of this land, S
cure your own Inheritance befo
reaching out to secure the Inheritance
others. 1 would saw, look to your or
land and to your own interests al
make tie effort 10 preserve YOUR 20
eminent and your homes from the d
struction and death giving operation
.i,,ea ~ law ronld saw. give