Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1899-03-24
rhe Chicago Platform.

lne michigan democrats hello
their state convention recently, and
in the natural course of proceedings
reaffirmed the Chicago platform,
This was not only to have been ex-
pected, it was inevitable. Neverthe-
less, the New York Times, whose
editor has dim belief that he think.
he is democrat, flies into a rage and
and declares that "the dishonest and
vicious principles that found favor
in the convention shows clearly that
it was not an assembly of men at
tached to the democratic faith
Turning a moment from the con-
vention, the Times points its finger
threatingly at the South and warns
democrats against following the
example of the Michigan brethren.
1t wants to know if they "thirk they
can follow with impunity where
the Michigan democrats and popu-
lists have led" The Times thinks
they cannot afford to do anything of
the kind. 1t points out that they
have San immensely greater issue at
stake" to-wit, namely and also viz;
"their fair and equitable representa-
ton in congress and the electoral
college"
Really this is amusing. 1t sounds
like an old joke that has been dyed,
cleaned and pressed and furnished
up to look as good as new at very
small cost. Why doesn't the Times
drag out the force bill and put it on
parade? The force bill is, or was,
calculated to frighten timid people
and it gave the republicans an oppor-
tunity to air the bloody shirt. The
south was compelled to pay some at
tention to the threat of the force bill.
1t was made at time when sectional
prejiduce seemed ripe for such a
performance. But the threat of the
Times-well, is enough to excite the
envy of the comic press. Why have
we no Fliegende Blaetter "in our
midst TO do justice to this consum-
mate stroke of fall-urconcious humor?
The south will not, as the Times
fears, ''follow" the Michigan demo-
Gratis it Will follow the lead of the
national organization. it has already
Endorsed and affirmed the Chicago
platform, not only because that plat
form represents the principles of
the party, but because those princi-
Piles represent the belief of all genu-
inc and sincere democrats.
The kind of democracy ADVOCATED
by the Times, and other boilers from
the party, is not democratic at all,
but ClevelaDdism, and Clevelandism
is only another name for the most
venomous scheme of party treachery
and deceit that has ever been devel-
oped in our politics. Clevelandism
is intolerable to all good democrats
and the party repudiated it at Chicago
with unanimity that has no parallel
in our political history. Since then
it has been demonstrated that the
bulk of Cleveland's support in the
last year of his administration was
composed of democrats and republi-
cans to whom he had given office.
If the republicans could make a
sectional matter of applying one of
the clauses of the fifteenth amend
ment we have no doubt they would
do so; but this bushes laps over the
closed "bloody chasm" and touches
the eastern, nothern and WESTERN
states in some of their tenderest spots.
But even if this were not so, those
who believe in democratic principles
would remain true to their party
platform, and would be guided by
their party rather than by the feath-
er-headed boilers s-Atlanta Con.
stitution.
War Nav Hind of Oaoa