Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-01-05
ILLINOIS DEMOCRATS
New State Central Committee
Organizes by Election of
Officers.
CHEERS FOR SILVER STANDARD.

Position of Hon. Ben. t. Cable and Other
Former Members of Gold Leaning
Arouses Enthusiasm-Bryan Talks Flo
quentIy Against the Policy of tx
| pansion.
Springfield, Jan. 5.-The new dem
! ocratic state central committee of
Illinois was formed in Springfield last
evening by the election of the follow
ing officers:
Chairman-Dr. Walter Watson,
Mount Vernon.
Secretary-Fred f. Eldred, Chicago.
Vice Chairman-Thomas Gahan,
| Chicago.
Treasurer-M. F. Dunlap, Jackson
ollie.
DIR. Watson, the chairman of the
committee. was nominated by c. X.
I-add, of the Tenth district, who held
Hon. Ben +. Cables proxy. All in
iluences in the committee were har-
monized in the unanimous adoption
of the resolutions offered by Alex j.
Jones, reaffirming the Chicago plat
form and pledging the party TO the
support of William j. Bryan. Wild
applause was evoked when c. X.
Ladd, Ben Cables proxy, and Roger
G. Sullivan, the two ''gOldite" mem
bersr voted for the resolution when
their Names We're called. Chairman
Watson made a brief speech of thanks
in accepting the chair, and q vote of
thanks was extended TO the retiring
committee. The event of the meet
ing was the arrival of Mr. BRYAN.
who came TO Springfield by special
invitation of Congressman Caldwe II.
and who addressed the meeting. Col.
Bryan spoke of his pleasure in adj
dressing the committee which repre-
scented the democracy of Illinois and
recalled the great part that Illinois
had taken in the contest for free sill
ver- He alluded to the gold demo-
cracy as those who believed that they
held 1.-THE ark of the covenant and
were to he the nucleus around which
the democratic party was to reorgan-
ize. The result of their action had
been that all who for pecuniarv rea-
sons had espoused the gold demo-
cratic party have since gone into the
republican party, and the rest had
come back home to the democratic
party. The party had been well rid
of men who were republicans at heart
and only democrats in name. He
said: I'VE welcome back into the
party every man who comes back TO
stand with us on the Chicago plat
form. We have won more by stand
ing firm and making a fearless defense
of our principles thar we could have
done in any other way
Bryan Speaks Against Expansion.
Col BRYAN addressed an immense
and enthusiastic meeting at Central
Music hail, last evening. in which he !
reiterated his position in opposition |
to the policy of territorial expansion,
maintaining that the United States |
should free Cuba as speedily as posi-
bic and pursue a like course with ref |
ereuce to Porto Rico. the Philippines |
and all other islands acquired from /
Spain as soon as the inhabitants of /
those Islands eyince the spirit of ca
Pable self government. Col. Bryan
said: The party that was willing
TO oppose the gold standard because
IT was wrong ought to be great
enough to oppose an English colonial
system because it is wrong. We
should strive to apply to the ques-
tons before us the doctrine that gov
ernments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed. 1t
is astonishing that any man living in
this age of the world. living in the
United States, should uphold the doc
-rine Of securing land by conquest.
Presidents Inconsistency.
Jefferson was against it long wears
ago. Blaine was against it in 1890
And year ago last December the pres
,f - |
sage to congress. and in that message
he said: i speak not of forcible an
leNation, because that is not TO be
thought of; under our code of moral
ty that would he criminal aggres-