Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-04
c. A. TONNES SPEECH
Chairman of Silver Republican Con-
mittee Addresses Convention.
ARRAIGNS The REPUBLICAN PARTY
Contrasts Recent Philadelphia Con-
vention With That of SO.
DAY AND CAUSE IN UNISON

KANSAS CITY. NO., July 4.-Chairman
Charles A. Towne Of the national commit
tee. in calling the silver republican con-
veltion to order, said:
Gentlemen of the Convention-1 congrat-
ulate you that 1t is your privilege to wit
ness the suspicious Opening of the one hun
dre! and twenty-fourth anniversary of the
birthday of the republic; and that day
SO rich in the haliovod suggestions Of our
peculiar citizenship ana IN the priceless
NE mores of our national history is here
dedicated to one of the most important
and seldom duties that can Gcvolve upon
Americans.
1 congratulate you also on the charac-
te: in which you are assembled. A silver
republican convention is always a meeting
of patriots because it Is composed OF men
who, by their actions, have shown how
superior to party allegiance they hold the
obligations of citizenship, and how Tar above
the allurements of personal ambition they
place the progress OF d great cause and the
welfare of the whole country.
Finally l congratulate you on the nigh
purpose that brings lou together. In COM
mon with the chosen representatives c1
that great organization which occupies the
center of allied political reform forces Oh
the nation, we have come to this beautiful
city 10 take counsel together touching the
dangers that threaten the republic; to re-
affirm the fundamental principles of nu-
man liberty and popular institutions 10 De
clare the policies that should control the
legislation and administration OF the gov
eminent; and to nominate candidates Tor
President and Vice President OF the United
States.
Day Suits the Cause.
The whole circuit of the year could Of
fer to this occasion no other day so ap-
propriate to its object as tine Fourth day of
July. 1t will be one Of the Chief duties OF
these two great convcLtions TO meet the
prcgent grave crisis in Cur history. due to
the recreancy of republican leadership to
the fundamental principles of our institu-
tons. by prociaimEg anew the immortal
truths Of the Declaration of Independence
and by calling upon the patriotism Of the
country TO maintain and perpetuate the
glorious traditions of the republic. For
century and quarter this day has been
sacred to these holy Ideals.
For us. as former members of the republic
can party. an especial, though now mel
ancholy. interest attaches to the Declara-
ticn of Independence for the reason that.
when the first national convention of that
party assembled in the historic city of Phil
adelphia. forty-four years ago last month.
the inevitable associations of the place and
the then noble sentiments of the party
caused the adoption of a platform of which
the following is the first clause of the very
first resolution:
Resolved That the maintenance of the
principles promulgated in the Declarati ton
of Independence and embodied in the fed
eral Constitution is essential to the preser-
walton of our republican institutions.
Two Conventions Contracted.
A few days ago another convention of the
republican party met in the city of Phila-
dephia, the date being selected as near as
possible to the anniversary of the conven-
ton of 1856. But mark this startling and
most significant fact: In all the numerous
resolutions so skillfully framed by this con-
vention of 1860 there appears not one reso-
luton, not one word, not one syllable OF
reference to the Declaration of lndepen-
dence. Could anything more clearly Illus
trate the decadence of that once splendid
and patriotic organization? The sacred pre-
c.ncts of the old colonial capital sheltered
for them no shade of Washington or Jef1er-
son, or Henry. or Otis, or Rutiedge, or
Adams For them there was no magic In
the name of philadelphia" whose every
utterance has been wont TO stir the souls
Of four generations of Americans with
memories of Independence day, 1II6. For
them no precedent spoke OF June, 1876
Strange, inexplicable, that great conven-
ton OF republicans could assemble in the
city of Philadelphia and remain deaf to the
echoes of that momentous history Whlle
every "babbling gossip of the air. was re-
peating over and over again to those that
had ears to hear. that all men are created
equal; that they are endowed by their Gre
ator with certain inalienable rights thal
among these are life. liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness; that to secure these
rights governments are Instituted among
men. deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed, to them the as
sociations of the place were as dumb as the
river throat of old liberty bell And so
that convention adjourned without pro-
claiming It's devotion to the doctrines whose
fame has glorified and sanctified not only
the city where IT met, but the early DAYS OF
the party whose ancient faith 1t repudiated.
New Party and Old Wide Apart.
For, gentlemen of the convention. it need
ed but this one act of sacrilege to complete
the demonstration that the party OF Marcus
A. Hanna stands for absolutely nothing. in
either doctrine spirit. that characterized
the party of Abraham Lincoln. The men
whom we today Immediately represent left
the republican party in 1896 chiefly because
of Its action at st. Louis in betraylng the
cause of bimetallism and surrenderng to
the banking combination Fundamentally
that question Is as vital now as II was then.
But the movement toward the gold stan
dard was only specific example OF gen
eral tendency. A money monopoly has
been followed by all the monopOlies; and
the resulting plutocracy, pursuing the
course of its prototypes in ancient and me
diaeval history. now seeks further exploita-
ton by conquest and to entrench its power
behind the class distinctions and centralized
authority of militarism. That party has
become the instrument of the forces of re-
action against the principles of demoora
institutions All men who see the danger
must unite to avert 1t. II We hal not left
the republican party in 1896 should be
compelled as patriots, to leave in 1900. and
forever.
The party of Lincoln. in the preamble to
its first platform, adopted in June, 1856. de-
cIared Its purpose to be to restore the ac-
ton Of the federal government to the prin-
ciples of Washington and Jefferson.
Old Doctrines RevOlutiOnized.
The principles of Washington and Jeffer-
son may be thus briefly summarized:
Abroad no entangling alliances; at home
equal rights for all, special privileges to
none" The present leadership OF the re-
publican party has revolutionized the for
eign policy OF the government. and whether
as we have abundance of evidence for be-