The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-05
THE DEMOCRATIC ISSUES
Representative Richardson's Ad-
dress as Permanent Chairman.
sixteen Strong Points Against the
Republican Administrations - De-
nuncistion of Imperialism nnd
Trcsts-PIcdGcs Unfulaiicd Porto
Ricnn Outrage and Cuban Scandals

KANSAS CITY, July 4.-Representative
James D. Richardson, of Tennessee. in his
speech as permanent chairman Of the Dem-
ocratic National Convt ntion. said:
Il am deeply sensible OF the great honor
you have bestowed upon me in calling me
TO preside over this great Democratic Con-
vention. We have been clothed with the
authority to formally name the candidates
who. at the next election, are to be chosen
President and Vice President of the Uni
ted States, and to lay down a platform of
principles upon which the battle is to be
fought and the victory won. With your
permission / will address myself TO some
of the Issues of the impending campaign.
THE last great national contest for su
rremacy was fought mainly upon one issue
that IS 10 say, one issue was paramount
in the struggle. That issue was familiarly
called '16 to l. 1t involved the question
of the free coinage of gold and silver at a
ratio of sixteen parts of silver to one part
of golG with which we are all familiar.
The momentous issue this year is again IL
TO l, but the sixteen parts to the one part
of this campaign, which / will briefly dis
cuss, are wholly different from those of
1896 will first refer to the sixteen parts.
and then to the one part. These sixteen
parts are:
Republic Against Empire.
"First-We have the issue fraught with
indescribable Importance to our people,
native born and those who have for pa
triotic reasons cast their fortunes with us;
namely. that of the Republic against the
Empire. On this one part alone of the
sixteen, If there were no other. we con-
fidently expect TO win sweeping victory
in November. The Republican party stands
for the Empire. The Democratic party
stands for the Republic. for the Declara-
tion of Independence. and the Constitution
of our country.
-Second-The paternal and fostering
care given by those with whom We con-
tend to the combinations of corporations
and companies into powerful organizations
familiarly known as trusts. Under three
years of Republican rule. while they con-
trolled the Presidency. the Senate and the
House of Representatives, that is, all Of
the law-making power Of the Government,
trusts have been propagated and fostered
by legislation until they not only domi
nate all markets. both the buying and
selling, but defy the very power of the
Government, itself
The farcical efforts put forth by the Re-
publican party in an alleged attempt to
restrain them in the dying hours Of the
late session of Congress only excited ridi-
cule and contempt and served to empha-
size their inability and Discrimination to
grapple the monsters and regulate their
conduct and actions. No matter what
their excuses may be, the fact is their pol
icies have created them. and though cloth
ed with all power, they refuse to enact
legislation to control them.
Bred n Plague of Trusts.
"Thifd-Called TO power March 4, 1897,
under a pledge to reform the currency.
they seized the first opportunity to fasten
upon the land the highest protective tariff
law ever put upon the statute books of any
country. This law was enacted not to
raise revenue. but 10 give protection to IA
vored manufacturers. 1t failed to raise
sufficient revenue for the Government but
answered the purpose Of enriching the ia
vored few while it robbed the many. and
at the same time brought forth trusts to
plague us as numerous rs the lice and To-
Gusts of Egypt Their high protective tar
if is the mother of trusts.
'Fourth-This Administration came in
TO poser with a solemn declaration in ia
vor of biInetallism and a pledge to pro-
mote it. 1t has failed TO keep that pledge
1t has erected in its stead the single gold
standard, and has endeayored 10 destroy
all hops of biInetallism. In doing this. it
has built up powerful National Bank
Trust, and has given US a currency based
upon the debts and liabilities of the Gov
ernment. We stand for bimetallism and
not for monometallic standard of either
the one or the other metal
"Fifth-The dominant party has recently
made the fraudulent declaration that il /
favored the Monroe Doctrine; and yet !
their President and Secretary OF State |
have done all in their power to nuIlify |
and abrogate that famous and much re-
vered Democratic doctrine. In the name |
of its Democratic author. James Monroe. |
l denounce their vaunted advocacy of this |
truly American doctrine as false and hy- |
pocritical We stand for this doctrine in |
its essence and form, and demand its rigid |
endorsement.
"Sixth-In order to obtain place and
power, they pledged themselves. in the in
terest Of an expanding commerce. to con-
struct a waterway to connect the two great
oceans. They have repudiated this prom
Use. They have negotiated the Hay
Pauncefote Treaty, which. while 1t virtu-
elly abrogates the Monroe Doctrine, rem
ders 1t impossible to build an American
canal. Under the terms and provisions of
this treaty, which is English and not
American the canal can never be con-
structed. We stand for an American Ca
nal owned, constructed, operated, and for
titled by America
'Seventh-They declared in their plat |
form that their party was responsible for |
the merit system, that IL was their crea- |
ture, and that the Civil Service law should |
be protected and Its operations extended. |
Their protection Of this law has been such |
as the wolf gives the lamb. They did not |
dare openly repeal the law or to modify it |
by an act Of Congress. but they have insid- |
iously. by an order from the President. |
extorted from him to aid them to obtain !
and hold political power. greatly impaired |
the efficiency of the law. By the Presi- |
dents order many thousand lucrative Of |
fees regularly covered by the Civil Serv-
ice law were taken from under its protec-