Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-05-24

lt.lo Tess than curse your obstiuacy.
Al the great men in the party are
touat urging you to drop the Chicago
platform or, at least, to modify Il.
ibis desire is not confined to the East
alone by any means. In Iowa. youi
adjoining State, the most prominent
man within its borders, Hon, Horace
Doies, US ex-governor, is daily begging
inc leaders, almost with tears In his
eyes, TO drop the folly of 1896. This
is what ne says in the closing para.
graph OF u recent article from his pen
published in tho Dos Moines Leader,
tho largest and most influential Demo.
cratic paper in that State:
10 the Democrats Of my own State
want especially to appeal in the
hour of what seems to me extreme
hatlunal peril. May | not indulge the
nope that feeling which | know ia
entertained by many of tho best men
o. our party that some concession to
democrats who cannot indofse the
financial plank OF the Chicago Plat
form without qualification of any kind
ought to be made may in some manner
lind expression when our State Con.
rention meets, anG in this way at least
that We may be able to contribute
mite toward. the SUCCESS of the Demo.
cratic party in the nation and thereby
the preservation of this government as
our fathers founded 1t. F" aar9
The above is the expression OF n
fuly great man, 81 far as knowledge
and political wisdom IS concerned. He
knows tho West and the wants of the
agricultural classes OF that section of
the country as no other man knows It,
yourself not excepted. Hs carried Iowa
and could do so again, If he was the
party standard bearer. You should
listen to the plendings Of such mon MS
Horace Boies. He is a candidate for
no office, and has only the success Of
the rarity at heart.
], too, was Western man. having
resided in Iowa nearly as many wears
as you have lived. Ny sympathies
were with you in the early days Of
your candidacy in 1895. wrote the
amendment in your interest and in the
interest Of my party which was offered
by Senator Hill, of New York, TO the
financial plank of the Chicago plat
form. This amendment sought to
EXEMPT all existing contracts not pro-
tected by the gold clause from tho
effects Of the proposed change In tho
money standard. While this amend
ment would have saved our party from
the charge Of attempted Republication Of
all public and private obligations and
have given you the Presidency, yet you
opposed it and had il expunged from
the record after it had gotten into the
platform, through the belief on tho
rart OF Col. Edward Il. Dickinson, the
official reporter of the convention, that
it had been adopted. and which would
have been the case but for your unwise
opposition.
| You have matters now so shaped,
through your six years FLAMING, that
you can, perhaps, force your nomina.
tIon and dictate the platform. But
yours is an awful responsibility. You
have the power. Will You use it arhi-
trsrilys j hope not. / have no pet
candidate | do not oppose you per-
sonally. | am only opposed to your
rolicy on the coinage question. because
il is contrary to the principles taught by
Jefferson, and because with it the party
cannot win. st. Paul says: "What
doth 1t profit man IL he gain the
whole world and lose his own soul?'
Let me ask, therefore, what will 1t
profit You or the Democratic party
either If you gain the nomination aud
lose the electiony
And lose you must if you still cling
to reafiirmatiou of the financial plank
of the old 1886 platform. The total
electoral vote is 447. The number re.
uuired to eleect you, IL nominated, is
92J. In 1896 you received 176. Assum.
ing now that you can carry the same
States you did in 1896, which 10 by no
means certain, you will still need ~
electoral votes to succeed. New York
has sc. Indiana Is, Kentucky ID, Cali
fornia 8, Delaware 5, Oregon A, West
| Virginia, 6. a
n you could carry New York you
would need only Indiana and have
three votes to spare. If you had New
York and Kentucky You would have
one vote to spare. II you cannot carry
New York, you will hare to carry lndi-
ana Kentucky, California, Delaware,
Oregon and West Virginia or their
equivalents. This you cannot do on the
issue of free coinage at IL to !. With a
rational platform | am of the opinion
that we can. carry New York and thus
deliver to the nominee its 36 electoral
votes.
In conclusion, want to call your at
tention to very important element, oil
substance rather, which will be lacking
| il you are tho nominee on 16 TO
platform, and that Is money. The Re
publican party will have all'th money
it can use logitimately, and more,
too. You will have little or none. a
| large sum Of money is necessary tc
carry on a national campaign | neeo
only to quote your own words to prove
that your campaign will have tc be car
ried on with very little, if.any, money,
In n speech you made In Des Moines,
Ia, to the chairman OF the respective
county committees Of the State, on the
day before the last State convention,
when you were addressing them on the
/. subject Of raising a campaign fund fol
tho Presidential contents, you tolo
them that no financial aid could be ex
pected from the trusts, the banks, thu
eorporations, the railroads or thu
wealthy men of tho party, and that thu
farmers and laboring men only could b'
| looked TO for money contributions
This being the case you will be at {
great disadvantage and our case will 81
homeless. With o platform containing
no threatening attack on the business
| interests of the country, as will be thu
case, should the platform declare To-
unlimited coinage at l6 to J., suffi
Gent campaign fund could be RAISED
and q victory obtained over the part.
| of Imperialism, Oppression and Trusts
May wisdom prevail. | am. dear sir
very truly yours, james j. Russell.
Decision in the Taylor Case.
Z, of Ia zettn nnl InIIrnnl