Washington sentinel., 1900-07-14
Representatlve Riehardson. .

Democratic Convention at Kansas City
on taking the chair said:
The last great national contest fol
supremacy was fought mainly upon one
issue-that is to say, one issue was para
mount in the struggle. That issue was
iamlliarly called 40 TO l." It involved
the question Of the free coinage Of silver
and gold at a ratio OF sixteen parts oi
silver TO one part OF gold, with which
all Of us are familiar.
The momentous issue this year is
again I6 to I, but the sixteen parts to
the one part OF this campaign, which
will briefly discuss, are wholly different
from those Of 1896. will first refer to
the sixteen parts, and then to the one
part. These sixteen parts are:
First. We have the issue fraught with
indescribable importance 10 our people
native born and those who for patriotic
-easons cast their fortunes with us, viz,
that Of the republic against the empire
On this part alone OF the sixteen, # there
were no other, we confidently expect to
win a sweeping victory in November.
The Republican party stands for empire.
The Democratic party stands for the
republic, for the Declaration OF Inde-
pendence and the Constitution Of our
country.
Second, The paternaI and fostering
care given by those with whom we con
tend to the combinations Of corporations
and companies into powerful organiza.
tions popularly known as trusts. Under
three years OF Republican rule, while
they controlled the Presidency, the
Senate and House Of Representatives
that is the law making power Of the
Government, trusts have been propa-
gated and iostered by legislation until
they not only dominate all markets,
both the buying and the selling, but defy
the very power off Government itself
The farcicll efforts put FORTH by the
Republican party in an alleged attempt
to restrain them in the dying hours of
the late session Of Congress only excited
ridicule and contempt, and served to
emphasize their inability and dsinclina-
ton to grapple the monsters and regulate
their conduct and actions. No matter
what their excuses may he, the fact
remains that their policies have created
them, and, though clothed with all
power they refuse to enact legislation
to control them.
Third. Called to power March 4, 1897,
under 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
not to raise revenue, but to give
TO favored manufacturers. 1t
tailed to raise sufficient revenue Tor the
but answered the purpose
OF enriching the favored few, while it
robbed the many, and at the same time
brought forth trusts to plague us as
numerous as the lice and locusts OF
Egypt. Their high protective tariff is
the mother Of trusts.
Fourth This Administration came
into power with a solemn declaration in
favor Of bimetalism and a pledge to
promote it, 1t has failed to kee ep that
pledge, 1t has erected in its stead the
single standard OF gold and has tried to
destroy all hope OF bimetalism. In doing
this, 1t has built up wonderful national
bank trust, and has given us a currency
based upon the debts and liabilities of |
the Government We stand for bimet-
alism and not for a monometalliC stan.
dard OF either one or the other metal
Fifth. The dominant party recently
has madethe fraudulent declaration that
it favored the Monroe Doctrine; and yet
their President and Secretary OF State
have done all in their power to nullify
and abrogate that famous and much
revsred Democratic dOctrine. In the
name Of its Democratic author, lanes
Monroe, 1 denounce their vaunted
ofthis truly American doctrine
as false and hypocrItical We stand for
this doctrine in its essence and form,
and demand its rigid enforcement.
Sixth. In order to obtain place and
power they pledged themselves, in the
interest OF an expanding commerce, to
waterway to connect the two
great oceans. They have repudiated
this promise, They have negotiated the
Hay Paun-eiote treaty, which, while il
abrogates the Monroe doctrine,
renders it impossible to build an Amer
ican canal Under the terms and pro-
visions OF this treaty, " hich is Eng lish
and not American, the canal can never
be constructed. We stand for an
American canal, owned, constructed,
and fortified by America.
Seventh They declared in their
platform that their party was responsible
for the merit system; that it was their
creature and that the Civil Service law
should be protected and its operations
Their protection OF this law
has been such as the volt gives the
lamb. They did NOT dare openly repeal
the law or to modify it by an act { T
Congress, but they have iusldiously
by an order from the President. extorted
from him to aid them to obtain and hold
political power, greatly impaired the
OF the law. BY the Presidents
order many thousand lucrative Offices
regularly covered by the Civil Service
law we're taken from under it's protection
and these places turned over to his
partisan followers m vain effort 10
satisfy their political greed.
Eighth. They declared in their plat.
form in favor OF the admission OF the