The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1900-08-09
Richardson's Address as Permanent Chair
man.


Richardson's Address as Permanent Chair
man.
The address of Hon. ], d. Richard
son, of Tennessee, delivered in assum-
ing the duties of permanent chairman
Of the convention, was Gs follows;
81 am deeply sensible of the great
honor you have bestowed upon me in
calling me to preside over this great
democratic convention. 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 United States;
and to lay down platform Of princi-
pies upon the battle is to be fought and
the victory won. With your permis'
sion / will address myself to some of
the issues of the impending campaign
"Ihe last great national contest for
supremacy was fought mainly upon one
issue that is to say one issue was par
amount in the struggle. That issue
was familiarly called, :sixteen to one
The momentous issue this year is again
sixteen to one, but the sixteen parts to
the one part of this campaign, which J
will briefly discuss, are wholly differ
ent from those of 1896. / will first re-
fer to the sixteen parts and then to the
one part. These sixteen parts are:
"First. We have the issue fraught
with indescribablo importance to our
people native born, aud those who have
for patriotic reasons cast their fortunes
with us, namely, that Of the republic
against the empire.
"Second. The paternal and foster
ing care given by those with whom we
contend, to the combinations Of corpor-
ations and companies into powerful or
CARNATIONS familiarly known as trusts.
The farcical efforts put forth by the
republican party in an alleged attempt
to restrain them i'll the dying hours of
the late session of congress only excited
ridicule and contempt, and served to
emphasize their inability and disincli-
nation to grapple the monsters and
regulate their conduct and actions. No
mattea what their excuses may be, the
fact 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 cur
rency, they seized the first opportunity
to fasten upon the land the highest pro-
tectiye tariff law ever put upon the
statute books Of any country.
''Fourth. This administration came
into power with solemn declaration
in favor OF bi-metallism aud a pledge
to promote it. 1t has failed to keen
that pledge. 1t has erected in its stead
the single standard OF gold, and has
endeayorrd to destroy all hope Of bi-
metallsm. In doing this, it has built
mp q powerful national bank trust, and
has given us currency based upon the
debts and liabilities Of the government,
"Fifth The dominant party has re-
Gently made the fraudulent declaration
that it favored the Monroe doctrine
and yet its president and secretary OF
state have done all in their power tC
nullify and abrogate that famous anC
much revered democratic doctrine.
Sixth. In order to obtain place
and power they pledged themeelves, IL
the interest Of an expanding commerce
to construct waterway to connect thC
two great oceans. They have repudi
ated this promise. They have nego
tiated the Hay Pauncefote treaty whicl
while it virtually abrogates the Mon
roe doctrine, renders it impossible t
build an American canal
Seventh They declared in thei
platform that their party was response
BILE for the merit system, that it wa
their creature and that the civil servic
law should be protected aud its opera
tions extenden. By the president
order many thousand lucrative official
regularly covered by the civil seryic
law, were taken from under the protec
ton, and these places turned over t
his partisan followers in vain effor
to satisfy their political greed.
eighth. They declared in thei
platform in favor of the admission c
the territories of Arizona, New Mexic
and Oklahoma as states of the union
yet, after nearly four years Of fu
power, they are still territories.
"Ninth. When congress last assen
! bled the president in his first utteranC
It addressed to the representatives fres
from the people, solemnly urged upo
them that 1t was their plain duty
: give free trade to Porto Rico. H
party leaders, quick to obey his jun,
tion, made ready to comply with h
recommendations Butiu a night, a
most i'll the tNinkling of an eye, Il
mighty megnates Of the trusts sweI
d down upon Washington and interpost
their strong arm, and plain duty val
ILL /, ro,.o r,o;.,x o.,