Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-07-05


duced Mr.. Richardson, who bowed his
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of the cheers that
swept through the hall.
He said:
Gentlemen of the Convention:
l 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
ciothed with the authority to formally
name the candidate who at the next
election, are to be chosen President and
Vice President Of the United States,
and to lay down platform of prin-
ciples upon which the battle is to be
fought and the victory won. With
your permission l will address myself
to some of the issues Of the impending
campaign.
The last great national contest for
supremacy was fought mainly upon
one issue-that is to say one issue was
paramount in the struggle. That issue
was Familiarity called, Sixteen to one"
1t involved the question of the free
coinage of gold and silver at a ratio Of
16 parts of silver to one part of gold,
with which all of us are familiar.
The mOmentous issue, this year, is
again 16 to l. but the 16 parts to the
one part of this campaign, which l will
briefly discuss. are wholly different
from those of 1896. I will first refer
to the 16 parts and then to the one
part. These 16 parts are.
First-We have the issue fraught
with indescribable Importance to our
people native born, and those, who
have for patriotic reasons cast their
fortunes with us, namely, that of the
republic against the empire. On this
part alone of the 16. If 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 indie
pendence. and the constitution of our
country.
Second-The paternal and fostering
care given by those with whom we
contend to the combinations Of cor
porations and companies into powerful
organizations Familiarity known as
trusts. Under three years of Republi-
can rule while they controlled the
Presidency, the Senate and the House
Of Representatives, that is Of the law
making power of the government,
trusts have been propagated and fos
tered by legislation until they not only
dominate all markets, both the buying
and selling. but defy the very power Of
the government itself. The farcical ef-
forts put forth by the Republican
party in an alleged attempt to restrain
them in the dying hours Of late ses-
sion Of Congress only excited ridicule
and contempt and served to emphasize
their inability and Discrimination to
grapple the monsters and regulate their
conduct and actions. No matter what
their excuses may be. the fact their
policies have created them. and, though
clothed with all power, they refuse to
enact legislation to control them.
Third-Called to power. March a.
1897. under a pledge to reform the cur
rency. they seized the first opportun-
ity to fasten upon the land the high
est protective tariff law ever put upon
the statute book Of any country. This
law was enacted not to raise revenue
for the government. 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 protec-
tive tariff is the mother of trusts.
Fourth-This administration came
into power with solemn declaration
in favor of bimetallsm and 4 pledge
to promote it. 1t has failed to keep
that pledge. 1t has erected in its stead
the single standard of gold. and has
cndeavored to destroy all hope Of BIZ
mctallism. In doing this, it has built
up a powerful national bank trust. and
has given us currency based upon
the debts and liabilities of the gov
eminent.
We stand for bimetallism and not for
a monometallic standard of either one
or the other metal.
Fifth-The dominant party has re-
Gently made the 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 revered Democratic doc
trine. In the name of its Democratic
author James Monroe. l denounce
their Wanted advocacy of this truly
American doctrine as false and hypo-
critical. We stand for this doctrine
in its essence and form, and demand
its rigid enforcement.
Sixth-ln order to obtain place and
power they pledged themselves in the
interest of an expanding commerce, to
construct a waterway to connect the
two great oceans. They have repudi-
alter this promise. They have negoti-
ated the HayPauncefote treaty, which.
while it virtually abrogates the Mon
roe doctrine. renders it 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 constructed.
We stand for an American canal, own |
ed. constructed, operated and fortified
by America.
Seventh-They declared in their plat
form 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 operation |
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 insiduously 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 Pres
dents order many thousand lucrative