The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-08

DEMOCRATIC RE0RGANIZ ALTON.
In an article in the North American Re
| view for February. Mr.. Perry Belmont
/ takes the position that those Democrats
VINO were not in sympathy with their
I party in The campaigns OF 1896 and 1900
have just as much right to take part in
the reorganization of the Democrats
party as those who led the party in those
campaigns. lie takes issue with Mr.
Bryan, who, some time ago. said that only
those within the party lines arc entitled
to take part in whatever reorganization
Of the party that may be found 10 be
necessary.
Mr.. Belmont takes the position that the
changes which were made in the doc
trines Of the Democratic party at Chi
cago in 1896 and reallrmed at Kansas City
in 1900 were the work OF a few leaders
who had succeeded IN getting control Of
the party machinery, but who had not
obtained the consent OF the rank and file
to the changes. On this point Mr.. Bel
mont says:
Their platform aud candidate proclaim
ca theories which were once Republican.
were then defended by Populists but
were alweys undemocratic. The usuTpa-
ton of the Democratic name ana organ
iZation accomplished at Chicago in 1895
was as furlive as 1t was sudden in eXecu-
ton 1t took the Democracy unaEares.
1t was not openly proposed and fairly
presented IN the several states. as Mr..
Bryan has recently said party reYolu
ton should be-
THE alteration from the immutablc
principles Of the American Democracy din
not proceed from within, or from those
whom eX-President Cleveland has recent
ly described as the rank and file II was
the result of an intrigue between a few
leaders controlling the organization in
certain states and dissatisfied Republi-
cans, uniting with Populists who made
the capture Chat IS the word used by
Mr. Bryan Of the Chicago convention.
Neither New York nor the Eastern states
We're taken into the conspiracy"
As to the right of Democrats who have
bolted the party to return TO the organ
ization and take part in it's deliberations
ana its management, Mr.. Belmont offers
the following:
Mr.. Bryan deems a voter not to be
Democrat unless his vote was cast for
HIM in 1896 or 1900 How was il with
those Democrats who did not vote for
Breckenridge, or Douglas i'm 1860, al
though sound Democrats before and at
ter? How was it with those, previously
Democrats, who voted against Cass in
1913, but for Pierce in 1852? Was not John
Van Buren,, the first President of the
Manhattan Club, a Democrat, even al
though he did not vote for Cass? Were
rot those Democrats who refused to vote
for Cass in 1913, among the wheel
Lorses' for Pierce in 1852, and were not
those Democrats who could not stomach
Greeley in 1872 among the most efficient
for Tilden in 1852
Assuming that Mr.. Belmont is right in
saying that those who made the Chicago
platform did not get the right to change
Democratic principles from the rank and
file, is it not a sufficient answer to say
that although they did not get authority
before acting their action was ratified by
the subsequent election? 1t was also rat
flied by the Kansas City Convention and
at the election of 1900 The vote of the
rank and file on the question of ratifica
zion was extraordinarily large. The rank
and file were very well satisfied appar-
entity with what was done at Chicago,
| even though il was not done by their eX-
press direction. If they had not been
they would have instructed the represen-
tatives they sent to Kansas City to re-
pCdiate what had been done at Chicago.
1t is true of course that Democrats who
in times past refused to stand with their
party, because OF some action of the
larty which they did not approve, sub
sequently took leading parts in Demo-
cratic campaigns but they did not I'M
dertake to crowd out those who had re-
manned in charge of the organization dur
ing the period of dissatisfaction. They
simply announced ready for duty and
were welcomed back.
1t is for the rank and file to say what
the doctrines of the party shall be in
the campaign of 1891 They will do that
through the representatives they will send
to the national convention. If they want
changes made they will send delegates
to the convention who will make them
delegates perhaps of Mr.. Belmonts way
of thinking-but until there is another
national convention deliverance the par
tvs creed will be that adopted at the
Kansas City Convention.