The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1901-06-27

subsidies the Republicans have taken ad,
vantage Of the situation and boldly got
upon the Democratic platform.
They are now upon the currency nucs-
tion practically where the Democratic
party stood up to 1896. They are now ad
yocatine the reciprocity Of jackson md
Pierce. They are now advocating the
principle which is announced
in the Democratic Convention q! !5oi iii
the matter of building the Pac'1ir En:l-
road They wan5 to apply tha; Hr'n";pi"
to our foreign commcro o. " henerrr tie
are forced tn ab"ndon their
own policy they take up Democratic poll
cies, and the Democrats are aSkel TO OPP
pose those Democratic policies because
they have been adopted by the Eepubii-
cans.
The Democrats of this country must
stand together and restore their party TO
the power which was theirs. They cannot
do it by cOndemning that which Is good
because the Republicans endorse it, nor
can they do it by going off after strange
and unsound pol .ces in order to secure
some votes which might otherwise he Re
publican. The fight of Hamilton and
Jefferson Is still on in this country. and
will be until it is fought to Il finish.
Either we will have an arlsrocflcy or we
will have a republic. Are the Democrats
to discard their fundamental idea OF the
liberty of the individual and freedom of
thought and action by refusing to recog-
nize as members of their party those men
who have always fought its battles in the
past, but who in the present believe that
some of its policies are not the policies OF
the true Democracy? The true Democracy
is progressive party. 1t progressed as
no other party ever has done. ana the ma,
tion prospered by reason of its wisdom ana
it's administration of public affairs. 1t
cannot prosper if it is to oppose the exten.
sion of our foreign trade, the creation OF
new markets. the upbuilding of our COM
mercial and industrial interests and the
freedom of the individual. If the Repub-
lican party, the record of which shows it
to have been party forbidding the free
exercise of speech, concentrating the
wealth of the country in the hands OF u
few, burdening the people by excessive
taxation and conducting public affairs for
the benefit of private citizens; II that
party ia to be allowed to turn its back
upon it's record and, by adopting the pro-
gressive features of the Democracy, be-
come the party of progress. then the Dem
ocratic party, having allowed its oppo-
nent to appropriate its principles, can no
longer live.
believe that the Democratic party does
not exist for the mere purpose of oppos-
ing whatever the Republ party MAY
SUGGEST. believe that it lives, rs it has
lived in times past, for the purpose OF
adonting that which is right and discard
inu chat which is wrong, and conducting
the affairs of State so as to make all men
equal under the law:
The record Of the Democratic party upon
the money question has always been In
favor OF gold and silver coined at such a
ratio az will maintain their parity and
paper money convertible into coin at the
will of the holder. There is not line In
any Democratic platform fixing the ratio
of silver aud gold prior to 1896: There is
not line in any Republican platform ad.
yocating or opposing the ratio OF 10 to
or any other particular ratio. There
were strong men in the Democratic party
In favor of the free coinage Of silver; there
were strong men In the Republican party
in favor of the free coinage of silver. The
Republican party adopted the first free
coinage platform. Although silver was
demonetized by Republican legislation in
1879 the only objection to that Act made
prior to 1895 came from the epubicans.
who had passed the Mintage Act. under
which silver was demonetized. After
twenty-three years silence the Democrat
ic party condemned the Act Of 1873, under
which silver was demonetized. The Re-
publicans answered by ahrogat1ng their
previous platform and indorsing for the
first time the monetary system for which
they were responsible. At that point both
parties split: Silver men Withdrew from
the Republican party. and gold men, as
they were called, withdrew from the Dem
ocratic party. There were more Demo
Gratis who withdrew on account of their
belief in the monetary system than there
were Republicans who Withdrew on ac,
count of their opposition toit. The result
was that after magnificently fought
campaign the Republicans were snccess.
ful. and the Democratic leaders all agreed
that this Republican success was due tc
those Democrats who had left their party
and voted either the Gold Democratic
ticket or directly for the Republican tick
at. The Democratic party showed that !,
was not dead, and when it is taken into
consideration that the Democratic Ad
ministration went into power at the time
of one Of the greatest panies from which
this country has ever suffered. it is re-
markable that the figures should show,
as they do, that had the party been united
it would have been continued in power.
Acting under their platform the Repub
lican party passed certain legislation
which settled the financial ques.!on in ac
cordance with their wishes. There came
about season of prosperity, not caused
by this legislation but by numerous othel
matters which politics had nothing to dc
with. This period of. prosperity carried
with it great business transactions: These
transactions were conducted under tht
financial legislation already mentioned
Some of the strongest advocates OF tn
of f,,h hot
a conservative view Of the situation, anC
! held that it had required over twenty
years and two panics to change from th'
| f,rmer system to the present one. ant
that change back again would require
equal time and cause great dlsturbanc.
| to our business interests. They believed
that, although the question has been set
| tied wrong, business had been SO adapte:
| to the present condition that any chang
| of q radical character would cause wide
spread disturbances. Showing that thu
| fundamental principles which have alway
| divided the Republican and the Demo
| cratic parties we're unchanged: thcs
| Democrats who were convinced that tl
unlimited coinage of silver ut ratio
| Is to would prove disastrous neverth'
less remained in their party, and IN se'
eral States the delegation sent To .kansa
| ClCS "cTc CoHlpOSctt VI "
to man opposed the tree silver plank
| 1t was understood that William J. Brya
should once more lead the party. 1t VA
| also understood that those opposed to I'll
| l6 to plank were not opposed to Iii
leadership. They had no requests . max
| of the Kansas City Convention concrrnln
candidates. They went there determine
| as far rs possible to have their party
which abandon ed its past principles an
stultified itself in lS9 by an unhollv all
ancs with the Populists and Sociai!s::
placed backed upon its own old mo ring
and adopt straight and Democrat:
platform. They were willing that I'll
Populists should have the can1idate
they were allowed to preserve the prime
| pies of the grand old party.
What did these men find when the
reached Kansas City? They found Nes
ern delegations in which not single ma
had been Democrat In 1892. These ME
demanded reiteration of the l6 to plan
| OF the Chicago platform. The propositlo
Was made to them that they could haV
both candidates. and they could have an
| planks they wanted. which are not Soc1a
| istic or Anarchistc. ami all the Democrat
asked was that their party he preserve
| by mainta ining its reputation as sal
and conservative organization. John "
Daniel, Of Virginia. as Thorough belle,
er in the free coinage Of silver as any ma
~f Hn doc