The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-07-18
"STILl VERY STILL"
The Commoner Reproduces Mr.. Hills
Letter Written In 1896.

The Hon. David b. Hill. without
whose vociferations no harmony
meeting would be complete, has not
always been so prodigal with his
voice. There was time-and it was
critical time in the history of the
democratic party-when neither love
of country, nor party loyalty, nor the
recollections of honors received, nor
yet strongest of all the hope of
honors yet to cume-could draw from
him one dulcet note. That was in
1896 when organized greed, hypocrisy
and frauo united to thwart the pur-
pose which a large majority of the
party expressed in the most democrat
ic convention which had been held for
generation. The Chicago platform
was adopted ON the 9th of July; after
Mr. Hill had had more than two
months to consider it, he wrote TO
Hon. Hamilton Ward of Belmont, n.
Y, letter dated September ~, 1896,
and published in the Buffalo Express
June II, 1902, which reads as follows:
Albany, N. Y, Sept. IL, 1896.
Personal.
My Dear Judge: Your recent let
tiers were duly received. / read each
of them with much interest. The
situation for democrat who desires at
all times to be loyal to his party Is very
difficult. | am giving the matter very
careful consideration and moving slow
ly. l was 6 democrat before the
Chicago convention and | am demo-
crat still-very still. am always
glad to hear from you.
With kindest regards to Mrs. Ward
and yourself, l remain, very truly
yours,
Hon. Hamilton Ward,
Belmont, N A.. Y.
IF Mr.. Hill had any influence, that
was the time to exert it. We needed
harmony then and his particular
friends were the discoroant ones, but
he was "STILL-VERY STILL.
He wants to push tariff reform to
the front now, but when the republl
cans nominated the foremost cham
pion of ultra protection and when his
infiuance might have aided tariff reform
he was ''STILL-VERY STILL.
He now pretends to be very much
disturbed by the trusts. but he knew
that the trusts were opposing the
democratic ticket in 1896 and he knew
that they would control the policy of
the republican administration If they
succeeded in electing that ticket but
he was 'STILL-VERY STILL.
He describes imperialism as menace
to the country and yet when the
republicans were winning the victory
out of which Imperialism grew and
were employing imperialistic methods
to coerce voters, he was "STlLL-
VERY STILL.
He ought not to De too noisy now.
He claims to have voted the ticket in
1S96-it is even said that he can prove
it by a thumb mark on the ticket-but
il he has so much influence why did he
not use his influence for the ticket? A
man who is big enough to aspire to
the presidency ought to have some in
tiuence he ought to be able to do more
than control his own vote. If Mr..
Hill was able to influence one thousand
votes in the United States he has
thousand times as great claim on the
republican party as ON the democratic
party, for all his influence was thrown
to the republican ticket. At the Tilden
club banquet he eulogized Mr.. Cleve-
land after the latter had made his i'm
pudent and insolent speech calling
upon the democratic party to repent
The Commoner does not condemn
Mr. Hill merely because he slnned in
1896, but because he is ready to repeat
the sin it is not because he did his
party wrong, but because there is
no reason to doubt that he will follow
in the future the same course he has
followed in the past. Mr.. fills con-
duct showed how far apart he aud
the party were in 1896, and his
speeches show that he has not changed.
Therefore, he and the party must be
as far apart now unless the party has
undergone change. He has Endorsed
Mr. Cleveland's plan of requiring the
faithful to wear sackcloth and ashes,
put the rank and file do not respond
they are "STILL-VERY STILL. =
The Commoner.