Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1902-06-25
A Party Ashamed OF Its Past.


A Party Ashamed OF Its Past.
The Democrats of Indiana have held
state convention and deliberately re-
fused to reaffirm their last national plat
form. This omission is confession and
defeat. There was prolonged wrangle
in committee over resolution indorsing
Bryan and the Kansas City platform, but
after wrestling with the question for
many hours the committee decided to
withhold the Endorsement. A peculiar
feature of the convention was the equal
prominence given to Cleveland and
Bryan, though the two are known to be
politically irreconcilable. Bryan's name
aroused the most enthusiasm by far, and
if h. had walked in he could have stam-
psded the convention beyond the slight
est doubt. The platform feebly attempts
to say something for the great silver
fasco by declaring that "the increase of
standard money arising from the vast in
creased production from our own and
foreign mines is a demonstration of the
truth of the quanttative theory of
money" But how about the quantta
tive test? Under Republican admins
tration every dollar of the money of the
United States is equivalent to gold. Its
face value is gold value. If the Demo-
Gratis had succeeded in either of the last
two presidential campaigns the national
dollar would have sunk in value to less
than s. cents in gold. The Indiana
Democrats practically admit that the
Democratic national platform of 1896
and 1909 was false doc trine.
Illuminating as the fact must be to the
100000 voters of which so much has
been said, the Indiana Democrats dared
not reaffirm the national platform nor in
dorse "the matchless Bryan" Yet they
unblushingly put forth another lengthy
platform, to be repudiated, with the same
facility at some future day. 1t contains
the usual cant about an alliance between
Republicans and the trusts, regardless
Of the fact that the Republican party
alone, while in control of Congress, pass
ed a law to limit business combinations
and monopolies in the interest of the peo-
pie. On the Philippine question the pol
icy of the administration is declared to
have "em5roiled the Republic in an un.
necessary war, sacrificed the lives of
many of its noblest sons and placed the
United States, previously known and ap.
plauded throughout the world as the
champion of freedom, in the false and
un-American position Of crushing with
military force the efforts of our former
allies to achieve liberty and self-govern.
ment." What..rot to be hurting at the
United States as nation. But the mud
singers will creep out of sight on the
Philippine question just as they hid
themselves, for very shame, from all
mention of their vociferous crusade for a
Accent dollar.
The distinctive points about the state
convention of the Indiana Democrats
were the backdown on Bryan, free silver
and the Kansas City platform, and the
experiment. of presenting Bryan and
Cleveland as pair of political twins. In
this proceeding the observer sees plan
to work back to the Cleveland basis of
operations. Cleveland and his followers
threw the whole force of their influence
and votes against Bryan in 1896 and 1900.
Will Bryan forgive it and cooperate now
with those who voted and worked against
him? The Indiana Democrats suggest
that he ought to go back, sit down and
be a good Cleveland man, if the party re-
quircs it. But Bryan is today the most
popular man in his party. and no Demo.
cratic convention can meet where he
would not be overwhelmingly the DOM
mating force if he choose to be present
He has not yet pinned on Cleveland
button, whatever the Indiana Democrats
may propose to do.