The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-14
Shirt of the Press.
A PREMIUM ON TIiEACHERY.

Webster's Weekly.
The Raleigh Post chides the Weekly
for protesting against the Cleveland
Avcocll boom OH this Use:
And Bro. Webster of Webster's Week
" is likewise pessimistic--if not worse.
He says:
THE Raleigh Post has launched a
boom for Grover Cleveland for President
and Governor Aycock for Vice-Presi-
dent. There's nothing the matter with
the tail of the proposed ticket but
everything the matter with the head.
North Carolina will never give her cleo
toral vote to Cleveland again no matter
how much sugar coating politicia~
believe it, let them go ahead and they
will find out that Iscaiotism ard Arnold
ism have had their day."
We must think the Weekly speaks
hastily with reference to the electoral
vote not being cast for whomsoever the
Democrats may name 1t has certainly
been cast heretofore for the nominee un
der circumstances far less inviting, or
encouraging to Democratic principles,
policies or hopes of success. 1t was not
the politicians" who nominated Mr..
Cleveland in 1892, but rather his nCmi-
nation was forced upon this class by the
people who had confidence in his inte-
gritty and courage TO do that which he
believed was right because it was right
rather than popular. Politicians of rcck-
less tendencies and time servers did the
work for the party and the country sub
seQuently, and it is the knowledge of
these facts which, among other things,
is causing the stalWart form of Mr..
Cleveland to be again seen above the
horizon as the strongest hope Of Demo-
crazy in the great fight soon to be made.
All who voted the electoral tickets of
1S96-1900 will surely vote for the nominee
in 1904, and many more besides. And
herein lies the strength Of our PROPOSE
ton.
The Posts proposition has met with
cool reception. The State papers, as a
rule have dismissed it as being too vi
siOnary to call for serious discussion. A
few, the Charlotte Observer chief among
them, have given it their hearty en-
dorsemcnt. While the Weekly would re-
joce at any good fortune that could
come to Governor Aycock, it cannot look
upon the proposition to make use of his
deserved popularity to cloak or sugar
as one which his friends should endorse
or condone. Governor Aycock is
Democrat, without prefix or qualification.
The Charlotte Observer says Cleveland
is an independent Democrat" Plain,
everyday people know he is a Republi-
can in disguise and a thousand times
more dangerous than an open enemy.
He has done the Democratic party more
harm than all the Republican leaders
combined. The assaults of the Chand-
lers, the Reeds, the Harrisons and the
Forakers have served to unite our forces,
while the treachery of Cleveland brought
division and defeat.
He was elected in 1892 upon a platform
which made tariff reform the paramount
issue, and adjusted the money question
upon a basis acceptable to both wings
of the party. He was no sooner elected
than he began to lay plans to force the
silver question to the front. and used
the patronage of his office to secure the
unconditional repeal of the silver pur
chase act in violation of the party CoVen-
ant. The money plank of the platform of
1892 as we have said, was a compromise,
the product of mutual concessions. 1t
left details to the wisdom of the law
makers, but laid down the broad princi-
pie that gold and silver must be coined
on equal terms and their parity main
tanned. Cleveland called Congress in
extra session in 1898 to repeal the silver
purchase act and refused TO abide by
the compromise The pledges of the
financial plank were joint and insepcr-
able, as Vance argued. but the money
power got what it wanted and the peo-
pie were shamefully trifled with.
The Charlotte Observer said in its is
sue of September %. 1893:
The platform, the party law, declared
as distinctly as words can, fidelity to
gold and silver as the money of the
country. 1t declared further for the
coinage of these metals without dis
elimination against either when certain
conditions We're met-that is to say,
when the dollar unit OF both was made
of equal intrinsic and eXchangeable
value. Two methods by which this
might be accomplished were indicated:
international agreement and safeguards
OF legislation
Nobody questions this Interpretation. 1t
was the plain English of the platform.
But the cry of the Clevelandites was:
Trust the President" He would be
found all right. they said. The Observer
said in the same editorial:
Since he accepted the nomination Of
his party last year and made its plat
form his own, there has been no intima-
ton from him of a purpose to disavow
any of its pledges; and in the absence
of such intimaton, to charge that he
proposes to nullify all save one of the
financial measures proposed by that plat
form is to assail his integrity and in
effect 10 charge that he procured his
election by duplicity and bad faith.
Strong and emphatic language, and if
it does not cover the case, the following
from the Observer of July 80 1898, more
than does SO:
Upon the financial question for in
stance, we suppose it Will not be denied
that the President is a monometallist,
but it is equally little to be doubted that
he proposes to be true to the pledges of
the platform upon which he was elected.
Compromising, thus, some of his individ-
ual views, he should be met by gentle