The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-17

Keep History Straight.

| hCCD IlStOIy
| Webster's Weekly.
| Just as we expected the Charlotte
| Observer comes up smiling and claims
| that the action of the Democratic Ma
| tional Convention Vindicates the po-
| sition it took in the two last Pres-
Dental campaigns. 1t is disposed T..
| crow over what it regards as con-
| feSSion by the party that the CleVe-
| land boilers were right in 1896 anu
! 1900 and the six million voters who
supported Mr.. Bryan were wrong. LII
its issue of the 18th inst, under the
| caption, Reorganization Has Come.
| the Observer says:
| After Mr. Bryan'S second defeat
| for the Presidency in 1900 it was APP
| parent to many that the future of the
| Democratic party was hopeless unless
it cast off his leadership, abandoned
the platform on which he had twice
run, and returned to the faith of the
| fatherS-in a word unless it We're
| wholly reorganized, went back to frs
| principles and to sane leadership.
! Those who advanced this argument
were called the re-organizers' and
/ were much derided. Shall the tail
wag the dog?' was asked. Shall the
handful of boilers control the party
against the more than six millions OF
| Democrats who had voted for Mr..
|
| Yet at st. Louis last week the very
reorganization which had been urg-
1 ed was effected. A platform upon
which all classes of Democrats can
unite was ado1ted and upon it Wera
placed candidates for President and
| Vice President who have always held
the ancient faith. They had VotS i
the ticket in the two past elections
but without protesting sympathy with
| n "a
or platform. They were the candi-
| dates of the conservative element.
which has now become the majority
/ of the party. 1t signifies nothing tina
| the new platform does not specifical-
| ly repudiate those of Chicago and
Kansas City. That would have been q
needless offence. Judge Parker mad /.
urday, if it was not known before.
! where he stands on the financia /,
1 question, and his letter of acceptance
, will make known his position upon
tother public questions in which tho
people have an interest.
| "Of all these things The Observer
for one is exceedingly glad. Gndet
the old-new dispensation it does not
have to spar for position on the band
Wagon-it is already there. 1t iS glad
That in the two past campaigns 1t did
| not change its ground; not having
done SO it does not have to make an
| other change. No one may say with
certainty that Judge Parker will ba
| elected in November. though he de-
serves to be. But at all events tha
party has righted itself and put itself
1 in position to regain the country 5,
confidence and to wage successful
| contests in the future"
| The Weekly rejoices that the Dem
ocratic National Convention measure, !,
up to the responsibilities of the occa-
sion and framed a platform of vital,
living issues, broad enough for all
clements of the party to stand upon,
| The result of the election of 1900
| demonstrated very clearly that Mr.,
| Bryan, like Henry Clay, would have
| to be content to see the leadership OF
/ his party bestowed upon another.
] while he served in the ranks. The
| trusts and corporations will never let
such a man be President if money
will buy the election. That we have
a platform which all Democrats cay
| stand on is due to the courageoU ,
fight that Mr.. Bryan has made the
! past four years to hold the party to
it's fundamental principles. "Re-or-
ganization has come" but the ObSer
ver's crowd were not the reorganizers,
1.-THE men who controlled the late con,
| vention, who wrote the platform an,
ruled in the councils, were those VIII /.
| supported Bryan in 1896 and 1900,
Judge Parker's strength in the con-
| test for the nomination was due t.
the fact that he supported the tickle /
| in the two past campaigns. No bolter
could have come in sight of the nom-
ination.
! Judge Parker's action in telegraph
ing the convention his position on the
money question, that there might ba
| no possible misunderstanding of his
views, stamps him as being d man
as far above Cleveland's notions o..
| political morality as George Washing
ton was above Benedict Arnold. TIL /
platform is purposely silent on the
money question because it is not re-
garded as an issue in this campaign,
| Judge Parker wanted to put himself
| on record, however, and did so en-
phatically and unequivocally. NO vo1
ter can say his position is doubtful.
| The money question was an 1SSu i
in 1892 and the platform was 'neltheS
silent nor evasive. Cleveland accept
| ed nomination and election on
platform that committed the party IA
| metallism, the double standard. Ea
| had the platform telegraphed hlrl
while the convention was in session.
Gov. Aycock said on this point in
speech at Wilson in 1892:
"They tell us the convention had to
wire it to Cleveland to see ii it suit
| ed him. Yes, the men who wrote il
did wire it to him. Why? Because
| they knew he would not stand on
! platform that was not, honest and true
and that he believed in, great grand,
honest man that he is. They didnt
wire Harrison and Weaver and ask
them about their platform. They ara
SO little and insignificant that they
would accept on any platform, ana
thank zee, tool"
Now, let's see what that platform
said on the money question. We will
not ask the silver people to interpret
| it, but will quote from the Charlotte
Observer. The Observer said in its
issue of Sept %, 1898. Congress be-
| ing in session at President Cleveland'l
call to remedy the financial situation;
1.-THE platform, the party law, de-
dc