The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-04-26
I Have FOLDED Their Tents.

! The most meaningless and coward:
IL aggregation of Office seekers that
ever con regated in an organized
body concluded the business in hand
on Wednesday evening about six
O'Clock, and folding their tents
sheathing their knives and wiping the
dripping gore, silently and shame
facedly took their departure to their
respective homes.
The. commonly accepted belief that
the people who compose the Demo.
cratic party of West Virginia are born
fighters received reputation as re-
suit OF the State convention here,
which is well calculated to satisfy
most any body that there is lot
good fight left in the old guard They
were actually afraid to mention or
reiterate a single simple declaration
which has been paramount in the
party platform for the past twelve
years, and which had served as the
slogan for the gathering of the hosts
at the polls and at the rallies all over
the State 1t was the most complete
illustration of turning tail on the en-
tire party record ever witnessed in
gathering of people who pass as hav-
ing average intelligence, courage and
the conviction of their feelings.
During all the proceedings, Bryan's
name was mentioned only in ;Wh1s-
per, or guarded with such carefully
drawn expressions that 1t was 1mpos-
sible for the delegates to discern It's
magic attractiveness. The tariff was
forgotten except in the platform dec
laration, which contains the usual and
cowardly subterfuge. The convention
had apparently forgotten the slogan
of antiexpansion, but it was most
likely that any mention Of this sub
ject was omitted because of the dis
astrous consequences of its agitation
by the party in the last national cam
paign State issues were neglected,
disreSarded and forgotten, in the one
desire to declare that Democracy OF
the 1904 brand meant absolutely noth
ing but a desire to prejudice the pop
ular mind against the present ad-
ministration and the Republican party
to the extent that it would afford an
opening to Democratic. success: The
convention, representing the Demo
cratic party Of West Virginia, jumped
with both feet upon the weakest thing
they could find-the negro. And the
way they did hammer these unfortu-
mates was a caution to the saints
The changes were rung on the
white mans government from the
opening to the closing of the conven-
ton, and those who had propagated
this procurement ought to have
had feeling of pride over the fact
that their party had at least had the
courage to speak out boldly upon at!
least one proposition, even II that
proposition meant violation OF the
construction of the United States
And they are heralding it the Uni
ted Democracy Well and appropri-
ately named. There should be no diff
Guilty in the Democracy uniting upon
such a platform as was enacted by the
West Virginia convention of Wednes-
day, April goth. 1t absolutely means
nothing, it declares nothing, and is
but a mess of meaningless words ana
empty phrases. 1t is about the only
sort of platform the party could give
utterance to that would hold the hun
cry boys in line. and prevent entire
disintegration. Everybody knows that
Johnson n. Camden would not have
stood for reiteration of any part of
the platform of either 1896 or 1900.
neither would Ex-Governor MacCorkle
or Henry G. Davis or any of the 9th
er fellows who now want a finger in
the pie. and the only way they could
be satisfied or interested was to de-
clare for Thomas Jefferson. and let 1t
so at that. Anything further would
have been encroachment upon their
views and destroyed the harmony of
the proceedings
And this is the sort of Democracy
presented in West Virginia with
claim for its return to power. The
impudence of the proposition is so
striking as to appear ridiculous TO the
observent citizen. and one can but
pity the so-called leaders for their
eakness.-CharleSton Mail.
Tho IJara11 payer climbs in any