Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-07-14
THE DEMOCRATIC SITUATION.

national election, leading democratic Jour
nails are authority for the assertion that
the opportunity has been practically
thrown away as a result OF the course
pursued in tho national convention at
st. Louis. The only difference essentially
between the reorganizers and the Bryan
lied democrats centered on free silver
coinage. and In spite Of the feet that the
test vote on the Illinois contest showed
the nnti-Bryan following to have an over
whclming majority, the convention en-
dorsed the action OF the committee on
resolutions voting down the gold plank
together.
This action was equivalent to a mott
fcation TO the business interests OF the
country that the democracy is not will
ing to say whether or not 1t regards the
question of a gold standard for the cur
ency OF the United States as settled, and
leading democrats as we'll as influential
democratic newspapers at once began to
clamor for the rectiication OF this egreg-
ious mistake. In speaking Of this mat
ter the democratic New York W orld of
saturday commented as follows
Have the managers of the st. Louis
convention lost their senses? DO they
want to give Mr.. Roosevelt n walkover in
the clectiono
With a two-thirds majority to NOM
mate Judge Parker It is incredible that
theE cannot control simple majority to
give to him safe and sane platform
Yet they present to the country the
extraordinary spectacle of permitting
ri
and utterly discredtcd leader Of n for
lorn hope, to buldoze the committee on
resolutions and the convention itself into
refusing simple recognition OF the ac-
complshcd fact of a gold standard
II the question had not been raised
silence would have heen bad enough But
after the chairman Of the convention had
acknowledged in his speech that the gold
standard is here To stay. and after n sub
committee on platform had agreed upon
a plank declaring that the discoveries Of
GOLD have contributed to the mainten-
ance of money standard Of value no
longer open to question. removing that
issue from the field OF political conten-
tion'-then to reject this resolution and
refuse to make any utterance upon the
question that has twice defeated the
party is to invite another overthrow.
II Is never too late to mend
can by ajority vote adopt tho none
tary plank reported by the sub-commit-
tee and direct that 1t be made part Of
the platform
Ton words fror, Judge Parker TO tho
chairman Of tho New York delegation will
insure the adoption of a resolution that
will make the platform safe ond sane
Will tho majority rule? Will the lea der
lead? Shall the Democratic party have
hopeful fighting chance Or shall
Roosevelt have a walkover? IT is for
the convention In its last hours to say.
The democratic Brooklyn Eagle and
other democratic newspapers employed
double loaded editorials to emphasize the
blunder which the democratic national
convention was committing. and so good a
democratic authority as Judge Alton 3.
Parker. the democratic nominee for the
presidency, took n similar ground.
Judge Parker sent a message TO the
democratic delegates in St. Louis an
nouncing his recognition of the fact that
the gold standard is irravocably estab-
l,shcd and his determination to act ac-
coriingly, if the action of the convention
is ratified by the people. The platform
being silent on this question. he deemed
it necessary to make his position clear,
saving. II should feel it my duty to de-
cline tho nomination except with this
understandings
1t is easy to understand the statement
in our telegraphic columns this morning
that this message created CONSERVATION
in the democratic convention, and that
its receipt was followed by prolonged
f.r
ed debate in the convention Judge Par
ker had brought to the forefront the
very issue which had by compromise been
buried ont of sight and hurled defiance
in the teeth of the Bryan democrats
Under these circumstances 1t is re-
markable that any democrat could take
the position that silver Is rot an issue,
sent message to Judge Parker stating
that the platform was silent on the
question OF monetary standard because
1t is not regarded by us as a possible
issue In this campaign"
Mr.. Bryan made silver an issue in the
prolonged meeting of the committee ON
resolutions. and the convention by en-
plank made the gold standard an issue
before the people Many of the dele
gates in the St. Louis convention brand
ed Judge Parker as dictator because
he made his own position plain Oh this
question. Yet the convention says the
question Of money standard is not an
issue in this campaign! Under these cir
it is easy to believe the tele-
graphed statement that the leaders were
tired out by their prolonged contest;
otherwise they would hardly have made
this Inconsistent declaration.
As the situation stands the reorganizers
who controlled the convention have stulti-
the very principle for which they have
been lighting Bryan. Judge Parkcr's tele-
gram, on the other hand. has neutralized
all that it was hoped to gain from the
goes 10 the people with the assertion that
n question made an issue by both Bryan
and Parker. the leaders OF two opposing
factions OF democracy, is not an issue.
1t Ia not often that a great party finds
itself in humliating plight OF this char
actcr as the result Of a shifting policy,
and it is hardly strange that not a few
leading democrats are already admitting
the certainty of Rooseveit's triumph at the
polls in November.