The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1909-10-04
FOR DEMOCRATS TO CONSIDER


yer purchase law That law was
passed by a republican congress and
signed by a republican president. 1t
depleted the treasury of gold, thus
threatening the money standard,
and hence the panic.
The democratic party, in its ma
tional platform, had promised the
repeal of this silver purchase law.
! 1t had also promised to revise the
| tariff In the interest of the consum-
ing public. Here were two distinct,
unequivocal promises on the part of
the democratic party-a definite
bargain between the party and the
people; the latter responding fav-
orably.
/ The panic growing in intensity
! this was during the first six months
| OF 1S93-President Cleveland call
! ed the congress in extraordinary ses-
/ sion to consider the financial situa-
ton. True to platform pledge; true
ITO his own previous record; true to
democratic practice in the earlier
days of the republic, Mr., Cleveland
urged the congress to stop the buy
ing of silver.
But there was violent opposition
to the repeal of the law unless
something equally as good should
be done for silver, and this opposi-
ton, strange to relate, came from
members of the presidents party. 1t
took the congress three months to
do what it should have done in
three days The president carried his
lpoint by the aid of republicans. The
vote in the senate for the repeal OF
the law was narrow, 43 to 80, and,
if our recollection is not at fault,
the republicans contributed a major
lily of the votes for repeal.
Right AT that point that failure
to follow the president and the plat
| form for the repeal of a vicious
| law-the democratic party lost the
icountrys confidence, which it posi-
ing the president in the course mark
ed out as to the tariff. But here
again the party leaders-some OF
them at least-felt impelled to stand
up for protection to infant indus
tries" the result being measure
which the president allowed to be-
come a law without his signature and
with words of condemnation.
At the next election the country
voted lack of confidence IN the
democratic party. An Overwhelming
democratic majority in the house
gave way to a republican majority
in the midst of Cleveland's second
term Those responsible for demo
cratic disaster have sought to make
it appear that this was a rebuke to
the Cleveland administration, but
that's an absurdity for the simple
reason that the administration had
TO win its fight on silver by the aid
of the republicans and failed in its
efforts to secure tariff reform be-
cause of the treachery Of those ON
whom it had every reason to place
reliance
The friends of silver, including
( Messrs. Bryan and Bailey, were not
satisfied with the work OF the
/ cleveland administration in, as they
iput il. striking down the white
+ metal" And so they began a cam
lpaign for a restoration of silver TO
| the minis on terms of equality with
gold. MI. Bryan went so far as to
say that he wouldt stay in a party
/ that gave its endorsement TO the
/ gold standard. Mr., Bailey and Mt.
! Crane were together for a war to
/ the knife and the knife to the hilt,
These gentlemen could not say too
much in condemnation of Cleveland
land his administration. Mr.. Bailey
went 50 far as to say that there had
! been no democratic president since
/ buchanan. The fight against Cleve-
| land resulted in the nomination or
/ MIR. Bryan by the Chicago convention
/ with free silver the paramount is
sue. The country responded as II
had done two years before, and
| from that day to this the democratic
! donkey has been wandering on the
! bleak hillsides.
Z And why the recital?
The time is at hand, in our hum
| BILE Judgment, when the people our
democratic people-should take
stock Of their present leadership.
Time has completely vindicated
Grover Cleveland. He was right as
to silver and he was right as to the
wickedness of what we call ''protec-
tionism. Where is the evidence of
real craftsmanship on the part Of
either Bryan or Bailey? What has
either ever done or said that entities
him 10 q LOYAL following? Is not