Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-04-14
TAKE IT ALL BACK.
Majority Of Delegates Ignorant OF
Tolls Plank Until After Convention.

Tolls Plank Until After Convention.
First returns from q poll Senator
Gore is making Of delegates to the
Democratic national convention at
Baltimore on the canal tolls issue
were announced last Friday night by
the Democratic national committee
They showed 33S for repeating the
clause of the toll exemption act, 6s
against repeal and IL noncommittal.
Debate on the repeal has centered
largely in the declaration Of the Balti-
more platform for free tolls, and two
weeks ago Senator Gore addressed
personal letters to each Of the thous-
and odd delegates to the convention,
asking for an expression of opinion
on the issue.
Up to date the returns are alike
astounding to the champions and op-
ponents Of the repeal" said the an
nouncement. only two states have
given a majority against the repeal.
A number of them, so far as the
votes have been received, have declar-
ed unanimously in favor Of the repeal
notably Texas and Pennsylvania. In
Illinois the vote to date is IA to for
repeal"
Extracts from letters written by
delegates, who attended the Balti-
more convention follow:
b. w. Crouch, an attorney at law.
of Saluda, S. c., and delegate to
the Baltimore convention, writes:
Il believe with all my heart that
the president is right in this matter
and the right should prevail even ii
a plank in party platform must be
repudiated. In other words, II a
plank in platform is in conflict with
what is right, l should stick to the
right. When men are guided by what
is right and just and true, they can
not err.
Men can have views today which,
with present light, appear to be cor,
rect. Tomorrow, with additional
light, or a changed condition, he
would view it differently. President
Wilson has turned on the light that
perhaps did not prevail when the
party platform was written and
adopted"
Former Governor John Gary Evans,
attorney at law, Spartanburg, S. c.,
who was a delegate to the Baltimore
convention, writes:
Had it been known by the con-
vention at large that this plank was
in the platform it would have been
expunged by an overwhelming major
ity l trust that the senate will stand
by the president and repeal the law
A. S. Bradley, an attorney at law,
of Swainsboro. Ga, and a delegate to
the Baltimore convention, writes:
You will probably recall that on
the night Of the day Mr.. Wilson was
nominated, and before the convention
really adjourned, at least four-fifths
of the delegates left Baltimore. l
know this is true, because I was one
of the few that remained.
Il think ! am quite safe in saying
that a very large proportion of the
delegates to the Baltimore convention
never read the platform or knew what
was in it until they were on their
way home, and I do not believe If the
platform had been brought up in the
usual manner in the beginning or the
convention and had been thoroughly
considered by the delegates that the
free toll provision would ever have
been adopted"
Martin O'Brien, chairman Of the
Democratic state central committee
of Minnesota, of Crookston, Mimi,
and a delegate to the Baltimore con-
vention, writes:
II wish to state that at a state
assembly Of the Democratic party held
at the city Of st. Paul, the 31st ulti-
mo, l moved the convention that
message be sent to the president. of
which the following is true copy:
1.-The Democrats Of Minnesota, in
state convention assembled, send con-
gratulations and approval of your pa
triotic stand against free Panama
tolls, and believe you thereby truly
represent the national honor and in
tegrity and the true spirit of democ-
cracy, which is opposed to all special
favors, whether by way Of ship sub
sides or otherwise
THE motion to send this message
was carried, as l recall it, unanimous
ly. The convention then in session
was a delegate state convention called
by the state committee, and one OF the
largest and most representative con-
ventions we have ever held in the
state. The sentiments expressed in
the message are my sentiments, and
from the action of the convention
above mentioned, are apparently the
sentiments of the Democrats of Min
nesota."
John w. Wescott of the law firm Of
Wescott & Weaver of Camden, n. j.,
who placed Woodrow Wilson in nomi-
nation for the presidency at Balti-
more, and who was a delegate at the
Baltimore convention, writes:
THE way to make the canal a
failure is to compel some people to
pay more tolls than other people have
to pay. The way to destroy true
democracy, which is equality, is to
establish special privileges. How any
rational and broad-minded man can
have any question about this matter
is beyond my comprehension