The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-04-22
Wednesday. Aprh722, 1914.
AND WHO WERE THEY ?

AND WHO WERE THEY ?
Democratic Congressman WHIT
voted with the Republicans agains'
Canal Tolls repeal for the benefit o
the ship trust will hardly find mucf
consolation in the fact that a poll o
the delegates to the Baltimore con
yention shows an overwhelming ma
iority in favor of President WILSON,
stand for UNFOLDING National honor
and fair and square dealings.-6reen
wood Index.
And who voted with the Republi
cans? Opponents to the free passage
of ceastwise vessels across the cana
are voting with Senator Root, formel
standpat Republican cabinet officer
former attorney Of transcontinenta
railroad, with which American coast
wise ships would compete in rates
for the benefit of residents along thu
Atlantic slope, a defender of Boss
Tweed and other New York g~rafters
they are'voting with Senator Lodge
a1ife long Republican and the author
of the infamous "Force Bill" which
if enacted into law would have sur
rounded the polls in the South with
Federal bayonets to force negro DOM
nation on the Southern people
They are voting with McCumber
who perhaps hates the South more
bitterly than any Representative in
Congress. No wonder the Speaker
of the House, the Democratic dool
leader, and our own Congressman de.
clined to vote with these enemies Of
the South and of the working people
of the United States, even If they
had no higher motive for voting as
they did.
The Democratic platform, adopted
at Baltimore, by practically unani,
NOUS vote of the delegates present,
contained the following: "We favor
the exemption from tolls of Ameri.
can ships engaged in/coastwise trade
passing through the Panama canal.
We also favor legislation forbiddfng
the use Of the Panama canal by ships
owned or controlled by railroad car
f., riers engaged in transportation COM
petitive with the canal"
Suppose, as the Index says: A
poll of the delegates to the Chicago
convention does show an overwhelm-
ing majority in favor of President
Wilson's stand; are those delegates
freshsr from the people now, after a
lapse of two years, than then, when
the Democratic platform had been
thoroughly reviewed and heartily
endorsed in, every Democratic county
in the United States?
But, say those newspapers who
would defend the Democrats who
lrepudiated their party pledge: "The
delegates to the Baltimore conven-
ton knew nothing of this free tolls
plank"
Mr.. Wilson and MI. Bryan had the
platform in their possession for four
months prior to the convention. In
fact MI. Bryan practically wrote 1t
and MI. Wilson ratified 1t. No word
was heard from either Of them, in
the, convention, in opposition to the
Objectionable plank. tits fair to as
sumo that they favored the free pass
age plank then, and these delegates
who,are now so vociferous, -hvoredit
also. ME-. Bryan and President Will
SON are opposed to the plank now,
and these same delegates say now,
I'VE didn't know that was in It, but
President Wilson is right, right or
wrong"
A poll Of delegates who plead fgno-
IdIiCc VI tlIt uGL1dUuS VI tuc DChiO-
cratic platform, or who, being in
formed, uttered not one word of pro-
test may serve as a salve to the feel
ings of the President, in that he was
opposed on this measure by leading
lifelong Democrats in Congress, but
it is a stunning blow to the stability
of the party. Change of sentiment
in the minds of this Overwhelming
majority of members of the Balti-
more convention must be set down
to ignorance. instability2or blind in.
fatuation for a man rather than for
the principles upon which he was
elected to Office.
We yield to no one in admiration
for President Wilson, but those who
love him most willserve him best by
insisting that he adhere to the prin.
ciples of the party from which he &C
cantad nomination.