New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-06
THE THIRD PARTY.

A party which receives as the uciipela'c
expression of its will the crazy platform
adopted at Omaha, cheering it with frantic
enthusiasm for twenty minutes, and then NOM
mates for President Mr.. Weaver, of Iowa, the
Grcenback candidate in 1880, cannot be eX-
pcctcd TO divert many Republican votes. Inc
party thus stamps itself the old fat-money
party, with such additions of heresy as a
progressive lunacy may naturally produce. 1t
has been irving long time to seducc the
farmers and workingmcn of the West, and
its notions have no longer the charm OF novelty.
More than twenty years the intelligence Oh
tho people has been exposing the iallacy OF
chcap-money theories, and while great num-
Der of Democrats have been carried away by
these notions so that they are liable 10 be
capt;red by the so-caod Peoples party, the
Rcmblican voters who have stood fast for
honest MONEY know why they have stood fast
and have been educated beyond the reach Of
Mr.. Weaver
Tie candidate himself is not man OF per-
sonal popularity, nor has he been growing IN
strength. lie has been beaten for Congress
in district which formerly elected him. and
even among soft money enthusiasts is now re-
parded as a back number" His party pollcd
in 1880 about twice as many votes rs il has
ever polled since, and in the states OF the
Northwest where it was then strongest, its
votes in 1850 might be doubled this year
without disturbing Republican majcrties. 1t
seems more probable that Mr. Weaver votes
will not be doubled, ard will be only increased
if NJ all. b. drawing more Democratic than
Republican votes to his support and in that
case the new party from which the Democrats
have hoped such great things in the Northwest
will hurt rather than help them.
On the other hand, the fanaticlsm OF Demo-
cratic voters in the South on financial queS-
tons. and their intense dislike OF Mr.. Clevc-
land rs a candidate, NAV render this same new
partv dangerous to the Democrats in several
Southern States. In these States, it has been
repeatedly explained only a small diversion
of Democratic votes would suffice to insure
Republican success. a loss of less than 10 per
cent of the Democratic votes would turn over
t. Harrison and Reid Southern states casting
more than 40 electoral votes in West Virginia
less than 800 votes would turn tho scale. 1t
is not at all improbable that the diversion
of Democratic votes to the new party at the
South may speedily become the controlling
feature of the campaign, and the Democratic
party NAV thus meet rctributive justice for
carefully fostering hereses dangerous to the
country, in the hope of breaking down Repub-
lican strength at the West
Attempts will of course be made to bring
the two soft money parties together so that
their votes may be united on one electoral
ticket in each State. Undoubtedly this scheme
will be materially aided by the nomination OF
Mr.. Weaver, who has operated with the Dem
ocratic party as its candidate moro than once.
But this attempt will everywhere aid the Re-
publican party, by exposing to Republican
voters the real character of the new movement
in the Northwest. BY such combination the
Democrats may indeed manage to save some
Southern States they would otherwise lose, but
at the expense Of injurng their party in all
the great Eastern States, without which they
cannot hope to succeed. Thus Weaver and
the soft-moncy party promise no harm to the
Republicans this year, and will probably be q
source of much anxiety to Mr.. Cleveland.