The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-06-23
WHERE ARE WE ATp


and the first half of July, 1896. Party
ties now more loosely binding than a
any time in the entire history of the
country, threaten TO be disengaged
and broken in many directions. and
weakened generally. Everybody re
cognfzes that fact Nobody knows OF
can fOretell the result. The national
Republican convention has made its
declaration and taken its stand. In
being unequiyocal in its resolves. and
unquestiOnably strongly entrenched, il
has nevertheless left one of its wings
exposed 10 the danger of capture in
the event of a combined attack of all
| its enemies. That the conjunction will
be attempted there seems no doubt.
! Whether such conjunction of the OPP
| position forces can be effected viii be
known within the brief period speci-
| fed. Starting as far east as New Jer-
sey and sweeping down over all the
states lying between the Ohio river and
the Atlantic coast down around the
Gulf states, up along the Pacific slope
and back across the Rocky mountains,
through the Mississippi valley and on
by the lakes TO the western feet of
the Allegheny mountains, comprises
niDe-tenths of the territory of the
United States of America, each and
every state of which vast domain is
distraught and politically dissatisfied.
In ..aE.a and o1varsvo11a of fbaca StaraS
with maybe two exceptions, the silver
elements of all parties if combined
would be found, probaly, in each in
stance 20 be in the majority. The
other tenth Of the country's area, COM
priSing New York and the New Eng
land states, are more densely popu-
lated and are also overwhelmingly for
a single standard, and that of gold,
and that too without regard to party.
The people of this circumScribed area
control largely the commercial affairs
of the country, as they do wholly its
financial policies. In this era of hard
times and unsatisfactory conditions, in
the face Of Shrunken values and gen.
y
ting but lightly everywhere, the at
tempt viii be made TO politically mix
oil and water through the agency Of a
single element, silver, and by the loss
Of a single contingent, gold, which is to
be let fall, and be abandoned, as a resi-
due of no numerical importance i'll the
ballot box.
The enterpriSing and progressive sill |
yer Republican of the west finds |
everything in the St Louis platform |
that he wants, and in the way he wants |
it, save and except the very thing he |
wants most. which is money. Believ- |
ing that silver under the same legal |
treatment to be as sound a money as |
gold, he is disappointed. Whether he
viii take its denial as a gauge to sec
tional battle, as the first test of |
between the progressive and
ambitious west, and the conservative
and selfish east, remains to be seen.
Words spoken in the heat of excite
ment; declarations made under sore
disappointment, should not be accept
ed as estimates of final findings. Tn
til the Chicago convention, and the two
st. Louis conventions, of next month,
have convened, deliberated and de
clared, no prediction can be more tnau
an individual guess. After the events
Of July shall have become recorded his
tory, only after all the delegates of all
-l,n acnxap+ion- have ba Il fl,ai,. cav opd
made their actions history, will the
average individual partisan dispassiOn-
lrely determine "where he is at"
Whatever he may now under the stress
IF disappointment threaten, or in the
heat of his grievance diSavow or de-
:lare, will have no influence over his
inal individual determination after he
S in possession of all the conditions
learing upon the situation. This ap-
1lies with equal force TO the goldbug
Democrat of the east and the Republi-
an silverites of the west Where now
seems only diSintegration and threat
med oblteratiOn of party ties and
general political disruption, October
Icy A4lAb AAAiNo VA II sbS oLehlp pls tio VI !
ore. with unreSuained enthusiasm in
tead of threats and protests. Life
ong convictions cannot be abandoned
II an hour. The ex-Confederate Dem
'crat of South Carolina will even suf-
er in his pocketboOk before he will
onsent 10 vote for the most mild-man-
ered northern Republican, even on
rec silver platform. The free trade
ingle standard Cleveland Democrat of
he north and east is as much at sea
5 the free silver protective tariff Dem
craU Of the south and west 1t is n
uestion of individual and of party con- '
eSsionS all around, or otherwise one
f political revolution in which present
ameS Will be left without significance:
question the answer to which we can
ot bhndly guess, much less be assured {
f, before time. and the official declar- c
tionS Of all parties in interest, shall q
ut Us in possession of every fact and /
ssue, as OF all the contingencies and i
disabilities involved. as well. [
=.
OKLAHOMA NATIONALLY. =
Whatever of advantage the east mar p
ave gained over the west; however ;
conserved the manufactur- I.