Kansas City daily journal., 1896-10-19
COMMUNICATIONS.
Views of Journal Readers on Various Topics.
Letter From Junius, Jr., No. 5.

Letter From Junlus, Jr., No. 3.
William ]. Bryan, Candidate for Presi-
dent:-You will, trust, pardon me for not
dropping you my weekly few lines last
week. But believe me, it was not an over
sight on my part. / did not forget you.
for though you are out of sight you are
not out of my mind. Sometimes l think
you are out of your own. But my failure
to write to you last week was due TO my
teing misled by an advertisement in one
of the Kansas City papers. I saw that "a
Green Goods Man" was to be at one of
the theaters there during the week and
thought should have the pleasure Of see
ing you personally 1 found out my mis-
take, as you will find out yours on the
morning of November 4.
And that reminds me that the most
memorable campaign in the history OF
American politics is rapidly drawing to a
close and that two weeks from Tuesday
you will be showed under by majority
the most colossal ever recorded in the an
mails of presidential contests.
You have run your race. You have about
traversed your orbit and you will soon
reach your starting point. Your zenith has
been attained, your star has been setting
toward its nadir ever since the American
people awakened to the full enormity OF
the disaster which your election would IN
evitably involve. Such a star will be seen
no more in the American sky until it rises
behind the red horizon of the revolution
you invite.
/ always believed you were mistaken in
your view but I never believed you were
honestly in error. You forfeited the last
benefit of the doubt when you complacent-
ly admitted that your election would pro-
duce a panic. Your candidacy has been re-
markable for many things, but none quite
SO infamously wonderful as this admis-
sion which amounts practically to con-
tention. That any man would deliberately
seek the suffrage of the American people
on an issue such as that is inconceivable
and monstrous. Perhaps / am in error In
saying you deliberately seek the votes OF
the people of this country. Your frantic
efforts do not imply deliberation, but they
are plainly actuated by motives which lack
nothing Of premeditation.
With the people already suffering in the
throes of a great depression, you ask them
to vote for panic compared with which
the prevailing stringency is prosperity
itself. If that were not SO protentous II
would be ludicrous.
/ can conceive a man honestly mistaken,
honestly advocating al policy which he
believes will confer benefits upon the peo-
pie. I can conceive a physician admin.
istering potion which he believes will re
store health. But 1 cannot conceive q
physician who, having administered a Gose
that proved dangerous to one member of q
family, calmly pours out another which ht
plainly tells the sorrow-Stricken parent:
will prove dangerous to the rest, only hold
ing out the specious and uncertain hope o.
ultimate recovery. The Republican party
believes in paying grocery bills rather thar
doctors bills and will give a dose tha
will restore all members OF the family t.
the health they enjoyed before the Quacl
was called in.
1t was a peculiar problem which con
fronted the Democratic party in 1896. Fol
the first time since the war 1t had no issue
The tariff was the last issue before which
# could have gone before the people. Pos
sibly the Cleveland Democracy could hav'
evaded the charge OF Inconsistency and b!
denouncing anew the Wilson bill as per
fidious and dishonorable could have con
sistently. IL not with hope of success. gon'
before the people on the old issue of tariff
reform But the people had had enough
of such tariff legislation. All the evils o
free trade and the most monstrous per
versions Of the protective principles com
bined to assure the defeat of the Democ
racy on the tariff issue. 1t would hav,
been useless to have told the people tina
there was only a few per cent difference
between the average tariff in the McKinle!
and Wilson bills. They had seen the Nc
Kinley bill multiplying our exports AM
decimating our imports.
They had seen the Wilson bill shuttin,
up our factories and Mr.. Wilson toaste
by the manufacturers Of Great Britain
The Republican party prefers its Chairman
of the ways and means committee to b
roasted rather than toasted by the foreigl
manufacturer.
Idle to have talked Of 1 or or
In ha ga arif
of the two bills. it would have been sui
cidal to have gsTe before the people o.
the tariff issue. 20 wonde- that even yor
as far alienated from true Democracy a
you are. declare the tariff is no. issue an
renounce your own offspring.
In this great party crisis. the Issue wa
precipitated between genuine statesman
ship and demagogy. Two ways opened w
One was to declare for the time-honore
principles of the Democracy in the fac
of certain defeat, as that great party ha
done for thirty years. The other was.
create a new issue. 1t fell out as it a
ways does that great issue that must b
created and does not force itself upon tn
people is an issue inimical to their bes
interests. If not hostile to our institutions
The "Old Guards of Democracy was fo
mailing the flag to the mast and goin
down with the ship, trusting to faire
seas in the future, or even resigned to tt
reflection that no stain would be foun
upon its banner though the waves shoul
float ii to and fro for another thirty year
The Jacobin element in the party was ft
running up the red flag of anarchy. ar
the black flag of piracy. and by rallyin
10 these disgraceful standards whomsoev,
was discontented and disgruntled, whom
soever had all to gain and nothing to los
whomsoever was envious and covetous ar
hated his more prosperous neighbor. WHOM
soever in whose heart ranked the bite
ness of malice and grew the rank growtl
of lawlessness-by inviting these, the j
cobins We're for setting sail on a career
spoils and booty, caring naught that the