The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-30
THE RoLTBR AND HIS FATE.

THE BOLTER AND HIS FATE.
In this year when there is so much
splitting and boiling and walking out
il is also reasonable TO look for some
considerable change of vote by lndl-
viduals. The effect of a new issue is
70 nut the average partisan badly at
sea. and when a majority of his Eel
low partisans of like party speak
against HIM, either to dish him up
nrodigious portion Of crow or force him
out of his party.
There is no doubt that many men
will be forced out of all parties this
wear as they will refuse TO eat crow
The Democrats may get free silver in
their platform. In doing so, they Will
invite a large part of their party
strength out of the house. The Popu-
lists. sereneIy confident that splits are
unknown with them, are sure to offend
a large element within their ranks, by
dropping government ownership and
other tenets for the sole championship
of free silver and by a union with the
Democrats, who will remain Democrats
still
The Republicans. if they put in
straight-out gold standard plank in the
St. Louis convention are just as certain
TO drive silver men out of the Republl-
can party.
Before a bolt three things present
themselves TO a mans mind. First, ne
must get his own agreement to reDei
against the judgment of majority OF
his party; second, he must despair OF
ever getting the majority in his own
party changed to agree with him and
the minority; and third, he must make
I'D his mind to ally himself with men
with whom he has battled most of his
life politically.
On the first proposition IL may be
said that the hardest thing in pollucs
is TO agree with the majority when the
majority forces something upon you
that is repulsive. But it is true that
a majority of partisans do accept the
will of the majority, after prodlglouS
amount of kicking, but nearly always
in time to vote the party ticket. One
reason that the partisan does not break
away is because he has sense or falr-
moss about him. When the fight is
still in progress he is seeking TO get a
majority TO his way of thinking. He
knows that if he had succeeded, he
would have expected the minority TO
Law down and support the ticket so
that when he and not the other fellow
is beaten. he is dosed on his own medi-
cine and he usually takes it, because he
would have expected and demanded
the other fellow TO take it had he won.
On the second proposition it is true
that a partisan. when he first tastes the
bitterness of defeat within his own
party despairs of bringing the majority
over to his side Still he can recall IN
history when this thing has been done
He NAV recall the case of Mr.. Bland,
who rebelled against Cleveland's none
tary views and stood out alone for his
own. and is in fair way to win. Bland
might have gone over 10 the PopuliSt
party which makes such professions OF
friendship for silver. He remained in
the Democratic party.
But what keeps most partisans IN
their own party is the thought of ally
ing themselves with a party against
which they have exercised their ami
mostly for years. The man about TO
bolt will find that he is voting with a
party which is controlled by men who
gained their high positions simply be-
cause they did not bolt in former days.
In other words he is subjecting him
self to the direction of men who owe
all they are and have to their loyalty
to party. Then why should he not
be loyal too? Another thing that keeps
a partisan from boiling is that he will
be referred to as a renegade and must
endure all the jeers of his present
friends because of his change Of heart.
The controlling element in politics is
loyalty. Among men loyalty that has
never endured a test is Of not much
consequence. But loyalty that has
endured a test Is glorified.
As ingalls, so truthfully said, politics
is war" and woe betide the renegade
| either in one or the other.