The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-05
THE NEW THERMOPYLAE

When Greece was struggling to cast
off the yoke of the Ottoman, Byron,
standing on the mountains that e1ook
on Marathon" looking back over the
glorious histry of the nation that
would again be free, his soul fired with
the inspiration of the contest, prayed:
''Of the three hundred grant but three
To form new Thermopylae''
The Democrat who is one solely be-
cause he believes in the basic princi-
pies of Democracy, who saw a Demo-
cratic congress reject policies based on
these principles and make surrender of
them, who, disheartened, looked for
ward to the converting of his national
convention for reaffirmation of the
faith and for a challenge to contest on
the lines on which victories had been
won; who saw, with grief and dismay,
that convention abandon principles
and policies, and make surrender of
the party organization to that ad
vanced class of Republicanism, the
Populists, has since been praying that
out of the great host of '92 there might
be found enough to form a new Their
mopylae." The political history of par
ties in this country, with all their IL
logical tergiversations, never left their
members in such forlorn condition as
did the convention that convened at
Chicago in the name of Democracy. 1t
left him homeless. Turn where he
would there was nothing but repulsion.
With a sycophancy and hypocrisy that
disguised him Republicans alternately
fawned upon him and reviled his con-
victions. Even their declaration for
the maintenance Of the gold standard
in our currency was smirched with the
suspicion of insincerity, grounded on
bad today in the currency and indus
try is directly traceable to the legis-
lation of that party. Their candidates
own shifty record gave no security Of
a redemption of the promise. He read
again their platform, with it's fierce
and false arraignment of his party, it's
rebuke of the action of his president
in preserving the credit of the nation,
it's charge upon his party of the pater-
nifty of its own bad offspring, and his
gorge rose at the thought of aiding
in the restoration to power of that or
ganization. AS he read the deliverance
of the Chicago convention, it's demand
for protection to silver, it's abandon
Of ho - o,.{ef
abuse of the president, he was buffeted
on the other side and utterly repealed.
There seemed to be no refuge for him,
except among the groves that "were
Gods first temples
He is no longer homeless. He need
not take to the woods He need not
look forward to the third day of next
November as one on which he will
have no duty to perform for state or
country. Between this and that he
will no longer feel as If. a campaign
were in progress In which he had no
more interest than If 1t involved the
election of a president of GuatemaIa.
On the contrary, he will feel that never
was higher duty laid on him. He is
inspired with the belief that the pres
ervation Of Democracy in government
lies back of him, as the three hundred
Spartans. who held the pass, knew that
the safety of the republic lay behind
them and their defense Indifferent to
the defeat that awaits him he joins the
forces that give to Democracy this new
Thermopylae. to hold the pass against
these modern Persians who, each fac