The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1896-11-28

West Virginia parted with no Demo-
crat with more regret and kindly feel
ing than they did with William L.
Wilson, the intrepid and faithful tar
i'll reformer. He probably surrendered
| to his environments. At the late
banquet of the New York chamber Of
commerce Mr.. Wilson was present rep
resenting the administration as
member Of the cabinet But in his
thoughtful address, while he did not
make free silver speech, he was
frank enough to say that the defeat of
the free silver candidate was far from
curing our financial dangers. On one
point at the outset of his speech, Mr..
Wilson took occasion to correct one Of
the incessant Misrepresentation of
the gold bugs. He said:
| 1t would be as untrue as it would
be irrational TO suppose all the mil
lions Of American voters who massed
behind the flag of free silver were con-
scious advocates of Reputation and
disaster, or less patriotic than the
mass Of their countrymen. 1t was
not merely free silver at 16 to that
could and did gather so great a host
of voters in this free country and ami
mate them with such intensity Of
feeling. There were other battle cries
heard for the first time in presiden-
tial campaign in this country of dem
ocratic institutions.
What were these revelations? On
this point we quote Mr.. Wilson. They
were that
In the honest belief of section of
the voters is springing the idea that
government is so administered
and laws so framed as to make
unjust distribution of social benefits;
as to make more difficult the upward
path Of life, and to narrow the gate
way of opportunity for that vast ma
jority of youth whose sole dependence
is individual effort. Where this sense
of grievance is unfounded we should
address ourselves to the task of show
ing that it is unfounded. If, on the other
hand, it rests on any real basis in our
laws, or in the present working of our
industrial organization, those laws
and that organization should be
brought into harmony with democrat
ic government.
In no other way can we give the
great body of voters a steadfast conf
dence that neither in the burdens
which government imposes nor in the
benefits which government insures is
there injustice or favoritism, and that
name, free field for merit.
The tone of the postmaster generals
address was to the effect that tremen-
dous duties and problems confront
those in power. Some Of his conclu-
ding remarks were especially impress
sive, and would have been as fitting at
a Democratic as at a Republican
Jubilee:
If we are to escape in the future
the cries we have heard in this cam
paign of the power of plutocracy, of
the classes and the masses, of the an
tagonism between capital and labor,
and Of the gulf between the rich and
the poor, all wrongs or abuses that
can breed and foster such ideas must
be patiently and honestly obliterated.
When Mr.. Wilson returns to the
heathful political atmosphere of his
l. pntiua r,ourtai ms mo c,br,;t tbot nc n
partial explanation of the unrest he
talks of he should carefully consider
the character of the opposing forces in
the late campaign, and particularly
the victorious one, which Mr.. Mark
Hanna so skillfully arrayed in solid
column. In his tariff campaigns Mr..
Wilson has learned much of the ways
and power of corporations and trusts
and monopolies. He will find that
the gold standard people had their
consolidated and powerful backing, and
Mr.. Bryan their intense and bitter
hostility. He may look over the whole
political field, in which organized
wealth and corporation power appears
as controlling factor, and he will
find that IN the last campaign it was
a unit, layishing its boundless re-
|, sources to carry the election at any
! cost. And Mr.. Wilson will further
find, and here comes the bitter part
to his friends, that he stood side by
side with this selfish money power,
fighting its battles and rejoicing in its
victories, and that the argument
pressed with the greatest force on the
workingmen of the country against
Mr.. Bryan was that he had been faith
full and Of great ability in sustaining
Mr.. Wilson's original tariff bill before
it had been emasculated by combina-
tion of goldite Democrats and Repub-
licans of the senate. Pittsbarg Post
ftar tho o1oa+,o,, xx,.+1 Ill -