The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-19
I'm English View
OF Our Campaign
From the Leeds Morning Advertiser.

from the Leeds Morning ADVERTISER.
The presidential election continues TO be
the chief object of interest In America.
and the extraordinary character OF the
forthcoming contest naturally makes it
much more exciting than these struggles
usually are. With the selection of Mr..
Bryan as the Democratic candidate it was
made tolerably apparent that Mr. McEin-
ley, the Republican nominee, would be
the winner. But that has by no means
diminished the activity of politicians, least
OF all on the Democratic side. The truth
is that the Democrats have never been in
such hopeless condition since they first
came into existence as n great political
party. Owing to the unwr!tten law of the
American constitution, which derives its
force from the practice of George WASH
ington in refusing a third nomination,
President Cleveland was debarred from
standing for a third term. Even If he hal
1t Is not clear that he would have been
elected. In view of the silver craze which
prevails at present in the more numerous
section of the Democratic party. But,
putting President Cleveland on one side,
there is no one man on the Democratic
side who towers head and shoulders
above his fellows Mr.. Bryan, the nominee
or the convention, was quite unknown
outside the boundaries of his own state
before he made that rhetorical and fiashy
appeal against those who wanted to CRU
cIfy humanity on a cross of gold"
1t is only natural that such a man and
such a programme as he represents should
be distastefil In the extreme to those
members of the party who have not en-
tirely lost all common sense In currency
matters. 1t Is quite possible that an in
dependent Democratic convention, COM
nOSaI pf fhnSa In Of
may be summoned for the selection of
another candidate. Such n step would be
remarkable one for in the United States
political parties are usually more COM
pact than those in our own country, and
1t Is not easy for man to secede from his
party. Still there are instances in Ameri-
can political history where considerab BILE
numbers of politicians-"Mugwump as
the are called-have disregarded party
ties and voted with the other side, just
as the Peelites did in 1916 and the Liberal
Unionlsts In 1856. On the present occa-
sion, too, there is no hard and fast divis-
ion between the Republicans and the
Democrats. Some Republicans. like Sem
ator Teller and his friends, are In favor
| of Mr.. Bryan's candidature, although he
labels himself Democrat, because they
care more for silver than for the tariff, n S
represented by Mr.. Mckinley. Some
less vote Republican, because they dis
| approve of the currency theories of Mr..
Bryan 1t will thus be an election such as
the United States have never seen in all
| their history.
The real fact is that the old party desig-
nations In the United States. as in some
other countEies, have become somewhat
obsolete. The Republicans are identified
| foh ,ie tI,a,, xlnaiu
| but both parties are apt to wobble upon
many important questions Of the day. The
appearance of the Populists as n third party
| has rather upset the calculations of those
| political wirepullers who used to divide
all Americans, as all Engl!shmen used
| formerly to be divided, into two, and only
! two. parties. The Democrats of Mr..
Bryans section appear to hope that their
man will be supported by the Populists,
| whose views are about as wild and eX-
treme as his. but 1t is by no means clear
that this will be the case. The Populists
do not want to be extinguished as sep
arate organization by being merged in the
| Democratic ranks, and will probably in
sist on their pound of nesh-the nomina-
tion Of a Populist as vice-president in place
of second Democrat.
| 1t seems tolerably certain that which,
| ever side wins Europe will not benefit.
The victory of Mr.. Mckinley would GER
tainly mean a very high protective tariff
| against European manufacturers, while
the success of Mr.. Bryan would greatly
njure European investors in American
securities, which are now largely held in
| this country. Mr.. Cleveland, although he
| has not been particularly friendly to Eng
| land during either his first or his second
| term of office at the White House, has not,
| at any rate, associated his name with a
! policy which would cripple our export
| trade to the United States. The outlook
| is. therefore, not very bright one. What
| ever folly the Americans commit, we shall
have to pay for indirectly. The wonder is
that n nation so shrewd and so astute
should be misled by the transparent clap
| trap Of the politicians. But 1t has long
since been observed that on questions of
| tariff and currency men of the greatest
ability and judgment will go wrong and
| become absolute fanatics. Currency ques-
| tions have from the early part of the GEN.
| tury been the cornerstone OF American
politics, for Of purely political problems,
such as agitate us, the United States have
very few. We could wish, however, and
| the wish has been also expressed 0y
American men OF business, that these
presidential elections came less frequent
| ly. The French system, which makes
| seven years the term of a presidents $
| office Is much better than the American,
which restricts 1t to four. II Is a bad thing
| for trade and the amenities of internal
| tional intercourse that q country should
be convulsed so often by exciting contro-
versies, during which political capital is
| apt to be made by addressing very big
words to foreign Powers, like Great Brit
A..