The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-08-29
M'KINIEY DEMOCRATS.

Not every Democrat Is a free trader.
Not every Democrat is a free silverite.
There are sound money Democrats and
Democrats who are convinced that not
only must the national revenues be
made to meet the national expendi-
lures but that American markets and
American labor can be protected
through tariff laws. There are thou
sands of this kind of Democrats in the
eastern states and not a few in the
west. These Democrats cannot vote
for Bryan on the Chicago platform and
they will not throw away their vote
ON the Indianapolis nominee They
are Mckinley Democrats and they will
so vote. thousands of them. 1t is eSti-
mated that seven thousand Kansas
Democrats will cast their ballots for
Mckinley. The chances are that in
three months twice or three times
seven thousand will have concluded to
do the same thing.
OF course the Democrats in Kansas
who Will vote for Mckinley are Of the
sound and solid class, who are not re-
cogniZed as politicians or ice-seekers.
But not so down east
Ex-Minister L. J. Phelps of Vermont
has reiterated his declaration that he
will vote for Mckinley and Hobart
and he has given his reasons therefor
in a vigorous letter to the Burlington
Free Press. which all sound money
Democrats should read. Mr.. Phelps
has always been a Democrat He has
never been a Republican, and says he
never expects to be converted to the
doctrine of protection, "but in the
throes of a deadly malady," says he,
81 cannot afford to reject the only phys
ician who is in a situation to help me,
because his political opinions are differ
ent from mine, or even because l think
there are better physicians than he,
if they could only be had in time"
Touching Phelps declaration the Chi
cago Inter Ocean says: There is a
good deal of the old hard-headed Yam
kee common sense about this ex-min-
lister to the court of St James. He Is
not like those Democrats who profess
to see nothing but evil in their own
party platform, but still want TO save
the country in their own particular
way, or let it go to the bow-wows and
forever after point the moral that they
were right and all the rest of the coun-
try were wrong.
There is nothing of the political phar-
isee about Mr.. Phelps. He goes straight
to the point that the Democrats who
believe as he does have lost their OPP
portunity to defend their own political
principles at the polls, and there is
nothing left for them but TO decide be-
tween the ruin they see in the disloy-
atty of their own party and their ASSOC
iation with the only party that offers
stable government
Mr.. Phelps says, as many other sound
money Democrats have said, that he re-
CARDS the pending presidential election
as presenting the most dangerous crisis
1T does not in my judgment" he says,
Involve any political controversy nor
any question of the supremacy OF
party. for such considerations are lost
sight of in the far greater gravity OF
the situation. Tha$eal issue Is one
upon which all patriotic men and all
who are interested in the prosperity Of
the country should find themselves
upon one side and opposed TO a COM
mon enemy. The attack that we have
to resist IS not upon the policy but upon
the life Of the nation For they would
take it's life who destroy the means
by which il Iivcs-tfle business OF many
thousands and the industry OF mil
lions"
This Is strong language. but other
Democrats who will meet in Indian
apolis next week % nominate another
ticket hsve used ss strong language.
and to them the words OF Mr.. Phelps
might be directed when he says:
There are these, strange as IL may
seem. who, concurring in the views
have tried TO present. are still consider
ing whether adhesion TO the existing
organization Of the Democratic party is
not more important than the salvation
OF the public interests. With q man