The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-14
Vice Chancellor Bird and the Third
Ticket Idea.

In the next column to this article will
be found a letter from Vice Chancellor
John t. Bird, which we extract from the
Trenton True American of this morn
ing. While there is much in it that we
endorse on the ground of principle, and
while it suggests one practical question,
we confess to being more than puzzled
by a number of things which Mr.. Bird
says.
For instance, Mr.. Bird says: Let it
be noted that it is impossible that any
bin at all impairing the public credit can
pass the Senat for the next four years. :"
Really this is a most amazing discovery.
Can Mr. Bird have been doing the Rip
Van Wrinkle act for the last twelve
months? To the best of our recollec-
ton, two o~ut-and-out free silver bills
and one joint resolution prohibiting the
issue of bonds for gold redemption pur-
poses passed the Senate by large ma
jsrities within the last six months. We
have been under the impression that the
present Senate has an overwhelming free
silver majority. and that party lines have
been absolutely abandoned by the Sena-
tors in the discussion of this question.
Furthermore. we have been and are still
under the impression that however the
Senatorial elections of next winter may
affect the relative numbers of Democrats
and Republicans in the Senate, there is
no room for hope that they will wipe out
the silver majority. So, really, Mr.. Birds
first point is just a trife obscure.
Mr.. Bird next asks whether the chances
of Mr.. Bryan's defeat would be dimin-
ished by the nomination of a third can
didate. He thinks not, because the third
candidate would TX more votes away
from Bryan than there are Democrats
who would vote for Mckinley. Even
granting this is true, it must be remem-
bered that every Democratic vote cast
for Mckinley counts two. That is, 1t
takes one away from the Democratic side
and adds one to the Republican side.
AS for Democrats who cannot find it in
their hearts to vote for Mckinley, there
is yet no need of a third ticket to absorb
their votes. The simplest course for
them IS not to vote at all. Nothing is
lost in this way, for it is not pretended
that the third candidate could win by
any possibility. The advantage of not
nominating a third ticket is obvious in
that It prevents the disruption of the
party and caves the way open for the
sound money element TO recover the or
ganization in 1900.
In all that Mr.. Bird saws about the
wild extravagancies of McKinleyism and
about the unpatriotic course of the pres
ent wickedly partisan Congress. we
agree. But we a here a choice Of
evils, and the position taken by the vice
Chancellor reminds US of the -storekeeper
who rallied at the fremen for damaging
his stock with water, when they had just
saved his establishments from total de-
struction by flames. What is the use.
we ask. Of kicking about the injury to
trade and industry which a bad tariff
may inaict, when the paralysis. the ruin
of all trade and industry is threatened by
Reputation of debt and currency debase-
ment?
We are opposed to a third ticket. We
are Democratic to the marrow of our.
bones; but we have no use for populism.
socialism or anarchism. and we think the
present situation embraces all the facili-
ties necessary to purge the Democratic
party Of the leprosy with which i~nsanely
criminal men have infected IT. If there
were any hope of a real Democratic vic
tory. it would be different. But as there
is none. all thought and effort should
be concentrated upon present publication
and regeneration in 1900 or sooner, if pos
sible.