The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-11-05
AFTERTHOUGHTS.

II an easy matter to look at any
event from a retrospective standpoint
Even Democrats will find it so in cast
ing I'D the issues involved, and the
steps taken in the campaign just Closed
That they committed most fatal biun-
ders is TOO plainly evident from the re-
turns, and it only remains Tor them
now to determine how and why they
were made. Nothing is gained now oy
taking a partisan view Of the main
question which WAS forced upon the
peopIe at the Chicago convention. In
the serene light Of this brighter day
which dswns upon the American ma
ton. eyer the managers and manlpuiat-
ors of that convention viii be able to
see where they fell down and, in SO do
ing. take to heart the lesson that the
PEOPLE of this country are not TO be
fooled with.
It goes without saying that the plat
form adopted, and the nomination OF
BRYAN was q trick. Nobody knew this
better than the leaders who put up the
lob. There were delegates to that con-
yention who favored sound money as
much as any supporter Of the Repupii-
can ticket. There was an earnest pro-
test against the high-handed attempt TO
hoodwink the people by the false cry
that hard times were attributable only
TO the demonstration Of silver, but the
protest was howled down and the job
was completed by the nomination or
candidate peculiarly suited TO the plat
form and the motive which inspired 1t.
With a candidate who fairly and
squarely represented the maintenance
of our national honor on the Repubh-
can ticket, there was the opportunity
for every voter to endorse OF repudlate
reputation. The result was that elect
OTIS in every state of the union, almost
without regard to party, weighed the
matter candidly and, for the most part
honestly. The story 81 told in the cleo
ton returns. They show that there Is
8 large majority in this country who re
gard our national honor paramount to
party interests. Patriotism remains
the guiding principle, though nothing
was left undone in the way of appeal
to the weak prejudiees through which
they hoped to capture the next admin
istratiOn.
The humiliating features Of this Dem
ocratic defeat is their utter failure to
utilize the very conditions brought upon
us by Democratic legislation, to COM
pass their ends. The people knew 1T
was their dastardly tinkering OF the
tariff that caused commercial ruin.
They ignored this as an issue and talk
ed free silver to credulouS voters from
every stump, but it was dismal fail
ure. 1t was Grover Clevelands object
lessons that did the business, and Bry-
an, with all his buncombe speeches,
failed to divert attention from the dear
ly-bought lesson.
The campaign was spectacular In
many respects. Their candidate was
lifted from obscurity and pushed to the
front. Nothing short of a spectacular
candidate-one gifted in the art Of de-
ceiving and totally reckless as to means
was considered available, hence the
choice OF an adventurer, nobody,
whose fitness rested chiefly upon his
gift for talking and his physical endur-
ance. No one doubts that he has met
these requirements, but the rebuke adj
justed to where it belongs is upon those
who delegated to him the infamous
task of attempting to lead this nation
to commercial ruin.