The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-11-17
THE MARKS OF TuE CAMPAlou.
AAseh1ef Done ~ Some % the Load
oFo O0R1ng the Past FouR 0onths.

AAsehaef Done ~ Sonae 81 the Load
sfs Daring the Past Fear Aenths.
Illustrated American.
The presidential campaign just ended ID
the most notable In the memory Of this
generation Though 1t - not yet possible
to review Il with the perspective Of time,
stiu IL marked features stand out Ike
mountains II has been the fairest fight
since Lsncoln's day For the 4rst time there
mas been no confusion In the public mind
about the facts. nor has there been q NIX
ing Of issues. The items Of the quarrel
were not denied by either side: no one
complained that spurious issues had been
spanked up. The people aligned on OPP
pos.nG doctrines as distinct a. black ana
white. and 50 grave that for he 1rst time
In quarter Of . century votes ware not
for sale.
To be rid for once Of al Hypocrisy IL
enormously freshening. 1t has been .
contest Of straight thinking. Everybody
has had = mental tussie with . mAthe-
matieai problem. Each has reasoned after
his own fashion. and with many Il has
been foolish fashion. Yet the country u
better for the awakening Of mind.
IL 10 remarkable among American cam
pa.gns for Its strong appeal TO the moral
sense.
Honesty. national and private. has been
i,ial question st the very beginning OF .
contest, when the astounding proposition
OF the free coinage Of . dishonest dollar
was formally submitted to the people.
Because of this intense moral awaken
ing We have seen multtudes Of consc3sn-
tious but retiring citiSens. hitherto in
active In politics. throwing themselves tor
the nrst time IN the very center Of the
conflict.
The campaign has been. perhaps. most
momentous In :ts being the nrst In eur
nat.on's history in which one social class
Was aligned against another.
Sectional disunion was after all but .
geogra optical sentiment: the country has
out9rown II and wonders now that Bit
terness could ever have been taken %
seriously. But class dlsunion. based on the
enduring presence OF the poor In the body
poiitic. u infinitely more ominouS.
When the masses OF wage earners are
told by q great political party that they
are a distinct class. and that as q class
they should be hostile TO those who have
struggled up to an easier position. We
hear the words that may prove more
destructive to modern civilization than
the yandai assaults which overturned the
ancient civilization OF Rome and swept
Europe into the Dark Ages.
Many years ago Macaulay predicted
<AfAt[s S6sa kosh C1&A astis q sal H4A1 ~
saying that 1t was only matter Of time
when the poor would awake some morn
ing and decide to vote to themselves the
property OF the rich.
We have always laughed at this famous
prophecy because Macaulay ala not an
preciate how In America both rich and
poor as classes are necessarily disinte-
grating. the poor becoming rich, the rich
becoming poor. Class wars might occur
in Europe. We have felt that they would
never be American.
But the work OK Bryan and Altgeid has
been to suggest this to our people They
have In effect said those ancient words
Of disunion. ITO your tents o Israeli
Internationally. perhaps yet most no.
ticeahiy their lips have been silent on
patriotism. and the flag has been little
In their use II was better SO. Old-fash-
Toned patriotism had nothing In common
with the ugly work OF dividing America
by this artificial but terrible trocha cf
class hatred.
These are the marks OF this campaign
which history viii remember. The battle
IS over. and sunrise greets the beloved
Stars and Stripes The contest, however,
Is far from done. The false theories. the
tncendiary suggestions. the di.unstinr az
ftation. are not exterminated Years OF
wise counsel and patriotic seif-sacrtfice
are needed TO undo the mischief Of the
past four months.