The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-06-20
THE WEST AND THE SOUTH.


tie son of the prophets that the West
and South would unite. Has the hour
come? And if it has, will it win its
first battle?
Mr.. Teller representing the noun
| famous west and having great Sympa-
| thy on the western plains which lead
! up TO the mountains has bOlted the Re-
publican convention. He is the embOdi-
ment of the principle Of the free COIN
age of silver as primary money. He
believes it to be the greatest question
of the enlightened world and the over
shadoWing issue of the coming national
campaign. Immediately after his de-
parture from the convention in the
midst of Kisses which were diSgraceful
and humiliating after the Republican
party's long adherence TO bimetallism
and its sudden and strange love for
single gold standard. After Mr.. Teller
departure. his followers began to bold
ly talk and plan his appearance as
presidential candidate on an independ-
ent ticket with the hope OF the endorse
ment of the Free Silver party, the
national wing of the Prohibition party,
the PopuliSt party and last, but not
least, the Democratic party
This plan, whether advisable or not,
and it was probably indiscreet and
hasty on the part of the boilers TO in
augurate it when they did, viii bring
the Democratic party TO its milk speedl-
ly. When it is asked at Chicago to en-
dorse Henry II. Teller of Colorado,
lifelong Republican, and fresh from
moist parting with his party, the great
Democratic party in convention as
sembled will grit its teeth and yell:
Never 1t will then thrown itself
precipitately and blisSfully and pas
sionately into the arms Of some Dick
Bland. Why?. Because Dick Bland
is 'sOutherner." because he is an lex
Confederate" and because he is Dem
ocrat and would never bolt anything.
SO the fight viii come between Dick
Bland and Teller, in all likelihood, at
Chicago, with an almost certain victory
for Bland if no other men are in the
race. With the declaration for Bland
viii also come a declaration for low
tariff, an endorsements of Cleveland's
position on pensions and a pledge to
remain true to the faith and traditions
of Democracy. As between Teller
on plain silver platform and Bland on
a plain silver platform but carrying in
Ill Il l. 4
traditions of the Democratic party, the
Free Silver party and the POpulist
party, assembled later in st Louis, will
decide for Teller. There will be then
two silver tickets in the field.
1t is a plain statement of fact that
the Colorado west will stand by Teller
the South by Bland and the Middle
and Eastern states with some states
west Of the Mississippi river for Will
lam Mckinley. And so the silver vote
win be divided.
This is probably the way things will
shape themselves. The Democratic
party's love for free silver is not of
that enduring kind which will make
it accept a Republican candidate or
which will induce it to drop its posi-
ti6r ON the tariff, the pension question
or its devoted hatred to the old soldier
of the Union side.
II takes courage and a sense Of wrong
to make a bolt; nothing less than a
miracle could coax the Democratic
party to drop its fidelity TO the low
tariff policy for the sake of a tenet
whose foremost Representative in the
country was until day before yesterday
a Republican of Il standing coeval with
the party itself.
There is good reason for the Demo
Gratis hesitation on this score. The
nomination Of Teller at Chicago means
that the Republicans Will carry the war
into the South and with success. The
Democrats Of the South have not re-
signed their allegiance to the traditions
of the Democratic party sufficiently to
follow Il Republican on a Democratic
ticket in a national campaign.
SO the often predicted union of the
West and the South, while appearing TO
be near, iS'not so imminent as it would
seem, but is confronted still with the
dust. gravel and mud of varying beliefs
and differing tenetS which hinder. If
they do not render impossible, the work
of tba braz:ar