The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-06
Is CHAOS COME AGAIN.

No prior period in political his
tory furnishes parallel to the present
conditions. The nearest like it is the
ten years preceding 1856, when the an
ti-slavery sentiment was the f1ux that
dissolved the elements of the parties,
and, under the law of cohesion, as
forceful in ideas as in matter, men
aligned themselves anew, feeling no
compunction for the sundered ties. The
Democrats, in 1S48, faithful to slavery,
as the Republicans are to protection,
named Cass, but a large section of
Free Sellers broke away, declaring
that their voice had been stifed, and
named ex-President Van Buren,. The
Wings named Taylor, who was not
Wing, and recognized their lack of
either principles or policy by making
no platform. Under various heads the
other discovered elements, the Native
Americans, the Liberty Men and the
Industrialists, gathered and named
presidential candidates.
But neither then nor at any time
was the strange spectacle presented
that now confronts the voters. On the
one side Is the conservative element,
complacently content with the condi-
tons 1t has established, rallying about
those conditions. All the other ele-
ments of discomfort and unrest are
gathered under the banner of Bryan,
but Signalling their lack Of assimila-
ton by joining with him two candi-
dates for the vice presidency. With
singular infelicity the Democrats cou-
pied with Bryan, the free trader,
Sewall, the protectionist, while the
Populists, with equal incongruity, at
tached the collectivist Watson to the
same individualfstic head. A probable
ity is the presentation of another can
didate to represent those Democrats
who reject the monetary policy pro-
posed by their convention; but a large
number of these advocates of free
trade will vote directly for the Repub-
lican protectionist
But it is in the state that conditions
prevail that suggest that chaos is
come again" 1t is spectacle to
cause steady-going party men to ejac-
ulate: Where are we att" A Demo-
cratic convention enthusiastically Sc
1ects John Lind, a Republican, who in
sists that his party has left him, for
governor Populists are selected for
some of the minor offices, while the
Democrats are represented by cou-
pie of candidates for state office and
portion of the presidential electors
the Populists having the remain
der. But the mixing is not limited to
the state ticket 1t pervades the whole
electorate In the Second congressional
district Democrats pit against the Re-
publican nominee the present Repub-
hcan Heutenant-governor In the Sixth
district the Democratic county con-
ventions are directing their delegates
to cast their votes for the present Re-
publican representative in congress
for the Democratic nomination. In the
Fifth district the Democrats are rally
ing to the support of the PopuIist
candidate, while in the Fourth a Pop
ulist nominee will doubtless withdraw
to leave a clear field for contest be-
tween the Republican and Democratic
candidates. Meanwhile one hears ev-
erywhere of Republicans who are
shouting for Bryan and Democrats de-
claring their purpose to plump for Nc
Kinley.
Some two years ago the Globe, in
an editorial examining into the ma
ture and effects of the silver issue, di-
agnosed 1t as simply fiux operating
on the elements Of all parties to set
them free from their environment. dis
solving the repellant, forces that had
prevented the union of similar ele-
ments. and permitting the coalescing
of men, their disqualification into
parties on new lines. AS in metallurgy,
the fiux is of no value in itself. and
has no further use than as a reagent.
so will it be with the silver question.
We still believe the analysis to have
been correct, and that future events
will affirm 1t. 7I--a.xs:ma-
HE is A SLAYER.