The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-08-15
BoLTING MADE EASY,

ROLTlNG MADE EASAs
The bolting habit has made eNtraor'
binary progress in this country in tht
last twelve years. The independent
vote first took on large proportions in
the presidential election OF 1854, Many
OF the men who then felt constrained
to throw off party ties did SO with fear
and trembling 1t was a bold step
and they were not a little dubious
about the consequences. But they soon
found the thing both pleasant and ef-
fective. So far from throwing their
votes away by voting Independently,
they discovered that they We're, OF all
men. putting their ballots where they
would do the most good. and making
them tell with a hundredfold more
force than the docile party vote ever
could have. The terrible stigma Of be
ing known simply as a citizen. with
a mind OF his own. instead Of as a
hard-and-fast Republican or Democrat
they found could he borne with equan-
unity, even with hilarity. 1t was not
bad fun to bring down reckless party
bosses to the dust, and the bigger and
more hypocritical the boss, the better
the fun. Like the wicked oxford barge
man. the brazen independent voter,
50 far from repenting Of his audacity,
could smile and say; Il likes whopping
a lord"
Thus the independent vote has great
" grown and was bound TO be a very
large one in this campaign in any case.
What it was bound to do, given the
actual conditions. could not be matter
Of doubt. No third ticket is necessary
for il. Accustomed to balance pros
and cons and to put up. when obliged
10. with a choice Of evils, its decision
10 support Mckinley and Hobart was
swiftly made and promptly announced.
Bolting is no hardship to voters who
have tasted its delights many times
already. But they number, after all,
but a few compared with the great
mass Of men long habituated TO
straight" voting. In the eyes Of the
latter party regularity is almost as
sacred as religious orthodoxy. Thous-
ands and thousands Of Democrats who
make no concealment Of their distrust
of Bryan and their absolute population
of the Chicago platform. yet declare
that they cannot vote for Mckinley,
and say they will have 10 think more
than twice before bringing themselves
up to a bolt. To such Democrats it
may be well TO point out how extreme
ly easy, how almost absolutely neces-
sary, IL has been made for them to
bolt this year.
In the first place Bryan himself is a
professed bolter. More than once in
the course Of his stumping tour in the
South last year, he gave notice that
there was no power in earth or heaven
to prevent him from bOlting the Demo-
cratic convention if it refused to go
for free silver. Actually on the very
day before he was nominated for the
presidency, he reaffirmed that position.
If the gold platform had won, so he
said 10 a Chicago paper, he would
have bolted then and there II is a poor
rule that will not wo < bo.h ways a
man who in advance fiouts the sanctity
of party regularity is estopped from |
appealing 10 it or profting by It after
wards. Democrats who are hesitating |
about bolting Bryan may be sure that
ne would not have hesitated an in
slant about boiling them. His threat
to do so was open and bold and often
repeated, The doctrine he has taught
them they may live up to in his own
ease with a clear party conscience.
Where Bryan would have gone as a
boIter there is little doubt A friend
Of his stood up in the Populist con-
vention and declared that bryan was
as good Populist as any man there.
Certainly a Populist knoweth them
that are his. Bryan's open alliance
with Populist leaders, his unconcealed
anxiety for Populist endorsement,
make the argument that he must be
because he is the regular"
Democratic candidate the veriest pre-
-ence. The brand Of the Populist is on
him. The Populists assert with truth
that the Democrats took both their {
platform and their nominee. They !
night have chosen Bryan for their
eader if the Democracy had refused
lin. Bryan would have been willing
enough. In that case he would have
lad no trouble in assoclating himself
With Watson-Watson, another Demo-
ratio bolter, man who has fought
md cursed the Democratic party in
he South without stint or scruple. It
ught not to be hard for Democrats to
efuse to support Popullst.
But Of course the Democratic plat
orn is the chief thing that makes
oIting easy this year. The idea of
arty as an instrument, not as an end
! itself. has not secured a lodgment
! as many minds as could be wished.
ut If the end in itself comes plainly
, be personal dishonesty and national
isgrace and disaster, the party must
: dropped. The attitude Of men who
~, Il am Democrat first and
'und money man afterwards" needs