The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-03

ly between the advocates of different politi-
cal doctrines and the ruin of the country has
been freely predicted II either set OF doctrines
ment-such predictions being merely the
treme expression of party politics; but In
this election the issues around which the bat
tie is waging involve the integrity of our
institutions and the sacredness Of our ma
tional honor, and when met have stirred that
deep we'll of sentiment, ordinary party diff
ferences disappear, the moral issue predomi-
mates, and all good citizens stand shoulder to
shoulder against those who would destroy the
American name and undermine the walls of
her political structure.
Mr. BRYAN reiterates in about every second
speech that he stands squarely on the Chi
cago platform and supports every one OF its
planks He has not yet announced his ac-
ceptance Of all the planks OF the populist
platform, but inasmuch as these are only
different in degree and he has been identified
with popuism quite much with democ-
racy, it is but fair to assume that he stands
on both platforms. Not quite so radical in
his views. perhaps Altgeld or Tillman, not
quite SO frank as Tom Watson. he is. never
theless, a fit representative Of the revolu-
tionary forces behind him-ambitious, I'M
steady and unsafe There is nothing in his
career or in his present utterances to en-
courage the hope that II elected he would rise
above his surroundings or stay the hand
which threatens to destroy and pervert
An untried man, demagogue, word
juggler, he perhaps will represent the rest
less mob from which he rose, and with char
acteristic recklessness does not hesitate to
appeal to base human passions in order to
attract votes. That in this incendiary role,
standing he processes to stand, on prn-
ciples undemocratic as those of Herr Most,
he should deserve, by any conception of party
regularity, the support Of true democrats is
past comprehension and explainable only by
ignorance of the man and his platform or dis
loyalty to genuine party faith No sound
conception of party regularity can justify en-
couragement to social disorder. Not even
the honest believer in a silver standard or
the most enthusiastic bimetallist can, II he
the forces Of political anarchy. Even the
advocacy of free silver coinage by Bryan and
many of his associates is only cloak for the
spirit of revolution behind.
Every true bimetallist must blush to have
his cause DEPENDENT for success upon those who
would reorganize the supreme court when its
decisions do not please a party convention,
who would repudiate the national debt if free
silver coinage did not accomplish bimetallism,
who would attempt to destroy the sanctlty Of
private contracts, who would have the gov.
eminent take and operate the country's rail-
ways and telegraph who would restrain the
strong arm Of law for suppression of disorder.
fesses to stand on every one of the strange
planks of the Chicago platform, he adroitly
attempts to divert democratic attention from
the revolutionary spirit which peryades most
of that document by combining the larger part
of his public utterances to what he calls BIZ
metallism and he evidently hopes by magni-
flying the Importance of this financial issue,
and distorting it's phrases so that it will ap-
pear to the movement Of the masses against
the classes to make democrats forget their
dislike of the plainly un-democratic features
of the platform and to persuade them that
after all only an economic issue is involved,
and this should not Justify a breaking of
party ties. But that kind of tactics should
deceive no one. We believe that Mr.. Bryan's
arguments for free silver fallacious and
demagogic, but we oppose his candidacy not
chiefly because he favors free coinage, but
because his advocacy of that policy is but
feature of his support Of a set of doctrines
which we have been taught to regard as the
very opposite of democratic, and the support
Of which demonstrates the unfitness of Bryan
and his associates for positions Of public
trust. Let not this fact escape democratic at
tention.
FREE COINAGE.
All of Mr.. Bryan's speeches Meas and