The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-24
MUCH VIRTUE IN REGULARITY.

made in Independent thinking and act
ing in politics, it needs only a super
fetal glance to show that the great
power is still the force of party regu-
larity. To go with his party in an cleo
ton is the first impulse of the average
man, and so strong is it that he is to
be diverted from that purpose only in
the mos serious emergencies, and then
in very small numbers. AS a rule, he
would rather be wrong with his party
than to be right in opposition to it; and
that it can by any possibility be wrong
i'll any contingency requires a stretch
Of TIE imagination which is usually too
great for him.
We have accustomed ourselves to
Think, during the lase year, that the
free silver issue has commanded the al
lesiance and the enthusiastic support
of several millions of voters on it's
merits. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Admitting freely that there
is a large number of men whose be-
lief in the efficacy of free coinage and
are as real as the opinions and hopes
Of the advocates of the gold standard
it is nevertheless true that the bulk of
any party following consists of
those who vote according to the
party platform. In other words,
it Vas not so much the growth
of an immense free silver senti-
ment that gave over six million votes
to Mr.. Bryan last year as it was the
fact that he was the regularly nomi-
mated candidate of the national Demo-
cratic convention. Given a candt-
date on the opposite platform and, sup
posing him to have received a majority
of votes in the convention, a free silver
Democratic candidate would have
polled about as many votes as did the
Palmer and Buckner ticket. The same
would have been true on the opposite
side within certain limitations There
cannot, for instance, be the slightest
doubt in the mind of any man familiar
with the course of politics that, if Mr..
Mckinley had been named on a free
silver platform and Mr.. Cleveland had
been his opponent on a sound money
platform, the latter could not have
been defeated except by a general SEN
timent against the third term.
We have only to look at elections
which have occurred since then to see
how true this is. 1t has had a test in
several cases under the fairest condt-
tons. In the state of Kentucky a local
election was conducted where the Gold
Democrats had a full ticket in the
field, were supported by such men of
eminence in the party as Senator Lind
say, Mr.. Carlisle and others, and had
the inestimable advantage of the sup
port of that old war horse, Henry Wat
terson and the Courier-Journal. They
did not have, however, the title of
party regularity, and the regular ticket
nominated on the free silver platform
was overwhelmingly elected. The fig
ures show that the Gold Democratic
candidates had no strength at any time
worth the trouble of putting men in
the field, and Mr.. Watterson has with
drawn finally from the unequal con-
test.
In New York city and in Boston ex-
actIy the opposite happened. The
Democrats Of New York nominated Mr..
Van Wyck for mayor, on a platform
which studiously avoided reference to
the Chicago convention. So obvious
and so intentional was this that the
free silver Democrats revolted and put
Horny George in the field. Again it
was the weight of regularity that told
While we cannot say what vote Mr.
George would have polled, had he
lived. we can see that it would have
been. no matter what the figures, a
tribute to his personal worth, rather
than to his platform. The moment
that death removed the man whom all
respected and so many loved from the
campaign, the cause, although it was
one that seemed dear to so many
hearts was rot only a lost one but
disclosed Us weakness. The vote for
Henry George Jr.. lid not pay for the
trouble Of counting it. and Mr.. Van
Wycks vote was not only sufficient,
but immensely larger than any one ex-
pected.
THY have last mad a similar strag-