The herald., 1897-08-22

lation will not be forgotten. In short.
We are convinced that this tariff act,
not 80 much on it's own account, but by
reason of the manifest conditions under
which it has been passed, and the OBJ
vious causes which forced it into ex-
istence, will be worth many thousands
of votes to the Democratic party in the
next congressional elections, and will
give Mr.. Bryan, or whoever may be the
nominee of the forces of discomfort, a
magnificent chance of election to the
presidency in the year 1900. All political
movements are subject. of course, to
contingencies that may arise, and unfor-
seen events may occur within the next
three years which may defeat all calcu-
lations. But, on the face of it, we are
decidedly of opinion that the chances of
the weste Democra tic-Populist parties
are enormously improved by the meas
ure which organized capital has just
thrust through congress. That measure
will arouse bitter feeling, it will make
more vivid the glaring contrast between
the Republican theories of equality on
which the United States are ultimately
founded and the economic fact of great
democratic community compelled to pay
western world.
If our calculation Is correct, we must
assume that the able men of the Repub-
lican party foresee also this not remote
contingency, and that they will prepare
for It, If they were dealing with the
poor London masses, those under Mr..
Charles Booths poverty line" who
never knew decent comfort, whose faith
ers never knew it, who never expect any
thing for themselves or their children,
then the monopolists of America might
perhaps afford to flout public opinion.
But the bulk of the American people are
not of this class; they are proud and
sensitive, they expect a reasonable eco
nomic chance; many of them left their
homes, either in the Old World or in the
older eastern states, to secure it. They
will be in the rebellious mood, they will
not acquiesce, we venture to predict, in
being used as means to provide millions
for few rich men; and those rich men,
we must assume, will be aware of this
in general way. How, then, will the
forces of discomfort be met? We think
they will be met in the good old familiar
way known to all European statesmen,
of stirring up external questions, or as it
is better styled, in the way of Spirited
foreign policy To this President Nc
Kinley is largely pledged, to this the
senate will adhere; and we observe that
at the recent Ohio Republican conven-
tion this was made a leading theme in
the speeches and resolutions. 1t is a dam
gerous game to play, it is (and this is
the more important point) an -Repub-
lican game. We believe that, with just
cause behind them, the United States
might safely defy all the Vaccinations
of hostile Europe. But in an aggres-
sive policy dictated by selfish pecuniary
interests it must be said plainly that the
United States will run serious risks of
collision; and how fatal that might be to
all the higher interests of mankind is
abundantly clear. We hope we may be
mistaken, but the trend of events ap-
pears to us to point the way we have in
dicated; and we trust that all the wise
and right-minded people in the United
States will sound the warning bell. If
the alternative for the republic is to be
policy of jingoism on the one hand, or
crude conf1scation on the other, very
serious crisis for ordered freedom and
rational self-government will have ar
riVed.-London Spectator July oath.