Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-09-23

ing, and no man a say with conf
d~ence-nOt even a DemOcrat-what the
great party Of opposition is to stand
for in the contest.
Early in the present year 1t dawned
upon the comprehension Of the organs,
BANDS, and Baileys Of the party that
what little was left of the Chicago
structure by the political cyclone Of two
years ago had become SO seriously
weakened that the rickety platform
would no longer support a great party,
and that new planks must be thrown
out to keep the Democratic vote above
water in the elections of 1898. With
the true instinct of an opposition party,
the Democratic leaders thought they
saw their opportunity in the policy of
territorial expansion resulting from
the war SC ably conducted by the Re
publican administration. If they could
not ride into power on the credit of a
successful foreign war, they would
seize its fruits by condemning the poll
cy Of expansion, which they proceeded
to denounce under the name Of 'impe-
rialism." The Cleveland wing saw 1t
first, as evidenced by an impassioned
appeal against territorial expansion
made on July 18th by the Hon. Judson
Harmon, eX-Attorney-Genera under
Cleveland.
Not to lose the control established at
Chicago, the organs, Blands. and Bal
leys rushed into speech and print on
the same lines, and were frantic in their
~denunciation of Republican imperial
ISM" Sad as it may seem and close
as these leaders claim to be to the
masses of the voters, they do not ap-
pear to have sounded accurately the
depths of public sentiment eve in their
own ranks. Mr.. Bailey, who raised the
cry in Democratic Texas, was promptly
turned down by the State convention
Of his party, and Bland, the whilom
mouth-piece of Missouri Democratcy,
has met the same fate from the same
cause in his state.
Wyoming Democrats have unblush-
ingly taken the logical and patriotic
position that the United States should
retain all the territory 1t has won from
Spain. The Democracy of other states,
like Illinois, for example, has ignored
the subject. entirely. The Democrats
OF others, like New York, Pennsylvania,
and New Jersey, propose to avoid the
question by hiding their heads under
platforms carefully confined to state
issues, and still other states. like Cali
fornia, are straddling the issue in a
manner at once inexplicable and RI
d%iculous.
On the question Of free silver the
Democratic party is equally confused.
Some state conventions, as in Califor-
mia, have perfunctorily reaffirmed the
demand Of the Chicago platform for "a
return to the constitutional system of
free and unlimited coinage of gold and
silver at the ratio Of 16 to l." Others
propose to avoid the subject entirely,
while in still others, as in Oregon and
Rhode Island, the party has been over
whelmingly defeated on the direct
financial issue. Wyoming has relegated
1t as an issue to the buried past, and
Colorado Republicans are talking Of
getting together on live issues, although
Senator Teller has emphatically de-
clared that the friends Of silver NUS
still unite on the state ticket without
regard to party lines and policies. The
Democrats of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin
are still rallying round the Chicago
platform, although the voters Of those
states have condemned 1t, and although
tits known that the Democracy of New
York. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts
will never stand Gu 1t. We recommend
the laconic advice OF President L.iu-
coin: "NWhen you have got IN elephant
by the hind leg and lie Is struggling to
get away. you had better let him CO."
1t Is impossible to understand how a
party 90 involved in the meshes of its
own blunders, without an issue in
touch with public sentiment, and with
out unity of purpose on any public
policy, can hope to win at the polls.
The Republican party. true to its con.
structive character, will recognize the |!
destiny awaiting tile nation, and will
frame its policies to meet 1t. "A people
who shorten their swords, lengthen
their boundaries."-San Francisco Ar. |
gonaut.
All Praise the President.
In all the cavil and criticism follow
Ing upon the heels Of war. the univer-
cal praise for President Mckinley ia n
general satisfaction. It is IL matter of
supreme satisfaction to the American
people that their President has so
conducted himself In his hiSh Office
through so trying IN ordeal as to call
forth only compliment from abroad and
Fermentation at home. It 10 to those