The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-13
n. Y. JOURNAL, BRYAN,s sTAND-Ry
IN '96, DECLARES AGAINST
BRYAN'S IDEA OF 1T,
SIXTEEN TO ONE mo ISSUE.
THE OLD LINES MEANS GER
TAIN DEFEAT.
BROADER PLATFORM DEMANDED,
with statesmen for Leaders who
Grasp the Needs of the Party
and Nation

WASHINGTON, Jan. Politicians
of every political faith at WASHINGTON
are discussing with great interest the
article Which appeared on the editorial
page Of the New York Journal today.
This article is nearly three columns in
length. 1t is headed, "A Bryan. Demo-
Gratis View Of Mr.. Bryan"
1t is addressed ITO the Editor of the
Journal and is signed by Arthur Nc
Euen. Mr.. McEuen is one of the chief
editorial writer's on that paper In
view Of the fact that the Journal is
the only Eastern metropolitan paper
that supported Bryan in the last prest-
Dental campaign, the appearance Of
this article, which is a terrific roast of
Bryan and his sixteen to one" idea.
IS certainly significant The principal
points made by Editor McEuen are as
follows:
AS a Bryan Democrat, I have to confess
grow weary of Mr.. Bryan, and this is i'm
portant because l find myself in constantly
increasing company with other Bryan Demo-
Gratis. l am coming 10 believe that he is
not large enough to be leader of the cause
winch Is known by his name OF his energy
ana ms brliliancy as a popular speaker as
nigh an opinion must be held as when he
fouSing people everywhere with his earnest
ard dashing eloquence, but he no longer i'm
presses as great man nor as one of highest
sincerity. He is showing narrowness or ir-
irrational oDstinacy, either Of which had been
detrimental 10 his ambition and must he
hurttul TO the prospects Of the movement he
The persistence with which he clings to
| IL to l, as If that were not only the solitary
tenet in the Democratic creed, but the axis
Of revolving cosmos, betrays either Bryan's
lQcaDaclty
dogged disposition that refuses to acknowl-
| cage what IS presented to his eyes and those
CT every other intelligent man in the coun-
| try, whether for or against the Chicago plat
form OF the new Democrats.
CONSIDER what Bryanism-real Organism
means. That word sounds now in the
United States for the whole battle of the
many against tyranny and spoliation at the
hands of few. 1t is a declaration of war
upon plutocracy not against property but
against the aggressions Of property upon the
rights OF the people. The same fight has
been going on ever since the strong were first
tempted to Cypress and plumber the weak :
that is to say, ever since mankind has lived
upon the earth. But the appalling duration
Of this war is not reason why it should be
abandoned as hopeless by the victims
The cure scientists say, Is to be found
in the naturalization of all capital, all in
dustry. The George philosophy says it lies
in the appropriation of land values for public
| purposes. Others look for relief to legisla-
ton against trusts and the abolition of the
protective tariff; others turn to Christianity
and hope by moral suasion to raise the in
| dividual above the sin of larceny. no matter
| how long sanctioned by time and usage the
! form of theft may be.
Bryan appears to believe that the free
| coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1 will
| do it, and the intelligent and educated prop
| erty-owning classes of the country rise and
| clamor against him in wrath and terror as
| If they, too believed he had touched the but
| ton. Also million Of men who hope for
| instead Of dread the inauguration of a square
| deal, agree with Bryan the principle, for
the most part, that it is better to try any rem
| edy than none.
! "a mining camp that should rebel against
| a cheating faro bank and then content itself
with changing the color of the chips while
leaving the box and cards in possession of
| the dealer to go on with the game, would
| have a fattering likeness to Bryan.
| "a sound currency is important. Nobody
| will deny that, and so long as our money
/ must have a metallic basis, 1t is better that
| it should have two metals rather than one.
| An approaching dollar is as dishonest as a
depreciatlng one, and does more harm, for
the approaching dollar robs those who have
| least
! "Bimetallism by all means. 1t is the money
of the constitution. and therefore democratic,
| but why Is to l or death? What decree of
| heaven has given that ratio sacredness be-
| ycnd all other possible ratios?
There are hundreds of thousands of as
! good bmetallists as Bryan himself who OBJ
| ject to 16 to /. They believe in honest money,
| the bimetallic money Of theconstitution but
| they also believe that the question of ratio
| is detail that may well be left to congress
to debate and to experience, They are un-
| able to comprehend why mere subsidiary
| matter of expedience and practical business
| judgment should be made the keystone of the
! party arch They find themselves, though
| doubtful of the practicability of 16 to l, still
! capable of detecting the robbery of protec-
| ton. They even admit that it is possible that
Bryan may be right in his belief that the re-
monetization of silver would create such
demand for the metal as to restore its
price, but they do not believe it. 1t is a
matter over which bimetallists can differ and
remain good Democrats.
! What reason is there in sense. what rea-
son in sane politics, why Bryan should stand
| on sixteen to one, and speaking as the head
of the Democratic party, declare He that is
not for me in this is against me- Is there
not enough ground outside of the question
of ratio to draw the Democrats together for
| common war against the rule of plutocracy
feecers of the people? And the main thing In
the new Democracy that took up the sword ct
Chicago is not sixteen to one. That is the
| fly on the wheel. By magnifying 1t as Mr..
Bryan does he Is doing the new Democracy
| incalculable mischief.
1.-The nomination came to Bryan in 1895 as
| free gift, presented with flowers music and
an acclaim that thrilled the country. The
nomination in 1900 is being sought by Bryan
! sought industriously. In ways made familiar
| by men of all parties who are ambitious to be
! president, Bryan is revealing himself as a
| politician
There are larger men in the Democratic
| party than Bryan. At present they keep, or
| are kept in the rear. for his primacy is SO
| evident that rivalry is not invited. But it Is
| long time to 1900. and If Bryan shall con-
| tinue to reveal his limitations at the rate we
have witnessed within the past year. he will
! have to fight for the nomination for which
| he is now maneuvering, and the more he
| fights for it the more likelihood is there that
he will lose 1t.
1.-THE Democratic platform of 1896 demands
sixteen to one But there is nothing divine
about platforms that they should be the same
yesterday, today and forever. Democratic
| platforms have altered ere now. One of them
! pronounced the war to be failure. Gettys-
| burg was the answer to that and the next
| platform took cognizance of the answer.
THE new Democracy should with gladness
| view the hottest hostility that the party which
| defends the privileges of plut9cracy can offer,
| but the Democratic party should not give
| battle an incidental question, but fight for
| its vital contention. which is that the men
| of this republic and not It's millions should
rule it. Let challenge the trusts and all
| the beneficiaries and upholders OF the sys-
| tenn of favori;ism in legislation, of which the
| trusts necessary and illustrative fruit.
| to a life and death conflict. That is the duty
and hearty wish of the, new Democracy
"The man who is of the opinion that the
demand for free coinage of silver at ratio
of sixteen to one is the best, and only way
in which this challenge can be given, and
that no citizen who does not agree with him
may be admirable for his earnestness but
..1za-