The Advocate and news., 1898-01-12

be In new body tnat snail lnclu0o h0-
vanced Democrats, like Altgeld and Bryan,
silver Republicans and men OF reform
views in every other body that has been
organized to promote politicai reforms.
And that would be O wise and altogether
practicable ending OF these disastrous party
antagonisms But old party names would
have to be dropped and new name and
creed adopted for the new party. II they
could agree on doctrines surely they would
not fail to agree on q name by which they
should wish to be known. This course
would bring into one army the forces that
are now marching In the same direction
voters who ought to be together ana who
must be together before nnal victory Is
achieved over class rule. United In one
party under a new name, with one creed
and one leader, every member would feel
the warmth Of new friendships and be en-
couraged by the stimulus OF large COM
panionship popular government In the
United States and the people would be In
power again.
Such q party could be easily formed II
Democrats were not opposed to IT, And
they would not be opposed IL the Popu-
lists united, should declare against fusion
and merging all sort OF cooperation with
any existing party. And that Is just what
they ought to do. Let Popullsts but rise
hypnotic stupor of Democracy and assert
themselves as party men, announcing the
end Of all unions and alliances with other
parties, except such as shall relate to the
OF voters opposed to the present Republic
can regime, and Democratic leaders, see
ing that alone they are lost, would take
counsel of their fears and hasten to the
newer and securer fold II is the readiness
Of fusion Popullsts tor train with their
Democratic brethren that encourages them
and turns their heads upward. IL Mr.
Bryan could not win for his party when he
had virtually the united Populist support,
how can he succeed with half that voter
The candidate Of the Democratic party In
1900 will not get the vote Of the anti-fusion
Popullsts, and without this support the
chances for that party's success will be
greatly lessened. But a union Of all re-
formers In one body would be invincible.
It is no answer to these suggestions to
question the loyalty or patriotism OF the
anti-fusionlsts, for they will retort by say
ing that II Democrats are In sympathy with
Populism their disnterestedness would be
more apparent II they would come over
and help the Peoples party, seeing that 1t
had occupied and appropriated this reform
ground long before 1t was discovered by the
followers Of Mr.. Bryan.
Unless some new alignment Of voters Is
effected soon the Peoples party will per-
manently separate into two parts: one
faction will go backward to the Demo-
Gratis, and 1t will not have to go far, as the
distance between the rear Of the Peoples
party and the vanguard of Democracy
Is so short that they readily mingle In the
same camp and one counterslgnI answers
ward to still higher ground. These men
have nothing In common with Democracy
except their views on the income tax and
silver coinage. and these, even II they
he taken as leading issues, are Populist
doctrines, announced long before they ap-
peared in the Chicago platform.
IL 1t be inquired why they are opposed to
Democracy, let the record answer. They
believe the people OF the United states to
constitute a nation; they believe the gov
ernment Is an agency created by the peo-
pie for their use and benefit, and hence
that all great national tnStrumentaltttes
and franchises ought to be owned and
operated by the government This prin-
cipal they hold to be vital. The Democratic
party is and always has been opposed to
this theory 1t has uniformly opposed
internal Improvement by the general gov
ernment except for military or naval pur-
poses. That party believes in metallic
money as the only real money; 1t Is
hard money" party, and 1t faVors state
bank notes for currency.
The Democrats are now everywhere try
ing to get together on the silver question
and they can readily effect a union by
agreeing to a law which shall have this
section nine as one of it's provisions. 1T
is proverbially party Of compromise; A
party with Bryan and Croker working har.
moniously together in 1t need not struggle
hard or long over SO trifiing matter as
the ratio between silver and gold There
Is nothing in any of the public utterances
OF Mr. Bryan to indicate that, after Sc
curing the Populist vote, he would not
consent 10 any ratio that would save to his
party its conservative silver element.
There are still other matters Of differ
ence. Populists regard the land question as
Of supreme Importance. The peoples
homes are slipping away from them. We
are fast becoming a nation OF renters;
We have million or more unemployed
men and women all the time, some of
whom, at least could earn living on
| the public lands II they could only get to
them with means to start POpulists think
the national and State governments ought
to take hold of the labor problem and get
| the people at work again, Strikes and
| lockouts and consequent disturbances In
| trade can be prevented by keeping people
employed at fair remuneration There Is
nothing in the Democratic platform or in
that partys history which is IN any way
| responsive to these advances of Populism.
SO, too, Popullsts believe that the present
! capitalization Of our great railway system
is standing menace to the commercial
NnNr W