The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-11
THE INDEPENDENT VOTER.


Mr.. Bryan went to Chicago to help
a gathering Of Democrats observe
Jackson's day, and there made one of
his customary speeches. In it he re-
ferred to the fall elections with their
significant increase of the Democratic
vote and their equally significant de-
crease of both the middle of-the-road-
ers," the National Democrats and the
Populists. We have commented on
this heretofore, arriving at a different
conclusion as to it's meaning than is
that which Mr.. Bryan announced in
his speech. The money question, he
says was a new one IN 1896, and the
people were uneducated in it, but "since
then there has been time for further
study" and he attributes the change
to the information thus obtained. In
cidentally he mentions what we regard
as the real cause, the course pursued
by the Republicans intoxicated by
success" The Democrats who, in 1896
were Independent enough to stand by
their convictions, saw, in the condf-
lions prevailing in the several states
where elections were held in 1897, the
opportunity to indicate to the Republi-
cans their disgust at their course with
out making any real sacrifice of convic-
ton. No national question was any,
where involved in any election
But this year, in the congressional
elections, federal questions are to be
decided. 1t is probable that the cues
ton Mr.. Bryan regards as new" in
1S96-but which Is more than twenty
years old-will be one Of them, very
likely the leading one The deternli-
nation of that question lies not with
the mass Of voters on either side. but
with the smaller number Of independ-
ent voters who hold the balance of
power. That voter has been an in
creasing factor in political contests for
fifteen years. He has swung the great
state Of New York from one partv's
regularity of the swing of the pendu-
lum, not because he wishes these vio-
lent changes, but because each party
took its success as a vindication of it's
EXTREMIST policies. He has limited
three presidencies to one term for each
party. He turned the Republicans out
in 1884 and installed the Democrats. He
turned them out in 1888, mainly because
Of unfulflled promises, and tried the
Republicans again. They took their
return as a carte blanche to run riot
IN protectionism and we're promptly
discharged by the independent voter
at his first chance. Democracy proved
faithless to it's trust and was in turn
ousted to let Republicans repeat their
folly of 1890. Whether the independent
voter will repeat 1892 in 1900 will de-
pend very largely upon what questions
that contest hinges. He is a factor not
to be ignored by any party desiring
success. Nor is he an uneducated per-
son, taught by the mutations Of poll
tics or trade. He cannot be fooled with
sophisms nor driven by abuse nor ca
joled by fiattery. He asks no office
but he wants and insists upon good
government.
1t is this class among Democrats
to whom Mr.. Bryan referred when he
spoke of those who had made Demo-
cratic victories in 1897 possible. These
he terms political prodigals," grown
weary Of feeding on husks Their re-
ception has depended upon the spirit
in which they came back. If sufficient
Txr Wit
force of the Chicago platform and will
ing to work tremendously side by side
with the brethren who went not
astray," they have been fed with fatted
calves. If not, if they have "swagger-
ed back unrepentant, neither fat calf
nor banquet has been given them. 1t
is one of the idiosyncrasies of the in
dependent voter that he is quite in