The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-07-27
POLITICAL.
Is Carl Schurz Preparing to Accept
Bryanismi

MT. Carl SCnuIZ mas nlJHerJO Deou
successful in pleasing one party, when
ever he broke with the other. He
pleased the Democrats when he broke
with the Republicans in Missouri il
1901. He pleased the Republicans
when he broke with the Democrats in
1876. He pleased the Democrats
when he broke with the Republicans
in 1884. He has heretofore always had
party to which to go, when he has
had party to leave. From the Mis-
souri, Democracy he received the United
States senatorship from that state
From Republicanism he received 6
generalship in the army, the mission
10 Spain and the secretaryship of the
interior. From the Democrats he
again received consideration as the adj
vocate of Mr.. Cleveland for the presi'
dency and the opponent of Mr.. Blaine.
The last public office which he held
was given to him by Mr.. Hayes.
In the Independent this week, Mr..
Schurz carries his opposition to what
he calls 'inperalism" so far as to sug-
gest his support of Mr.. Bryan for pres
ident in 1900, on free silver and anti
colonial platform. Hisl words, which
are tentative, are:
1t is said that the. Republicans are
likely to make the expansion policy
party issue and that they rely for their
triumph upon the unpopularity of the
Democratic silver policy with the con-
sentative citizens of the country. This
may prove a miscalculation. 1 have
seen several very earnest sound money
men who reason thus GA victory of
the silver party would be a great ca
lamity, but calamity which in the
course of time may be repaired. The
annexation of the Spanish colonies
would be in its consequences a greater
calamity, which can never be repaired.
AS between the two we would rather
take our chances with the first" How
far this feeling extends / do not know;
possibly very far. 1t will be likely to
make itself very:much felt, if not in
congressional elections of this year,
then certainly in the presidential cleo
ton two years hence, when the bills
will have begun to come in and the
people will have gained real con-
sciousness of what it all means.
The men not young in politics will
recall that the foregoing is very like
the language used by Mr.. Schurz in all
his previous departures. He never
wholly disapproved of the party which
he left or wholly approved Of the party
to which he went. Every time he
made a choice Of evils, as he regarded
it, but chose the one which he believed
to be the less. The estimate of free
silver as less evil than Expansion" is
his own. The "very earnest sound
money men" whom she has seen" ex-
pressed no views, which they had not
heard him express, too. The hide
pendent article may be significant of
another change of party relations in
contemplation by the distinguished
writer of it. If so, it is only re-let-
teripg of the sign displayed in 1901,
1876, 1884, 1892, '95 81. In each
Of those periods one party was too bad
and the other not good enough, but Mr..
Schurz on reflection added the less bad
to a degree that made his advocacy
effective with his allies and his opposi-
ton attributed to personal motives by
resentful adversaries, largely because
he 80 literally employed personal i'm
putations.
The regretful impression that Mr.
Schurz, by the law of his mutability or
from surfeit of loneliness, is gravitat-
ing to at least liberation of free silver
and of Mr.. Bryan in 1900, is aided by
the renewed activity of his mind for
the graceful imputation of insanity or
of dishonor to those from whom he is
preparing to differ. He has always had
neat trick of assailing the capacity or
character of those whom he was about
in wholesale fashion to assail. He be-
gan that sort of thing toward Grant,
Conkling and Blaine in succession.
He is now apparently beginning it
toward Mckinley. His opening re-
mark in his Independent article is "the
moral sense and the reasoning faculties
of persons otherwise quite upright and
judicious may sometimes become OBJ
scured or confused"
He generalizes on this, but the dis
tinguished statesman who is meant to
do target duty in his mind for all this
firing is 30 plainly reserved from view
as to make his identity as unmistak-
able as the policy of not naming him is
outright.
Mr.. Schurz advances to saying that
the effect of Dewey's victory has suf-
feed apparently to unsettle in the
minds of many otherwise sober and
well-balanced persons not only all their
old principles of policy, but even their
sense of honor" In the art of init
mating that an opponent of his, or one
differently affected by events from the
way in which they affect him, is either
a lunatic or rascal, Mr.. Schurz never
had an equal.
1t is but step from that to his
charge that the supporters OF the Presi-
dent maintain that 1--WE must have COL
onies, simply because we now have an
opportunity for getting some, no mat
ter whether we get them honorably or
whether their possession will be good
for US, when we have them"
The Eagle should not need to say
that no supporters of President Nc
Kinley's course in this war have said
any such things as Mr.. Schurz ascribes
to them. His words express what he
thinks of them, not what they have
said or thought. His words indicate
what he thinks of the war and of the
President, for which and for whom he
has not found time to express single
idea of encouragement, in the more
l.. "a a