The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1898-09-24
BARKER AND DONNELLY.

BARKER AND DONNELLY.
The possession of large and fertile
mind does not imply exemption from
the frailities that distinguish the
human from the divine attributes OF
mans nature. Men who combine
rare talent with vast ard varied cru
dition often succumb to an un eontroll-
able ambition for notoriety and are ir-
resistibly impelled to adopt line of
conduct calculated TO advertise their
weakness to the world and destroy
their influence for'good.
Through the press dispatches infor-
nation has gone to the country OF per-
haps the most notable case of this
kind that has occurred in recent years.
Two men of great talent and learning,
whose life work amply tcstifies to the
predominance of good over evil in
their natures, have become detached
from their moorings and are being
swept into vortex of Inconsistencies,
impelled to the pursuit of a phantom,
because ambition, unappeased, has
degenerated into an inordinate and un-
controllable passion for notoriety. We
refer to the attitude in which Wharton
Barker of Philadelphia, and Ignatius
Donneliy, of Mir nesota, have placed
themselves through medium of few
admirers whom they caused to as
semble in the city of Cincin natl, who,
after resolving that they constituted
the only original, pure, unadulterated,
24-carat-fine populists in the United
States, proceeded to name the afore-
said gentlemen as The candidates of
their august body for the Office of
president and vice president of the
United States of America. Hawaii, and
numerous other islands in the Allan
tic and Pacific.
Ofcourse, the populist party, as such,
with reassuring conscience and in
tense resolve, will continue its course,
its tranquility of mind undisturbed
and its series of victories uninterrup-
ted. peacefully oblivious of the exis-
tence of this new evolution, and an
inscrutible fate may withhold from it
official notice of this new birth un-
til its struggles and trinmphs are
swallowed in eternity. Chairman But
ler of the populist national committee
is the ogre who haunts the path this
new aggregation would fain travel to-
ward the promised land; therefore, to
devise some incarnation that will al
lure him to his doom is exhaustlng the
gray matter that has rendered two
lives illustrious. Though numerically
small and in age somewhat deficient,
the Cincinnati aggregation feels as
sured that If it could only decapitate
Chairman Butler of the populist party,
that party would turn to them for
brains and guidance, and this accom-
plished, their own brilliancy and efful-
gence would by contrast make the bal
ance of the political world seem outer
from which the self-distrust-
ing, helpless voters would turn to them
with the longing of lost child for its
When we consider the sub.
lime heighths attained by the meager
handful of men who constituted the
conclave, we are thrilled
with sense of relief that this genera
tion has escaped the modification of
awarding a crown of Immortality to
the undeserving "Three Tailors of Too
ley Street"
If it should turn out that these bril-
liant and talented gentlemen only |
adopt their present course as a means
'f calling attention to themselves in
'rder that, being more widely know n
heir power to do good might 10 aug
nented and that they will at the proper
lime prove themselves patriotic and
oyal to the truths they have promul-
rated in the past with such signal
'bility. by adjusting their action to
he demands of patriotism and their
good, and that the sugges-
ion that prompted them to act was a
lesire to forestall the wicked plans
hat the gold combination have in con-
as means of dividing the
liver forces in 1900, then, in that case
he purity of their motives will be es-
ablished, but the world will be furn-
shed a monumental example of the
sntastic performances that even great
nen can be put through when they
all victims to an overpowering ambi-
ion for notoritY.
Both gentlemen were supporters of
fr. Bryan in 1896 and aided in that
ontest with distinguished ability.
lr. Barker, the head of the ticket is
eeent convert to populism, having
cen lifelong republican, quitting
nat party only after the St. Louis
departed from the ancient
'ndmarks. Mr.. Donnelly has been a
opulist from the beginning, and is
ell known t. the members of that
arty. who will be sorely grieved at
is present course.-Silver Knight