The San Francisco call., 1898-03-09
DAVID BENNETT HILLS PLATFORM

ID RYAN, Towne and other svertongued orators h who have words to shed and prepared to - shed them had better hasten swiftly to New York and try the witchery of their eloquence there or they may have tears to shed at the Demo cratic convention in Iooo and briny bitter at that
 The astute and energetic David Bennett Hill is not politically dead, neither is he sleeping From his en- forced retirement at Woerts Roost there comes no sound of words, but the buzz of the wood saw goes continuously and the hum of it is ominous to the blanks of the Chicago platform and all who stand thereon MT. Hill is working while Bryan talks He is reaching out glad hand to every Democratic ma chine in the State of New York from Tammany in the metropolis by the to that of Buffalo by the lake, He has candidate and platform to substitute for those put forth Chicago and they are of kind that are dangerous to the silver men and the issue of I6 to l.
 Hill IS wise enough to know that there is no way of lodging the money question. He proposes, there fore, to make it subordinate issue of 1900 by setting up another which will prove more tempting to the Democratic hosts than the enticng proposition Bryan offers His plan of campaign as defined by the latest reports from New York is to raise the battle cry of Down with the trusts" and array the combined hosts of Democracy and Populism against corporations of all kinds, from those that control transcontinental railroads to those that manage local water companies
 It cannot be questioned that the tactics of the New Yorker cunning If there is anything which can call off the dogs of of the forces of dscontent in this country from pursuit of the silver issue 1t is to offer them the trusts new game to follow and devour if they The campaign of education in discomfort the subject is already we'll advanced Hill can appeal to sentiment formed beforehand to respond to him. It Is this fact that gives importance to his plans and renders imperative upon the silver men to head him off while there IS yet time.
 The new tactics are essentially the those o the Bryanites, but dangerous because they have more plausible grounds on which to ap- peal to popular discontent Men of all parties con- cede that legislation is advisable to check the in creasing aggressons of trusts against the general welfare but intelligent men recognize that such legis ation should be the result of conservative counsel and non-partlsan action, as 1t has been in the past. To raise the issue as party cry is to give new oppor tunity to demagogues and agitators to divide the people into classes rather than into political parties and would therefore be a menace to the social and industrial peace of the republic
 The recent address of ex-Presdent Harrison on Washington's birthday is a proof that Republican leaders well understand the evils produced in the country by interruptions wealth, and are prepared to redress them. That the speech of conservatism and of wisdom on the issue. Very different is the course advocated by Hill. He would have the of lenses Of the trusts magnihed exaggerated and dis torted to monstrostes in order to iname the against every one who is rich whether he IS member of trust not It desperate game to play. but it promises Hill and Tammany chance to win their way back to power in Iooo and they determined to play under the cry of "anything to beat Bryan
 
 It would be pity if the Philippine Islands were to free themselves from the hateful rule of Spain.