New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1898-10-29
A LIVELY CORPSE.

OF the East Is only little less
marked than it was for the two
years preceding the Chicago con
vention. Then they repeated, rs
they do now, that the silver ques-
ton had been killed; and notwith-
standing that it came to life again
after each assassination, they killed
it off "some more as ever. They
were simply making fools of them
selves. No inspired prophet was
needed to predict that these men
would be run down by the silver
movement of the West and South
to overwhelming defeat, when the
convention of 1896 should meet
yet, when the inevitable happened,
they were as much astonished as a
child with it's first wasp. And now
they are solemnly preparing for
themselves similar surprise at
the convention of 1900. Because
the democratic conventions of New
York, New Jersey and Connecticut
have ignored the national platform
of the party and by implication
condemned free silver coinage,
these credulous gold democrats of
the East are hugging one another
and assuring themselves, rs they
did five, four and three years ago,
and even on the eve of the conven-
ton that "the silver issue is dead.
Their shal1Owness is manifest when
it is considered that in those three
states there was no silver issue to
die. The action of the democratic
conventions there in ignoring that
issue is without the least signifi-
canoe. But there is a significance,
one of no trifling import, in the
fact that though there was but re-
Gently no silver sentiment at all
among the democrats of those states,
this year it has taken such a hold
Of the party there that the silver
question is ignored only after hard
lights in two of the states and at
The dictation of "bosses' in all
three. In this there is something
much more suggestive of the birth
than Of the death of the silver issue
in that region. But be it birth or
1eath, the turning down" of the
silver issue by the "boss"- ridden
democratic conventions of Connecti-
,ut, New Jersey and New York is
no more predictive than the last
1Orse race of the action Of the next
rational convention.
Congressman Lentz, of Ohio, was
quite right, when in New York
Herald interview relative to the
action of the Connecticut conven-
ion he said that it amounted to
nothing, and added:
eve people west Of the Allie
yheny mountains are going to nom
nate the democratic candidate for
he presidency. We will nominate
Mr.. Bryan on the Chicago platform,
Ind we will elect him by the votes
vest of the Allegheny mountains.
rhe East will not be consulted about
t at all"
This is a situation which the
'icher classes Of the East do not yet
eem to have grasped. But whether
We would have it so or not, it is
he situation. The eastern states
re no longer needed to carry pre-
idential elections, and it has been
demonstrated that campaign can
70 managed without those money
contributions from eastern Inonop-
lists masquerading as democrats,
bout which national conventions
we're so long bnllied into making
There is therefore no
onger any influence strong enough
o force compromises between the
"bosses" east of the
Alleghenies and the people to the
rest. Added to this, the demo-
rats west Of the Alleghenies are in
he main firm believers in free silver
oinsge, and, freed from the dom
nation Of the Hills, Crokers and
Vhitneys, they will in 1900, as Mr..
1entz says, go to the people again
nth that issue without consulting
astern bosses. That the free coin
ge idea is an economic heresy, or
hat it would accomplish nothing
or the people even if it were or
hodox, makes no difference. 1t is
he standard which the democrats
t the West were taught by the
Of 1896 to accept as their
est Of regularity, and he who i'm
gines thst they have abandoned it
'ecause the democratic bosses Of
hree Hanna Mel Kinley states Of the
cast have ignored it, knows little
I human nature and less Of demo-
ratic sentiment in the West st.-The
'h6lic.