Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-25
Anti -Imperialists Trying to Concen-
trate Their Forces.
DOUBTS As TO THEIR STRENGTH
Gold Democrats Willing to Take
Bryan Back Under Conditions,
CLEVELAND IS THEIR IDOL


SlonlStS OF the vigorous type caii '"eHA '-ie
anti-imps. However, they say they don't
mind being called names.
So far as 1 can learn. while the move
ment is clearly apparent, not much pro-
gress has yet been made in getting the
anti-imperialsts together. They are worse
than the various factions of the democratic
party in disagreeng upon everything else
except the one question of not wanting the
government to establish its sovereignty In
the Philippines. But since Croker and the
Rev. DR.. Parkhurst and former Speaker
Thomas B. Reed are ali standing on or
under the same platform, I have been told
half a dozen times today by Jealous anti
expansionists that the age of political mir
acles Is not past and that the anti-impe-
realistic sentiment will crystalline in a gen.
eral movement That may be. but 1 don't
find the signs of the capitalization yet Wis
ible.
Bryan's Followers Indignant.
The followers of Mr.. Bryan are already
indignant at what they call the sneaking
attempt of his old enemies to undermine
him. They mean chiefly J. Sterling Morton
of Nebraska. Mr.. Morton did not announce
the birth of his new party on July T. as he
had promised, but he has lately come to
the front as the head of an anti-expansion
respondence with the eastern anti-expan-
sionists. What makes the Bryanites angry
is that Mr.. Morton has also flouted their
antitrust campaign, and comes forward as
the defender of the trusts. That is a poor
sort of reform platform. What Mr. Bry
ans friends in New York seem to fear is
that the former Secretary of Agriculture
may really keep some converts away from
him. Bryan and DR.. Parkhurst had reached
good understanding, and others of DIR.
Parkhursts type were said to be in the
mood to receive advances. Whether Dr.
Parkhurst will be of that mood still when
he gets back from Europe no one can say
but the impression is that he will not
change his mind. He went away a pro-
nounced anti-expansienist, SO that, unlike
Mr.. Croker, it will not be necessary for
him to talk with the princes and poten-
tates of the old world in order to put him
against his own government.
There are some leading gold democrats
like ex-Secretary FairchiId and LAWYER
Hornblower who once failed to be con-
firmed for the Supreme bench, who a few
months ago were hopeful of finding a demo-
cratic candidate who would unite them on
an anti-expansion platform. They were
willing to forgive Bryan and take him
back into the fold if he would only yield
the free silver issue. At times they really
felt encouraged because Bryan showed
Willingness to let the issues shape them
selves, and If the people did not want free
silver prominent to let it be obscured by
other questions. But since he insisted that
1T must be in the platform. and since re-
cent developments in the west have shown
that the populists out there will continue
to control the democratic party, these New
York anti-expansionists are again in de-
spair. They are drifting about hopelessly
waiting for the right man to appear.
Some Talk of Cleveland.
Naturally one would suppose they would
turn to their former idol. A few Of them
did talk of Grover Cleveland. I asked one
of the mildest and most sensible of these
anti-expansionists why nothing more was
heard of Mr. Cleveland. He shook his
head. Grover he said, "is strongly
against the policy of the government but
he has been President and he won't say
anything so long as there is fighting. That
is where we think he is wrong. We be-
lieve that everybody who thinks as we do
ought to denounce this war against the
Philippines as Ubiquitous and insist on our
government stopping it. But we have had
no encouragement from Grover"
I do not know whether this statement of
Mr.. Cleveland's position is correct. It is
not usual for him to be heard from dur
ing the fishing season on public questions
OF any kind. But a democratic politician
who does not sit at the feet of the oracle
and who does not pretend to belong to the
circle of most worshipful Cleveland idola-
ters told me he had heard the same thing
Grover" said this politician, "growled
lot In the beginning and he'll growl a lot
more when it is all settled and we are
in the Philippines to stay for good, but he
won't come out publicly and say anything
to embarrass the administration, though
ii you could hear him talk in private you
would hear some mighty Interesting
views" All of which, If true is neverthe-
less creditable to Mr.. Cleveland The aim
of the anti-imperialists, as they them
selves declare, is to embarrass the govern
ment in its conduct of the war SO that it
will be compelled to quit.
Some Of the leading anti-expansionists are
themselves in doubt about the ultimate ten
dency of public sentiment. The manager of
the most widely circulated and aggressive
of the anti-expansion newspapers told me
his perplexities. I'VE can find plenty to
criticise in the administration policy" he
said. Sometimes 1t looks as though In the
end we were going to have the country
with us. Then again we wonder whether
anybody will be with us. It's all in the
dark. We are getting converts among the
college professors. For instance, there is
President Hadley of Yale. and nearly every
day we have letters from some college pro-
fesscr But. of course, their views are not
going to change the expansion policy If
the people make up their minds that they
want to keep the Philippines. 1 wonder
what Will come out OF ft?'
The Dewey Reception.
I left him wondering and made some in
ouiries about the reception to Admiral
Dewey. 1t seems that New York city
tnlnkS because the town IS a handy step
ping off place from Europe that 1t ought
to have a monopoly of honoring the victor
of Manila. So it resents the suggestion that
the admiral should also be honored by the
national capital which knew and appreciat-
ed him when he was unknown in Gotham
and which will be his home in the future,
it has been in the past. The New York
notion is that everybody should come to
tidewater to honor Dewey. Cropping out
of this notion is also the yelled suggestion
that If a million of people should come
to the city they would be bound to spend a
good deal of money. 1 don't mean to say
that this is general or that everybody is
talking it. Nevertheless, the suggestion is
heard and this idea of commercialism CRATES
harshly OH sensitive ears
AS to the reception itself everything indi-
Gates that it will be worthy one. The
state made the appropriation so that the
New Workers do not have to go down into
their Individual pockets for the expenses
There Is $150,O0O available and the various
committees which are charged with it's
disbursement hint that they could easily
spend another $150,0O0.
There seems to be some heartburning over
the $4,000 breakfast which it is proposed
to give the admiral When a few individ-
uals, months ago, organized scheme for a
banquet at 800 a plate in order that they
might shine in the reflected light of the
naval hero, the plan was ridiculed out of
existence. The men who have sought no.
toriety through it were glad enough to be
forgotten. There Is not quite the same kind