The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-06
The Old and tho New Democracy.

The cheers for AGU INALDo at the Cooper
Union meeting of the so-called Chicago
Platform Democrats" on Monday evening
afforded simply further illustration Of the
decentralization and degradation of the DEM
ocratc party. While our volunteers are
embarking on transports at San Francisco
to risk their lives in the maintenance Of the
authority of their country in the Philippines
a crowd OF moral and political degenerates
are engaged in clarifying their enemy and
melting him to the madden effort to destroy
the soldiers of the American nation.
1t is not necessary to comment on such
a manifestation; the mere report of the
fact is enough. Those cheers at the Cooper
Union, and the whole spirit OF the meeting
give the American people fair warning of
the character of the political campaign
which is to be waged by the Democratic
party next year 1t is going to be a cam
paign against the honor and credit of this
nation and for its humiliation and degra-
datiOn in tho eyes OF the world
The successful outcome Of the military
campaign to be begun in the Philippines
before the close of the year will, of course,
destroy much Of the pretext for political
assault on the Government by traitors
and dcfamorS OF their country; but even
then the spirit OF the Cooper Union meet
ing will remain, and it will dominate the
Democratic campaign at every point. 1t
will seek in every way to obstruct the
military operations in the Philippines,
encourage AGUUNALDO to the more stub
born resistance thus multiplying the hard
ships and hazards of our troops; but failing
in that effort, it will return to it's old as
sault on the credit and integrity of the
country with the greater virulence.
The very boldness of this reasonable
manifestation at the Cooper Union will of
course, defeat its malignant purpose by
outraging the patriotic sentiment of the
country, and thus assuring the speedy
and more complete overthrow OF AGUI-
NALDo but such a spontaneous exhibition
reveals the sort of temper which we shall
have to meet in the campaign of next year.
1t is the radical, rebelious spirit in the
community, of which the Democratic party,
for the time being at least, Is the repre-
sentative. Its expression will be in the
reatfirmed and extended Chicago platform,
and its leader will be BRYAN
Tactically the Democratic party will be
forced into that position for there will be
no other open to it. Obviously it cannot
support the gold standard; such a direct
reversal of its position of 500 is impos-
sible. The Republican party will be for the
gold standard, and that will at once force
the monetary issue. Even if the Demo
Gratis were not already resolved on making
1t, they will have to make it to secure par
tisan distinction. Opposition to expansion
could not OF itself hold together the Demo-
catic party, even if the question remains
unsettled by delay in the pacitration Of the
Philippines, for the Democracy is not agreed
on expansion; many OF the ablest and
stoutest advocates OF l6 to are OPENLY
and decidedly on the other side The silver
issue is the only question on which there ia
union among the elements which gave
Bryan six and a half million votes in 1895.
Take it out of the Democratic campaign
and the consequence would be stagnation.
not positive disruption. 1t is the battle
cry which fires the fighting spirit OF the
party, and BRYAN is its natural leader. No
Democratic convention. no Democratic
meeting since then has dared to provoke its
resentment, and no Democratic delegate in
the next Democratic National Convention
will dare to oppose it with a proposition
even squirting at the gold standard.
All that may be put down as settled.
k1body in politics expects. in sincerity,