The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-06-14
German and Bryan.

Maryland is not pivotal state polit-
ically Maryland is Republican at pres
ent, majority of her Representatives
in Congress are Republican and both
her Senators are Republicans. Never
theess, there is nothing in this state
of things that would necessarily pre-
vent the Democratic party from taking
candidate for the presidency from
Maryland, if it should find there the
man whom policy or availability or other
circumstances marked for leadership.
Arthur 2. German is undoubtedly
the cleverest politician of the Demo-
cratic party. There is solid stuff
enough in him to make brigade of
organs. Whether or not Mr.. German
would be nominated would depend not
80 much on the changed political con-
ditions in bis State which have thrown
him out of the United States Senate, as
upon the issue the Democrats should
select from the rather meager and bad
ly damaged assortment to which their
choice is limited.
MIR. German is gold Democrat; that
is to say, he is in finance the opposite
of Mr.. Bryan. He is enough of a
Democrat to stand by his party, right
or wrong, but he is enough of man to
decline leadership ON the Chicago plat
form of 1896. If he should be the
man selected for slaughter in 1900 the
party banner under which the Dem
ocracy will march to inevitable defeat
must bear new battle cry. In Mr..
Germans platform the chief plank
would be anti.imperialism and the
free silver plank of 1896 would be rele.
gated to the pile of refuse political
lumber. MIR. Bryan's platform would
be the Chicago platform of 1896. On
any other be would be an Impossible
ity. He has himself said recently that
if the party failed to reaffirm the Chi
cago platform, or any part OF it, more
votes would be lost than gained by
such a course. The assumption is rea-
sonable that he would refuse nomi-
nation under any circumstances that
involved or implied reputation of the
Chicago platform. Sink or swim, sur
vive or perish, he is for free silver.
He could stand with both feet on an
anti.imperialistic plank, but his politi'
cal fabric must have, first of all, the
chief features of the creation OF the
party in 1896.
Free silver is as necessary for Bry
ans candidacy in 1900 as it would bt
fatal to Germans. Anti-imperialism
= with the exclusion of free silver, il
! meat for German, poison for Bryan
3 The general understanding is tina
: silver ia dead-quite as dead as Juliu
I Caesar. Mr.. Bryan's judgment, how
4 ever, seems to be that the cause o
I free silver is stronger today than eve
and the sentiment in It's favor is grow
ing all the time. In the judgment o
. the Maryland statesman, "Silver toda,
attracts less attention than imperial
e ISM" On the latter issue, with
!; declaration against trusts as running
mate, or with the latter as the trotte
and the former as the running mate
5 whichever way may make the bes
+ hitch-up, be invites the consideration
OF his party to his route to inevitabl
: defeat and his means of getting hi
n fellow Democrats there with neatnes
= and despatch. 1t would not be sui
I prising if the Democracy seriousl
= considered Mr.. Germans suggestio
of his candidacy.
AS between German and Bryan tn