The record-union., 1899-09-05
VOICE OF THE PRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM EDITORIAL
EXPRESSIONS.
State and Coast Opinions ON Sub
jects of Living News
Interest.

II Is becoming quite evident that the
Democrats are bent on committing the
same error they committed in 1864,
When they nominated Mcclellan and
declared the war a failure. The Iowa
Democrats have not hesitated to pro-
nounce in favor of the Filipinos, and
1t may be assumed that wherever the
Bryan influence prevails the action will
be the same. To espouse the cause of
the rebels during the pendency of
rebellion is so thoroughly unpatriotic
that there cannot be the slightest
doubt of the outcome. The country will
never sustain q party that takes a
stand against the Government of the
United States in time of war The
singular part of the situation is that
a party SO recently defeated in that at
tempt should try to bolster itself now
by the same attempt.
THE DEMAND OF THE COAST
Portland Oregonlan: No recent OBJ
server has so fully conceived the oppor-
tunity of the United States in relation
10 the Pacific Ocean as has Secretary
wilson. There are no anti-imperialists
he finds, west of Chicago; the people
OF the Pacific, he says are determined
that We shall keep the Philippines and
we couldn't let go if we wanted to. The
people of the Western side of the con-
t1nent, he declares, understand this
question better than it is understood in
the East. The Pacific Ocean, he says,
must be an American lake; the Pacific
States have the resources essential to
its commerce. California, Oregon and
Washington, on this SIDE and the Phil
ippines on the other side of the Pacific.
have everything in abundance that is
needed to cover the Pacific with ship
ping that will carry the American flag
and American commerce. The people
of the West want these ships built; they
want an American merchant marine,
and they want the Nicaragua canal
without much more delay. They see
a great future opening, not only to
| them, but to the whole country across
the Pacific, and they believe this the
golden opportunity to strike out bold
ly"
Here is the cleareSt statement yet
made by an Eastern man of the condi-
tions, aspirations and prospects of the
Pacific Coast States. 1t is a timely
statement, for the few of our people
who have access to the Eastern ear
with the great questions affecting the
Pacific, now in process of settlement. It
was time somebody in position to
make himself heard made it plain at
Washington and elsewhere in the East
that the sentiment of the Pacific Coast
is absolutely for the fullest performance
of our obligations beyond the Pacific,
and for that other form of expansion
|
significance and effect
JUDGED BY RESULTS.
Oakland Enquirer: The Iowa Demo
cratic platform, which is supposed to
have been inspired by William J.
Bryan, if it was not actually written
by him, puts the issue of free silver
into a position of almost as great prom
ineIhce as that which it occupied in the
Chicago platform of 1896.
This suggests a few words with ref
erence to the teaching of the events
which have occurred since the year of
the last memorable Presidential cleo
ton. In his campaign speeches of that
year Mr.. Bryan predicted disaster in
case free silver should be voted down.
He admitted no possibility of doubt. He
was positive, absolute and vehement in
his predictions of coming national dis
aster unless the free silver remedy
should be adopted.
1t was not adopted and the country
entered upon the trial of a financial
experiment which it was universally
admitted would be a test of Mr.. Bry-
ans theories. 1t was conceded that it
was useless to go on arguing the silver
! question since all the theories of Mr..
Bryan's class of bimetallists had been
submitted to the test of actual exper-
ience. If Mr.. Bryan had been asked
at that time whether he was willing
to have the correctness of his free sill
yer theories decided by the rise or fall
of national prosperity, he, as a sim
cere man, would have been obliged to
answer in the affirmative. At any
rate thousands of his followers pro-
fessed their perfect readiness to have
! the merits of the controversy judged
| by results.
We have now had three years of re-
suits and every one knows what they
have been The stringency, distress and
bankruptcy which Mr.. Bryan predicted
as a result OF discontinuing the free
coinage of silver have not come to pass.
On the contrary, our farmers have been
prosperous in nearly all sections of the
country; the business of the merchants
and banks and railroads has gone on
increa sing; our foreign commerce has
swelled to proportions it never posses
sed before, and every evidence is pre-
sented of national prosperity.
This is the record, and why should
not Mr.. Bryan's theories be judged by
it? But he does not propose to con-
cede that the case has been tried and
decided against him. He desires to
renew the argument on the old lines.
So far as words go, he will continue
the rub-a-dub agitation for free silver,
and again assert that it is necessary
to the financial salvation of the coun-
try. But a whole nation cannot be
fooled in this way. The people have
been waiting and observing; they have
seen what has happened; they recog-
nize that the experiment has been
tried of going without Mr.. Bryan's
panacea and that it has been a sue
cess Facts are stronger than words:
results outweigh arguments. The
Bryan predictions have failed and
there is no reason why Mr.. Bryan
should be any longer regarded as
either true prophet or a safe coun-
selor.
THE PASSING OF THE TRUSTS.