Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-29


II is an open secret that Holcomb and
the sham reform leaders have staked
their hopes OF success In the present
campaign upon the votes of citizens Of
foreign birth. With this end in view
they have invested the campaign fund
collected by "Coln" Harvey from credu-
lous Ncbraskans in purchasablc Bo-
hcmian and German editors and Polish
and Scandinavian campaigncrs with the
idea that they can turn the votes of the
people Of those nationalities from the
republican to the fusion column.
The firebrand TO be used in carrying
out this plan of campaign is imperial
ism and militarism. On those lines II
Is proposed 10 draw the forcign-born
voters into the pOpOcratlc corral and
commit them to the support of free
coinage free trade and financial anar-
chy under the pretext that they must
save their adopted country from the
menace of despotsm and perpetual war
1t must be conceded that militarism
is decidedly dlstasteful to the people
of foreign birth, many of whom have
migrated TO this country to- escape serv-
ice in European armies, and Is the only
card that the calamity howlers could
successfully play against general pros
perty and contentment of all classes
Like the Spanish matador, who irri
tatcs and cXaspcratcs the bull in the
arena by Haunting n red cloth before
he stabs him TO death, the Bryanlte or
ators and organs are doing their level
best to irritate and eXasperatc the
foreign-born citizens by waving the red
flag Of Imperialism and militarism so
they may blind the victims of po-
litlcal jugglcry and draw them on to
destruction.
1T Is doubtful however, whether such
tactics will deludc the voter of for
cigu birth. That class Of our citizens Is
intelligent enough to see through the
game that is being played under pretext
Of alarm for the safety Of the republic.
They realize that the election of a re.
publican supreme judge in Nebraska
will not be construed into an endorse
mcnt of miltarsm or Imperialism. They
comprehend that the cry Of Imperialism
has been raised solely to distract their
attention from the indetensble. record
made by the fusion candidate for the
supreme bench. They understand what
reliance can be placed upon newspapers
and editors who turn a somersault over
night and change their political creed
on short notice under preteXt of pa
triotic devotion to free institutions for
revenue only. The average foreign born
citizen appreciates the return of pros
perity as much as does any American
born citizen and he is not more likely
to do anything that would tend to check
that prosperity than any native Amerl-
can.
The foreign-born citizen may be hood
winked and humbugged sometimes
by unprincipled leaders of his own ma
like merchandise by men who make n
business out of their pretended control
of foreign voters. Much as they may
dread militarism and abhor Imperialism
they will not likely be duped into aban-
doning cherished convictions with re-
gard to sound money and other policies
that have restored confidence in Ameri-
can securities and investments and
without which there could be no pros
perity. The very fact that Holcomb's
former oil inspector, Edmisten, chair
man of the populist campaign commit,
tee, has flooded the state with blood
curdling appeals to German Americans
Bohemians, Scandinavians and Poles
must convince every intelligent foreign
born voter that the cry Of imperialism
and militarism is n campaign trick CON
cocted solely for the purpose of filling
up the deadly gap in the fusion ranks
created by desertions from the sham
reform forces and the general disinte'
grafton of the entire fusion army.