El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-04
owing from the Chicago Record, is

owing from the Chicago Record, is Of
special interest:
been receiving many severe jolts O
late years. In the presidential cam
psign of 1896 men who bad been per.
sistent partisans all their lives broke
from their party n oorings because o.
| the silver issue. To considerable
extent, it appears. the Issues of 1906
are likely to make new alignment Of
voters, in which former political as
sociates will be arrayed against one
another and former foes will be unit.
ed. Sentiments expressed at the anti
| imperiaiistic conference indicate that
| a conside rable number of the men most
| bitterly opposed to one another on the
silver issue in 1896 are ready to work
| together on the new issue of terri
| torial expansion. The platform adopt
ed by the conference, mum bering in its
membership men who had been
Jealous supporters of Mckinley 10 1896,
ontains this declaration:
| ''ThOse who dispute about the stand
| ards of value while the foundation of
the republic Is undermined will be
listened to as little as those who would
wrsnRle about the small economies of
the household while the house is on
| fire."
| In other words, men like J. Sterling
Morton, Carl Shurz, Edward Atkinson,
Bourke Cochran, Edwin Burritt Smith
and Professor Laughlin, who we're
bitter critics Of Bryan and his follow
ers in 1896, are now willing to cooper
ate with Bryan, Senator Pettigrew W,
Ex-Congressman Towne and others for
! the defeat of President Mckinley q
Philippine policy. Such adjustment
of political affiliations is remarkable
indeed, but not more SO than the trans
| form alton of PETER, of Kansas, and
Loucks, of South Dakota, from support
ers o: Bryan to supporters OF Nc Kin
ley. The strangest spectacle, per haps,
Is that of Bryan and Morton joining in
support of a policy, in consequenc nee of
which they may be found working in
harmony in the campaign of next year.
These two eminent Nebraskaus, both
claiming to be Democrats, long have
been political enemies, not for personal
reasons, but because of disagreements
on matters of public policy.
The Intelligent student of political af
fairs, as we'll as the discrimin ating vot-
er, will observe that whereas the dem
ocratic party.-which in 1888 was tax
ing its life on the merits of free trade,
which exposed itself to serious rupture
and to almost complete annihilation in
1896, by its advocacy of the dang err
GUS not to say revolutionary doctrine
OF free coinage at q ratio which would,
Il successful, change the whole system
Of economic values; which suffered dis
astrous defeats in 1897, again in 1898,
on account of its financial tenets,-
has in the present campaign carefully
mended its shattered sails, and cum
ningly adapted them to more favorable
winds, yet it Ia ignoring it's one cardin-
al policy for prudential reasons, it is
studiously avoiding q direct
issue thereon before the peo-
pie, and is waging campaign
under yelled issues. igh ting upon GER
tain Issues in one state, while In an
other state, though under the same
national leader, is waging q contest
upon utterly Inconsistent issues; the
issues of the party as a whole lack
unity, consistency and sincerity, as
well ss the elements of fairness acd an
intelligent, fearless line of action. On
the other hand. the republican party
stands upon precisely the same princi-
voters in 1S92-though with defeat
again in 1896 with amazing triumph,
again in 1897 and 1898. and still rests it's
case upon the merits of those Identical
before the electors in every
state today. Those principles are
pr election: First. to American in
dust-ies. Second, to American credit,
ouI hbouSioA lusCRTIty 6uQ uOuOr. D.
To American interests, including it's |
it's flag, or it's
at home or abroad. |
The party it has never changed its car
dinal principles, and for this reason it
has become the refuge of thousands of
patriots in every state who place the |
honor of the country above political af- |
filiations, and thus exemplify Burke's |
famous remark that when parties |
chsnge their principles, patriots |
change their parties" The foreign or |
colonial policy of the party, as given
practical effect by the administration,
involves no essential change in the
principles of the party since this poll
cy is but the legitimate outgrowth ,of
the march of pubic events, the agra
dual unfolding of the ceaseless chart of
destiny; and in dealing with this new
question the party has simply applied
in practice its we'll defined principles
o. justice, equity. and protection to the
ma ioual honor, without committing it.
self to any fixed line of policy except
for the present time. With the pro-
gress of events the process of develop
ment. and the diffusion of KNOWLEDGE
on the subject, the party will formu-
late policy in respect to colonization
or expansion, and go before the public
on the merits of that policy when the
time comes.
GEORGE A. BENHAM.