Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-11-07
III ISSUE OF 1900.

Harper's Weekly: ID. B. Henderson,
who, it is supposed, will be the speaker
of the new house of representatives,
recently made an important speech at
Waterloo, Iowa. He predicted that the
next presidential campaign , will be
fought on the currency question. He
sees mott ing in the democratic cries
against imperialism and against trusts,
but he does see that the Bryan demo-
Gratis, VINO control the organization Of
their, party. are as clamorous for silver
as they were in 1896, and are deter
mined to make free coinage the central
issue of the campaign.
As to the issue against the trusts, the
republican party will have the support
OF, all those who realize the good eff
fects of these combinations of capital,
even though they deplore the bad eff
#fects. There is no reason why anyone
should vote for the democratic candi-
date because of trusts. except those
who are opposed to all corporations
per Sc. The fact is, the democratic
party as it exists today is an expression
of extreme views in economics as well
as in other things. 1t is in rebellion
against existing conditions, and it seeks
to destroy whatever it opposes. There
are a great many people who are OPP
posed to trusts-that is to say they
are opposed to certain wrongs that are
inflicted upon individual competition,
and they are opposed to monopolies,
and to whatever political corruption is
incidental to the connection between
the government and trusts. But they
are neither so ignorant nor so self
4 fffniarf nc. IN In, n psr,a xhn% %1,A., no-
successfully stand in the way Of the
tendency of the age toward combina-f
ton and the conservation and economy
of energy in the form of capital. In
other words, they will not vote to
destroy all corporations, or even to pre-
vent the combination of corporations.
The ANTITRUST issue, therefore, is like
ly to be of little direct Importance in
the coming struggle, for the democrat
lie politicians will soon discover that
they car add nothing to their normal
strength on this question when their
clamor for destruction encounters a
sane proposition for restraint and re-
form.
The anti-imperialistic issue also is
likely to disappear, or at least to be-
come purely academic. By the time the
presidential campaign fairly begins,
events will most likely have eliminated
the subject from discussion. 1t will
be ont OF the way, because the Philip
pines. about which it has played, will
be universally recognized as part Of the
United States Whatever questions aris-
ing from the war which might be raised
to the dignity OF issues will slumber,
because they will be in the nature of
past events, with little OF no present
application.
Why should anyone vote for MI.
Bryan because he is an anti-imperialist,
when there will be nothing during the
next presidential term upon which he
could exercise his anti-imperialism? In
short anti-imperialism in the mouths
Of democratic leaders is already a mere
campaign cry.
1t is on the currency question alone
that the democratic party and its ap-
pointed leader have convictions that
signify anything. They are for a de-
preciated currency. Mr.. Henderson
was right in saying that this will be
the issue: for the issue of a campaign
is always thai principle or purpose for
which the candidates stand, whatever
the platforms say. Mr.. Bryan stands
for unsound money. Mr.. Mckinley will
again stand for sound money, and, ac-
cording to the present outlook, it will
be on the issue of 1896 that the cam
paign of 1900 will be fought. Conditions
may change, unforeseen circumstances
may arise, but at present it seems in,
evitable that the next campaign should
be a repetition of the last. 1t will re-:
quire a new party in opposition to the
republican party to change the present
outlook. But the republican majority
in congress may make the issue all the
clearer. and do much to prevent any