Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-28
THE ISSUE or IMPERIA LlSM.


Declaim as loudly as they may against
the alleged policy of Imperialism, every
intelligent man knows that the popo!
cratic leaders regard this as secondary
to the money question and if it shall
prove as successful as they hope in
catching votes the result will be her
aided as evidence that the cheap money
cause Is still potent with the people In
his speech at Lincoln Thursday ex.Con,
gresham Towne of Minnesota discussed
at length so-called bimetallism and the
report to the popocratic organ in this
city states that 'the distinguished
champion of bimetallism carried his au.
dience as of old" The Minnesota advo-
cate of free silver thus frankly gave
precedence in his talk to what Colonel
Bryan and his followers are chiefly con,
cerned about, what is with them the
paramount question.
The attitude of the popocratic party
was well stated by member who Mt.
tended the conference held at st, Louis
short time ago. 1--WE could be beaten
now," he said, ''if we decided to go into
the campaign on the issues of 1896 and
in casting about for winning issue
anti-imperialism seemed to promise
more than any of the others. Both par
ties will inveigh against trusts in their
platforms, but the difference will not be
clear cut enough to constitute Il practl-
cal issue. While the silver sentiment is
Stpn II, vt.,
was and has lost none of its Importance,
the people have heard it discussed till it
would not do to make it the most prOmi-
nent issue. With these facts in view
anti-imperialism was left as the
only question of which an issue
people could be made" That's it, pre-
cisely. Free silver has ceased to be
available for vote getting. With an
abounding prosperity which the popo-
cratic party declared three years ago to
be impossible with the gold standard;
| with active industries, the rapid growth
of domestic and foreign trade, labor
| fully employed and financial confidence
strong the advocates of free silver
realize that they can make no votes by
| discussing that question. Hence they
turned to anti-imperialism las the only
question of which an issue on which we
| could go before the people could be
made" They are no less earnest now in
their devotion to cheap money than they
were three years ago. The policy OF
currency debasement and reputation
has as strong a hold upon them today as
! 1t had in 1896. But conditions have
changed and the issue that was effective
in winning votes three years ago can
| not be made so now.
What measure of success the popo-
cratic party will have in its efforts to
induce the people to believe that there is
real danger of imperialism remains to
be seen, but we are not prepared to be-
lieve that very large number of intelll-
gent voters will be attracted to the sup
port of that party by the anti-imperial-
ism issue, which has no substantial
foundation. So far as expansion is con.
cerned some of the ablest democrats in
| the country are favorable to it and there
| is a large and growing sentiment in the
south in support of the policy of re-
tanning possession of the Philippines nj
any cost. Such democrats as Senator
Morgan of Alabama, Senator Lindsay OF
| kentucky and others of equal proml
nence in the south advocate the reten
tion of the Philippines, urging that the
commercial interests of the south vii
thereby be promoted. The cotton pro
ducers of that section look with favor
upon expansion, as promising them {
better market in the far east than they
will be likely to have without it. Some
of the most influential democratic pa
pers in the south support expansion
There is no doubt that this sentimen
is growing in that section and it is b!
no means improbable that within
year it will have become so general al
to compel recognition by whoever shall
seek the political support of the south.
The popocratic leaders are making
pretext of Imperialism, knowing that N
republican has proposed such polio.
and that there Is not the remotest pos
sibility of the republican party adopting
the policy. Bryan and his followers ar
sounding an alarm which they know t
be utterly groundless
The phenomenal growth Of the iro
and steel business Is noted in man
wnys but no Dlncp more fOrciblV thn