New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-05
THE VOTERS TURN.
be guilty.

THE VOTERS TURN.
For four months the candidates ana 'her
advocates have held the stage. All tnaC can pe
said for either party against either party mas
been said All the work that campaign inai-
ayers could do has been done. Now II Is the
voters turn and the voters responsibility. on
their verdict the Republican party awaits with
serene confidence.
Every impartial estimate predicts the re-elec-
tion of President Mckinley by an overwhelming
vote and all that the Bryanite leaders have to
offer against that general belief is clustering
threats to use violence to secure returns IN
their favor They say they have absolute
knowledge that the vote will be In their taVor'
but such claim refutes itself NO man can
have knowledge Of such thing. 1t is possible
that the vote may be in their favor, but their
buster will not make it so. Nor do they expect
IT. Some of the highest leaders of the Bryan
Democracy in Brooklyn reveal to private
friends that their poll shows a probable Re-
publican plurality in Kings County of not
less than 1900. Tammany leaders admit to
their friends that they do not see more than
20 600 plurality for their ticket in this county.
That is what the Democratic leaders In
their hearts expect They do not tell it to
their followers, but when they carry their polit-
ical game to the point Of melting people to dis
order and calling on the Democratic masses to
break heads if the count does not show result
which those leaders do not hope for, 1t becomes
necessary to give warning of their dupliclty
and tell what they really expect II Mr. Bryan
wins no men in the country Will be more sur
prised than Mr. Croker. Mr.. Mcclure, Mr.. NC
Carren and the other leaders who are so osten-
tatiously predicting that this State Will go Dem
ocratic. Republican confidence Is OF olnerent
order 1t is confidence which leaves the case to
the voters, frankly saying that the unknown
element may be disappointing ready to accept
the issue in good part, whatever 1t may De- ou1
encouraged to believe the silent vote VIII be
Republican by the judgment OF independent Cd
servers in every section of the country.
The Republicans may we'll have confidence
Trusting in the good sense, honesty and patriot
Ism Of the American people, they could do no
less. The same danger from which the country
recoiled in 1896 confronts 1t now. Try to con-
ceal 1t as much as he will, Mr.. Bryan still stands
for free silver coinage at the ratio OF 10 to /,
and If made President will do all that he can
with the aid of Congress or without 1t, to de-
stroy the gold standard. He is In honor pledged
to do So The same danger Of giving free rein
to riot and war Of the poor against the rlcn
confronts the country. The Chicago platform Is
reafirmed and Mr.. Bryan has steadily preached
class hatred to his followers. He would pack
the Supreme Court, he would deprive our u1-
bunals Of the summary power OF keeping order
and suppressing mobs, he would oyerturn the
Civil Service merit system. Except where neces-
sary to arouse the fanatcal passions Of the
envious or ignorant he does not proclaim these
doctrines, but they part Of his platform.
He has tried rather to concentrate attention
on trusts and imperialism, so called. But all
that has been done to regulate trusts and do
yf+h fha lie nj NJ
alton has been done by the Republicans, and
now, when the limit of constitutional power to
deal with these corporations, organized under
State laws and protected by them, is reached,
he objects to any grant of additional power by
constitutional amendment. He clearly thinks
the trusts make good chapter for his gospel OF
hate and there his interest in them and their
evils begins and ends He is equally 1ncon-
sistent as an anti-imperialist. He helped to
ratfy the treaty making the Philippines terri
tory of the United States. He holds such terri
tory is by mere requirement brought under the
Constitution and firmly incorporated into this
country. Yet he denounces the President as an
usurper and murderer for maintaining the
authority of the United States in that territory,
he is bound to do by his oath of office. he
says that President Mckinley is violating the
Constitution and establishing an empire in de-
Tending the sovereignty he, Mr.. Bryan, helped
to acquire; then he purposes to start an enter
prise equally imperial and equally unauthorized
by any special warrant of the Constitution
that of setting up an Independent but protected
government in the Philippines, a government
which we could not control, but for which we
should be responsible to the rest of the world
The Republicans, on the other hand, promise
the maintenance Of the gold standard, the con-
servation Of the countrys business interests,
the treatment Of the evils incident to the growth
of trusts on lines of conservatism and common
sense, and the dealing with the problems con-
nected with our new territories practical
questions, not to be solved by formulas, but
with view to the needs Of each island and the
circumstances of each case. Some Of the prob
lens are hard. The NewEngland town meet
ing would not work in Porto Rico. Neither did
it work in Louisiana; but well call Jeffer-
son monarchist because he exercised royal
powers" over New Orleans as call Mckinley a
monarchist because he has established over
people unframed in selfgovernment just rule
instead of listening TO phrase makers and Civ
ing them a system untitled for them. This is
the sound businesslike policy OF practical states
nanship, and the Republican party in full faith
submits it TO the judgment Of the people in
rivalry with the captrap inconsistencies which
| the Democrats promulgate their principles.
MACHINES OR INDEPENDENCEf