The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-06-09
The Political Battle as Viewed
by Henry LOOMS Nelson.
Weaknesses of Both Mckinley
and Bryan
BOTH HANDICAPPED.
Says Votes viii Be Either
Against One or the Other
Instead Of For Bryan or For
Mckinley.
BOTH HANDICAPPED

Henry Loomis Nelson sets forth in
the following article from Golfers
Weekly for June the disadvantages
under which both Mckinley and Bryan
enter the great political contest of
1900:
THE aggressive reverence Of Mr..
Bryan and his friends for the 10 to
issue is hardly more respectable than
African fetish worship. It was lgnOr-
ance which begot the issue, and ignOr-
ance and ranattclsm keep II alive. 1t
is not true, of course, that no man who
once believed that misfortune and pow
crtv would be relieved by the free
Coinage of silver, at the ratio OF I6 to
with gold, is therefore unworthy Of
trust on other matters: but, other
things being equal, we would naturally
prefer to conhde the trust of govern
ment to one who had never been given
over to that essentially false cOncep-
tiOn. Indeed, if we were to take the
extreme ground suggested, no candidate
Of 1896, except Palmer, should have re-
ceived a single sound-money vote, for
al the rest were touched with the
silver faint Mr.. Mckinley knows no
more about the money question than
Mr.. Bryan. Probably he has not begun
TO read so many books on the subject
as Bryan has studied. The reading of
books on the money question. how
ever, has probably been a great injury
To Bryan, for the reason that his pO-
accept as an economic truth the theory
which four years ago was gaining great
heddWay in the West and South. The
result is that what he seized upon as
a club with which to attack his Re
publican and plutOcTatic enemy has aD-
parently become an idol, which he WOr-
ships with the fanaticism which trans
forms the East Coast African into
madman in the presence of a serpent,
or of divine stock or stone. MI.
Bryan is obsessed on the money ques-
ton if he continues to believe in the
platform Of 1896, and if he persists on
reaffirming it, 1t is this obstinate
clinging to the old, dead issue which
makes reasonable men doubt his ca
paeity. and if they do not doubt his
capacity. they must doubt his honesty.
u he Is not In the mire of ignorance.
he Is playing politics with the business
and financial interests of the country
The difference between him and Mr..
Mckinley on this question is very i'm
portant. With all the latter's ignorance
of the subject. he is without prejudiceS.
Not having the habit of troubling his
mind with books, he has refrained from
reading the pompous and pretentiOus
works of the silver cranks. To his
mind. the question presented itself as
'vute-getter.' He wanted to please
the silver men without losing the gold
vote. Fortunately for him, when the
time came the convention chose the
stronger side, and he. with the natural
hesitaucv Of the politician who does
not wish to drop anything was finally
persuaded to pronounce the word gold.
Since then he has been a gold man, al
though he is still very far from having
sOdnd views on banking and currency
questions.
MONEY QUESTION NOT PARA
MOUNT.
"On the other hand. Mr.. Bryan stands
by the Chicago platform and its 16 to
folly. although, oddly enough the only
electoral votes which he had in 1896,
and which he is sure to lose this year,
were the votes of silver states This
marks the difference between the two
candidates Mckinley is under the bet
ter influences. Bryan is obliged to
scream like a Populist or there is no
hope no political future for him. He
seems to talk about the Chicago plat
form as if he had not read it during the
last four years. If he even glanced at
it. he would see that the convention
which nominated him could not now
dream of adopting any such platform.
The financial plank of that platform
began with the statement that the
money question is paramount to all
Others at this time
Mr.. Bryan does not believe this is
true in 1900; but he does believe that
the issues of cOnstitutionalis1n, i'm
perialism, militarism, and the trusts
are paramount. He knows that if he
were president he would devote all his
energies to the solution of the problems
presented by these issues. He has said
that the policy of the Republican party
is threatening the Republican and the
Democratic form of government; and
if, in the face Of this, he still insists
that the money question is paramount,
he is well nigh incOmprehensible He
knows also that he will be unable to
secure particle of legislation on the
subject for the Republicans will have
IN the senate at least from 10 to II
majority over all opposition until 1905,
allowing to the Democrats a DrOha ble
knows
of this session of congress makes it
absolutely impossible for the executive
TO abolish or affect the gold standard
In the course of time he will discover
that the house of representatives is
growing to be the bulwark of the
country against fiat money of all kinds
He is, moreover, probably conscious OF
the attitude of the country; and he
ought to know. whatever he may pro-
fess before the meeting of the cOnVen-
ti0n that any elector Will vote on the
money question who is driven to do Sc
by him and his party. 1t is because
they realize that Mr. Bryan is bound
hand and foot on the money question
that a good many gold Democrats will
vote for him, but the number of such
votes depends entirely on the stant
he takes in the campaign. His mer,
insistence on the reafiirmatiOn of thu
Chicago platform will probably cos
him New York and New Jersey. but 4
will not necessarily cost him the mid
die west. where there is far less fear O.
Organism than there is here. but h,
can not be elected at all without thu
votes of hundreds of thousands Of gol
Democrats and Independents, who hav
very little faith in his intelligence; ant
not because he once believed in 16 to
but because he continues to risk tn
fortunes of his party on an issue which
was defeated in the election of 1896, AM
in every subsequent election in whic
1t appeared as an issue. 1t is becaus
Of his continued attitude on the none
question that Mr.. Bryan is, the weakes
candidate whom the Democrats ca
nominate. If he is stronger at the poll