Arizona republican., 1900-08-12

By giving out the statement that he would devote the principal part of his
 speech in reply to the
 THE address of the notifica-
 EVANES- ton committee and also
 CENT MIR of his acceptance let
 BRYAN. ter to the "paramount"
 is ue, imperialism D Bryan began shirking the issue with which his whole personal ity and political life is idenu- fled free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen to one. Bryan could not in this way get away from himself. He tried it at Indianap- oils, but nothing will change the opin- ion of those who are arrayed against him because of his fanatical fight for silver They justly hold the attempt to make Imperialism" the para mount" issue to be simply a clumsy and silly trick to fool the voters. There is no imperialism on the republican side or with the Mckinley administrd- tion, and to say otherwise is mere lunacy.
 Bryan is on record as many times as there have been days and nights since 1896 as an insistent free silverite. This is real and tangible issue, having momentous practical effects. For Bryan to endeavor now to displace l6 to 1 and pfetend that some other issue is paramount is futile. This was the only issue at the Kansas City conven- tton. People cannot be deceived. Bryan forced the issue upon the convention, said he would refuse the nomination if this issue were not emphatically pro- claimed; said his character and reputa- ton for sincerity were at stake.
 In Bryans eyes free silver (etc.) could never be settled-so he said, so often that we were all tired of hearing it-could never, never be settled until it was settled right. It has not been settled right yet, according to Bryan. After his defeat in 1896 he said, and he has reiterated it ever since:
 'The friends of bimetallism have not been vanquished. They have simply been overcome. They believe that the gold standard is a conspiracy of the money changers against the welfare of the human race and they will continue the warfare against it.
 "Bimetallism has almost triumphed in its first great fight.
 "They Gree silverites) have laid the foundation for future success, and will be remembered as pioneers when vic tory is at last secured.
 Tn the face of an enemy rejoicing in its victory let the roll be called for the next engagement. The year 1900 is not far away. Be fore that year arrives the the evil eff fects of a gold standard will be even more evident than they are now, and the people, then ready to demand an American financial policy for the American people, will join with us in the immediate restoration of the free and unlimited coinage of gold and sil- yer at. the present legal ratio of l6 to L.
 Whatever MT. Bryan may be, he is not far seeing statesman. Not within four years. but within the period which has elapsed since three days before the Kansas City convention Mir Bryan has rec ognized the superior judgment of his party; he has cast aside his care for his reputation for character and sincerity. That part of his notification speech relating to his financial views embraced a single short paragraph made up of unmeaning generalities.
 In his Indianapolis speech MT. Bryan confined himself almost entirely to trusts and imperialism, largely to the latter. and in the course of his ad dress he thus lamely attempts to ex- plain the inconsistency of his present utterances with those he made as an