The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-08-08
he National Canvass.

"Getting ready to begin" observes
the Brooklyn Eagle, expresses what
each of the national campaign COM
mittees is doing now. So far there has
been more effort to arouse feeling than
evidence that it has been aroused.
This has not been the condition in for
mer campaigns, either in the country
at large or in Vermont, which holds
its State election the fret week in
September and concludes its canvass
about the time the excitement and
interest elsewhere really begin, and
whose office it has been to set the pace
for the other States which follow in the
November elections. 1t was not 30
four years ago. Then the Bryan men
were very confident, whereas now they
are only hopeful. Then the Republi-
cans were really depressed, whereas
now their expectations of success are
strong. The Republican contentious
of 1896, on the money and other issues
were emphatically sustained by the
people, and there is no question about
their continued adherence to the Re-
publican financial doctrine and policy.
So these are not a source of so great
anxiety in the pending canvass. Be-
yond the lines of 1896 are the issues of
expansion. OF these and the infu-
ences which brought them into Amer
lean politics, the Eagle with its usual
pertinency says:
There are other questions in 1900 which
did not arise in 1896, the war and expansion
questions The Democracy in Congress, as
solid, demanded that the United States
go to war with Spain, and while the Repub-
licans were not far behind them, the Demo-
Gratis accused them of pusillanimity and in
decision and charged that President Nc
Klnley was cowardly trucker to Spain.
Now. the Democrats charge Mr. Mckinley
with having "forced on war" to which
they logged him themselves. When injus-
tice or forgetfulness go that far, unreason
attains its perihelion or memory becomes a
barren ideality. Concerning the settle
ments of the war the Democrats are more
declsmatory than specific. Were they in
power tomorrow they would not give up
Hawaii or Porto Rico or the trusteeship OF
Cuba and all they can say about the Philip
pines Is that they would first establish there
peace and order, which the administration
is trying to do, and that then they would
develop local self-government, accord indie
pendence and assure "protecton" to the
Filipino experiment, which would involve
far more complications and dangers than
any other course. There is clear choice
for the country between Mr.. McKnley's
proposition to keep the Philippines and
Mr.. Bryan's half to abandon them and half
to hold them. The complete policy and the
half-and-half policy can be voted on by
the people without misunderstanding.
The campaign, which is not yet I'M.
der way. in Vermont or the other
States, twill present the Gold Standard
and Expansion as the Republican pr o.
gramme, and Free Silver and Surren-
der as the Democratic programme, to
the people. The organs and the ora
tors will be keyed up accordingly, but
not before September, when the vari-
Gus State tickets will be in the field,
will the work become active. If the
difference between 1896 and 1900 be
borne in mind, if distinction be made
between what questions have been in
herited and must have arisen since
1896, then comprehension of the is
sues should be easy, and then, we think,
the verdict of the people need hardly
be regarded as doubtful"
Vermont's State ticket has been in
the field since the last of June, the
State election is only some four weeks
distant, but the campaign here is hardly
farther advanced than in New York and
the other States in which active work
does not begin till September. Gener-
al Apathy appears to be managing the
campaign in the Green Mountain State.