Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-07-10
THE BATTLE rs ON.

else. But during the twenty years pre-
ceding 1896, the evil demons of insin
cerity, hypocriey and pharisaism were
not mere incidents to such gatherings
they ruled the conventions of the two
great parties and dictated their plat
forms. A revolt in behalf of candor,
good faith and plain dealing disrupted
the democratic party and alienated its
time-serving leaders, and selfish cam
paign contributors, from the Chicago
platform. The money-b bags and poll
ticians who had been running the party
to suit the interests of the political firm
of Republican, Democrat & Co. were
turned out and, in revenge, they de-
voted all their energies to the election
of Mckinley. They were not numer-
Gus, but they had held high rank in the
party, and they had considerable fol-
lowing of honest democrats who were
deceived by their confidence in these
former leaders, and so followed and
aided them in bringing upon this coun-
try greater danger than has ever be-
fore threatened it. If, four years ago,
any one had told us that the nation
would this year be engaged in strug-
gle to preserve the principles of the
declaration of independence from de-
struction, most people would have
called that man melancholy pessimist.
Yet the startling truth is that the para
mount issue of this campaign is the
question, DO governments derive their
just powers from the consent of the
governed ~
lmperialism-the conquest, or pur-
chase, of foreign peoples and imposing
upon them rulers they have had no
voice in choosing, laws they have not
helped to make, and taxes levied with
out their consent, is the exact reverse
of the principle of Human Liberty upon
which our republic was founded. The
money question has not lost one iot of
its Importance to the American people.
but it has, for the time being, been
crowded to one side by this transcend
ent question of life and death. While
the money question is one of the great
est that ever came before the people,
there is as much difference between it
and the issue we must fight for this
time as there is between robbery and
murder. 1t is the difference between
property and life. When the robber
threatens his victims life, that life must
first be defended before attempting to
regain what has been stolen. The gold
standard, which the party now in
power is, by its latest platform, pledged
to establish, is robbery, but imperialism
will be the death of the republic. We
must fight at the polls next November
precisely the same battle the revolu-
tionary forefathers fought with swords
and muskees. They fought that the
republic might be born; we must fight
to keep it from dying
There were not wanting at Kansas
City those who preached the devils
gospel that this standing up and dying
for principle is all rot" And there
were others who were weak enough to
believe that if our cause is good decep-
ton may be used to aid it;-that the
end justities the means. To the mere
politician there was evidently wide
distinction between plank reaf1irming
the Chicago platform, and one rede-
claring its principles IN haec UerbG. To
the plain dealing and truthful the two
things mean exactly the same. 1t was
the fact that certain of the 1896 boilers
proclaimed, in advance of the conven-
ton, their intention to interpret re-
affirmation as reputation, that made
the difference between these two correct
modes of expressing the same idea,
vital and important. After they had
served this strange notice upon the
party there was no sensible, straight
forward and manly way but to repeat
the declarations of the Chicago plat
form in express words. While many
failed to discern the great Importance
of this, Mr.. Bryan saw so clearly the
danger of Inconsistency and the dis
honesty of saying what would be con-
strued as not being meant, that he with
candor and firmness declared his inten-
ton to decline the nomination unless the
money plank of the Chicago platform
was expressly repeated. Mr.. Bryan,
no one doubts, desires to be president.
No one can now doubt that he prefers
consistency and honor above the presi-
dency.
The platform is the grandest and
noblest declaration of human rights
that has ever been put forth by a demo-
cratic or republican national conyen-
ton in this country. Ii is frank, out
spoken, and brim-full of what in these
trucking days is more needed in the
United States than anything else, and
which has been aptly termed American
ISM Amerieanisml 1t is strange but
true that in many sections of this couE-
try, there has been more of the spirit OF
true Amerieanism among our foreign
born citizens than among the natives.
1t is high time we had a revival of it.
The democratic party has won an.
other signal victory over its own bad
elements; it has reconSecrated itself TO
liberty, justice and humanity; it has
discarded the raiment of hypocrisy, and
the advice of the dme-Server; it has es-