The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-09-01
THE FATHER OF IMPERIALISM.

THE FATHER OF IMPERIALISM.
The Mckinley organs of world wide
expansion find it quite difficult to ac-
cuse William J. Bryan of inconsisten-
cy. 1t is a godsend to them when
some gold Democrat who aided Me-
Kinley in 1896 turns up to find fault
with the noble Ncbraskan. Little Eek
els. the controller of the currency in
Cleveland's administration, is quoted
at length when he says he will vote for
Mckinley, as he did four years ago.
General Bragg, the Wisconsin brag-
CART, is another who is quoted with
ayidity. But the Mckinley organs
have not yet been able to quote sin
gle Democrat against Bryan who voted
for him before. Some of the gold
Democrats of the country who voted
for either Palmer or Mckinley in 1896
have returned to the party they tempo
rarily abandoned. These the Mckinley
organs have no use for, of course.
The latest gold Democrat to be in
terviewed against Bryan is Chas.
DENLY, whom Mckinley rewarded for
his recreancy by placing him OH the
first Philippine commission. The Re-
publican national committee attaches
IL great deal of Importance to what this
silkstockinged gold Democrat says,
for they sent out his Interview on the
wings of the press. He blames Bryan
for favoring the ratification of the
Spanish-American treaty and says he
did it to have Imperialism for an issue
in this campaign. OF course, there is
nothing original in what DENLY says,
as the same charge was made by SEN
ntor Hoar after he had denounced the
policy of the president in the Philip
pine Islands.
DENLY facetiously says that after
the ratification of the treaty imperial
ism was born, and it's actual father
was William Jennings Bryan! "He is
now endeavoring to betray his own
child" he says. II am not defending
the Republican party" continues Den
by, "but am defending William Nc
Kinley, who has been subjected to
more abuse than any president we
have ever had, and he deserves it as
little as any one ever did" After that
it will not be surprising il DENLY soon
gets another job from the Napoleon
of Canton.
In his acceptance speech William ].
Bryan explained why he favored the
ratification of the treaty and urged
the Democratic senators to vote for it.
Seventeen of them did so, and then
there was a tic. Vice President EIo-
bart cast the decisive vote. 1.-THE title
Of Spain being eXtinguished." said Mr..
Bryan, 1--WE We're at liberty to deal
with the Filipinos according to Ameri-
can principles. If the treaty had been
rejected, considerable time would have
necessarily elapsed before a new
treaty could have been agreed upon
and ratified, and during that time the
question would have been agtating
the public mind"
Some Democrats disagreed with Mr..
Bryan in his view of the matter, but
1t never entered their minds that he
wanted imperialism forced upon the
Filipinos with shot and shell in order
to make it the paramount issue this
year. If Mckinley dealt with the Fill.
pinos according to American princi-
ples," as Mr.. Bryan says. Imperialism
would cut no figure in this campaign.
1t is Mckinley, therefore. and not
Bryan. who is 1.-The real father of i'm
perialism," and he cannot shirk the
responsibility.
Robert Ellis Thompson, of Philadel-
phia, who supported Mckinley in 1896,
says that Bryan was right in favoring
the confirmation of the treaty with
Spain, and that it is unbecoming for
imperialists to charge him with insin-
certify. In an article in the Irish World
Professor Thompson says: 'There was
certainly room for opinion as to the
expediency of ratifying the treaty with
Spain. Other avowed enemies of i'm
perialsm besides Mr.. Bryan favored
its ratification. l for one did so, and
l have not changed my mind on that
point. But weeks before the treaty
came to vote in the senate, Mr..