The true northerner., 1900-07-11
An Independent View.

Inc Detroit FREE freSS, an lnuepeH-
dent newspaper, has ideas of its own and
is not afraid to express them. Four
years ago, the Free Press left the de-
mocracy because it could not swallow
populism and fiatism and Bryanism. 1t
has been ready to go back to its party
when the heresies of 90 were abandoned,
and it had hoped to see them abandoned
this year The Free Press is not at all
mealy-mouthed in its handling of the
Kansas City convention.
Editorially the Free Press says:
"It is useless for any one, however
deeply he may feel upon the subject, to
rail at the almost incredible want of gen
eralship displayed by the lightweight
politicians in charge at Kansas City.
Being out OF power, the party represent
ed there was In a position 20 condemn
everything Objectionable and blame 1t
upon the administration"
There was a poisonous vitiation by the
enforced introduction of the l6-to-l plank.
The majority of the delegates represent
ing the states that determine who shall
be president, were Ia opposition To the
dictator. An impotent minority at cleo
tions forced disaster upon. the party"
"But free silver and the arbitrary ratio
were relegated to the rear No more pal
pable confession of weakness could be
conceived. If the main issue of so is one
that has to be sneaked into the campaign,
it were far better dead and buried. The
purpose Is plain enough, but 1t Is the far
thest remove from justification, even un-
der the test of policy. 1t Is true that
free silver may be preached where free
silver is popular and that 1T may be pass
ed without notice where 1t Is condemned,
but this short-sighted dealing with the
situation overlooks its most important
factor.
1.-The most powerful weapon possible
has been placed in the hands of the re
publicans. They will make vital ques-
tion of the issue that the Kansas City con-
vention was honestly opposed to introduc-
ing into the contest and they will en-
counter more favorable conditions than
they did four years ago when they won
SO handsomely
"They are In position to prove with
out much trouble that the 16-to-l propo-
sition is bad in itself and that it is with
out legitimate sanction of the majority
of those who stood for it originally. They
have the conclusive evidence that the
democrats do not want it, and thus forti
fed they leave the opposition without any
standing in court"
THE people prospered from the time
that free silver was defeated. Capital
sought investment, labor found employ
g. l.. 4
trial production was stimulated and there
was an abundance of money with which
TO caHy on vastly expanded volume of
business. Under such circumstances it
would have been a paradox in logic and
reason for the voters of the country to
have been attracted to the support of an
issue.they had already repudiated under
circumstances most favorable TO its
adoption"
actual political idiocy could not have
gone farther The vast majority of the
democrats represented in Kansas City
did not want the l6 to-l dose crammed
down their throats, yet Bryan, flamboy-
ant champion of government by the
people, did the trick. Now we have the
spectacle of party going before the peo-
pie and asking their support of some
thing to which ii is opposed, and all at
the dictatlon OF man who assumed alb
solutism while gnashing his teeth and
hurling anathemas at Imperialism"
This view OF the situation is not from
republican standpoint, but from an in
dependent one, and the words are from
paper that has long loved and served the
democracy. The campaign now looks
like an easy victory for Mckinley and
Roosevelt.
The only thing for self-respecting dem
ocrats who are opposed to free silver to
-. r. M.Ix.-l-- N