The Irish standard., 1900-11-24
THE CAUSE OF BRYAN's DEFEAT.

The Irish Standard has already ex-
pressed it's views regarding the defeat
of William J. Bryan for the preslden-
cy. To-day it will give the views of
Its esteemed Democratic contempor-
airy. the Boston Pilot, as follows:
What was it that caused the Demo-
cratic party to suffer this year Il more
overwhelming defeat than it received
In 1896, mt the hands of an opponent
handicapped this time by n policy of
foreign conquest odious to all right
thinking Americans? The admlnistra-
ton did not win the victory because of
any ability displayed or popularity en-
joyed by its candidate. Prosperity I'M
doubtedly had much to do with it. es-
peclally among the unthinking, who
did not stop to reckon the per contra
side Of the account, the important fact
that the country is spending half a
million dollars day in trying to sub
jugate some islands in the far East
whose whole trade, even We're it ours,
does not amount to 1.-THE of that sum,
and never will. But prosperity" as
delicately Indicated by the campaign
cry of a full dinner-pail, was Il popular
and Il winning watchword.
1t needed only the reinforcement of
warning against free silver to make
1t the countcrsign of success. Why
the free silver question was revived ut
this late day, Mr.. Bryan and his
friends best know. That it's revival
was fatal mistake nobody now can
doubt. The decision Of the voters four
years ago ought to have sufficed to
relegate 1t to the place of dead issues.
Had it been based upon the soundest
of economic principles, it's success was
impossible so long as the great bulk
of the people failed to understand or.
understanding, to approve of it. Wise
statesmen do not go into Il contest
over an issue which does not appeal
to their party Mt large. whatever it's
intrinsic merits may be; and no de-
mand of patriotism called for the as
| sumption of such great risks in de-
fence OF purely economic question.
If a high moral issue were at stake.
1t would he the duty of II true states
man to support it at any hazard; but
| it would be absurd to claim that any
| principle was involved sufficiently
lofty to warrant the risking of every,
! thing for an arbitrary ratio of six.
teen to one"-as if the very numerals
were invested with some special sane
! tity which would be violated by the
substitution of fifteen. or seventeen
or any other number. The wayfarins
man, who should be borne in mind if
only because he is the voter, is not
sufficiently educated in the nicetics OF
finance to know whether or not the
number sixteen possesses any mystic
virtue so that it could have suffered
no change in all the fluctuations OF
every other value during the last -four
years. He knows that other ratios
have varied and he does not know
why silver alone should have been ex
empt; and, frankly. no more do We
know.
Anyhow. as the event proves. the
| game was not worth the candle. for
even the supposed free silver states
have failed to rally to its support to
any extent, and the rest of the country
has spoken Enthusiastically against it.
The Republicans had the advantage,
nowadays so important in every cam
paign. political or military. of we'll
equipped war chest. 1t was not the
full dinner-pail so much as the full
wallet. that largely decided the battle