The Lamar register., 1900-11-14
Tho journal and the Platform.


The New York journal is the lead
ing democratic paper of the country,
and its editor, w. r. Hearst, is the
president of the national association
Of democratic clubs. Its editorial on
the result of the election is ample
proof the claim we have constantly
made that the democrats were not
sincere either in their advocacy OF
free silver or opposition to retaining
the Philippines. The main issnes are
handled as follows in the Journal
editorial:
civilian Mckinley has been re-.
elected in most decisive fashion. His
popular majority is much less than
in 1896, but his electoral majority is
enormous. Through the haze of this
defeat the democracy can see the vic
tory that might have been. Beyond
doubt Mr.. Bryan would have been
triumphantly elected bnt for two
things. The first was the intrusion of
the silver issue. Free silver was dead
and SO unpopular that even its corpse
was enough to drag any man down
to defeat. The second was the policy
OF cutting loose entirely from the
Philippines. That was ot in accord
with the spirit OF the American people.
1.-THE people have evidently made
uD their minds to dispose Of free sill
yer once for all. The effort was su.
perfuous, for free silver had ceased
to exist as policy four years ago,
but the voters were determined not
to have the remains lying around any
longer. The democratic party has
paid by two defeats for the adoption
Of an unpopular and discredited issue.
Free silver was defensible in 1896.
although even then its advocates had
an uphill fight. But everything that
has happened in the past four years
has helped to bury it deeper in the
graveyard of obsolete issues. Russia,
Japan and half dozen minor nations
h ave become gold standard countries
Even in South America silver is stead
lily losing ground, and Mexico is al
most the only important friend it
has left. A flood of new gold has
filled the monetary channels of the
world. Every argument the silver
advocates advancedin in 1S96-scarcity
OF money, appreciating currency,
business stringency-has ceased to
have any application to present con.
ditiops. Prices have been rising in
stead of falling. The trusts have
been practically reducing the wages
Of the entire laboring population by
making the dollar buy less. This is
the most effective argument advanced
by the democracy for winning labor
votes, and it is under such conditions
that the democratic party has been
put in the ridulous and odious posi-
tion of trying to make the dollar buy
less still.
"As to the Philippines, the Journal
was the first paper to advocate their
retention, but it never believed in at
tempting to hold their affections with
shotgun, as Mckinley is doing.
That policy is as repugnant to the
American people as it is to the Jour
nal, but the people clearly thought
that as between two methods of deal
ing with the islands, neither Of which
they approved, they would take the
one that could be amended rather
than one thai would be irrevocable.
American public opinion believes in
the retention of the Philippines, and
in the extension to that country of a
truly American form of government,
under which the Filipinos wonld have
no provocation to revolt. 1t believes
that free silver was dead in 1896 and
is ten times deader in 1900 That
is one issne, at least, that will not be
heard of again in the immediate fu
ture
Beyond doubt great deal of
money has been used in this election,
and yet we are not inclined to believe
that any state has actually been
bought. The result may be accepted
as the will of the people on the par
ticular issues that the people chose
to consider entitled to precedence "