The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-07-20
An American.

Bryan campaign four years
~ ago was Hon. Jacob Stern,
formerly surrogate of Erie
county, New York, and at one time the
Democratic nominee for mayor of Buff
falo. His prominence as a representa-
tive citizen of western New York,
whose counsels have weight, especially
among the Americans of German ex-
traction who are said to be inclined
toward Bryan, gives Importance to his
political attitude at the present time.
In the Buffalo Express we find a state
ment by Mr.. Stern which certainly
makes interesting reading. For ex-
ample:
Il suppose" said Judge Stern, II am
what is called an eXpansionist. No
one, who has a spark of patriotism in
him, is or wants to be, an imperiSlist
in its true sense. The outcry against
expansion comes too late. We expand
ed long ago. Mr.. Bryan and the Dem
ocratic senators aided and assisted in
our expansion. They could have pre-
vented the taking of the Philippines
and the payment of $20,000000 for
them. They did neither. Had they
fought then as they talk now, the
chances are that we would not have
expanded across the sea. 1 imagine
they were then afraid of the cars.
There was too much patriotism in the
air to play politics. Since then these
same gentlemen, not all Of them, but
most of them, have done all they could
to keep the Filipino rebellion alive by
their constant fire on the administra.
tion, and l believe with many others
that their conduct has caused the death
of many Of our soldiers and sailors.
Now they talk Of the terrible sacrifice
Of lives in the Philippines. 1t is
enough to disgust the hardest kind of
a Democrat. Better, far better an
other four years of Mckinley than
putting such men into the saddle.
THE general course of the present
Administration in the Spanish-Ameri-
can war and since its close meets with
favor in my heart and conscience,
Until these difficult matters are settled
the remarks of the great Lincoln about
swapping horses in the stream are
very applicable. With the end of the
rebellion to our lawful authority in the
Philippines comes the question of what
is best for all concerned, and then we
ought to do the right thing in a manly
liberty-loving, American fashion. The
making of this subject football in the
political arena is, in my humble opin-
ion, contemplate and outrageous. The
difference between Mr.. Mckinley and
Mr.. Bryan is that the former is cor
servative and the latter radical. The
former gave no indication of dominat-
ing the Republican convention, but Mr..
Bryan, with a boldness unheard of, alb
solutely controlled the Democrats.
When a man ascends so high and be-
comes so powerful and assumes the die
tatorship Of a great party, then it bc-
hooves the people to go slow and think
several times before placing in his hani
the greatest of all powers-the presi-
dency of the United States. Then I
believe, too, that this country is big
enough to maintain an army of 100, 900
soldiers and a correspondingly large
navy. 1t is ridiculous to say that
there is danger to our liberty. There
is mo sense in the cry of militarism.
Ahd the talk of citizen and subject
dogs not appeal to me as it does to
soQe Democrats. Neither does it af-
feet my faith in the continuance OF
the Republic"
Naturally a man holding such opin-
ions could not be expected to support
the Kansas City platform. Judge
stern is an American. He Is for his
codntry and his country's flag. He is
not afraid to uphold that flag wherevet
1t floats. He does not believe the SLAM
ders which are in circulation with ref
erence to 1t, especially the slander tina;
it will mean injustice and oppression
to the law-abiding Filipinos. lie is a
believer In his country, an optimist as
to her institutions and her future, and
his proper place is in the Republican
party.