The sun., 1900-09-20
The Ground Cleared d for Action.

Simply as a political manpuvre It seemed
to BRYAN a clever trick to start a scare Of
imperialism" In the view of superficial
politicians IL was trick which seemed to
be full of promise two months ago.
In order to hold his Populist and silver
Republican allies and 10 preserve his sole
distinction 1t was necessary for BRYAN
10 dictate the l6-to-l issue, but by putting
Imperialism first in the Kansas City
platform and clubbing It the paramount
issue Of the campaign he expected that
the scare would serve the purpose Of draw
ing TO him support from confused advocates
Of the gold standard. his natural enemies.
To his diagnosis OF the political condition
there seemed great potency in this. more
especially in States which had gone against
him so overwhelmingly In 1898, the New
England States, for example He had
listened TO the shrieks Of the Boston band
Of anti-imperialists and had taken them
as indications Of a peryasive terror among
the American people so dstracting that
they would forget 10 sustain the gold stand
ard and think only Of the awful danger
70 their liberties Of a policy Of territorial
PNDHUSlOll NIl'U lldl DtfIl HhISuf'l lIOHl
the very beginning Of the Republic against
an opposition which had always brought
disaster TO the political party making il.
He thought 10 stir il into a roar which
would hail him as the hero Of the hour
When these anti-imperialists held
their little convention at Indianapolis
their share in contributing the para
mount issue Of imperialism 10 the
Kansas City platform was made mani
fest. The movement turned out 10 be
a Bryan side show. in which by owl
IDENTITY preconcerted arrangement Bryanites.
turned into anti-impcrialists for the
purpose, we're in the majority: and Of
course. his candidacy was sustained by il.
Thus the plan Of BRYAN seemed 10 be
working most propitiously. He had be-
come both the hero Of anti-imperialism
and the hero of l6 to /. The first setback
came when few OF the little crowd held
aloof and insisted on running "anti-im-
perialism on their own hook At least
a score Of young and old political philos-
ophers are really frightened and genuinely
believe that unless they are put at the helm
Of the Republic TO change its course II is
sure TO go to pieces on the rocks Of " i'm
peralism.- They are not humbugs, but
only mnatics. Accordingly the score COL
leCted in a chamber in New York and nut
up a distnctivey anti-imperialistic
ticket and constructed platform Of which
ant-imperialism is unquestionably the
paramount issue" IF the people get
terrified about Imperialism theirs is tho
only simon-pure anti-imperialistc ticket
10 vote for on the 6th Of November.
When BRYAN made his speech at Indian
apolis accepting the Kansas City nomina-
tion. however. he essayed 10 take 70 him
self the monopoly Of the paramount
issue 10y referring to nothing else He
rang the changes on the Declaration Of
Independence and the consent of the
governed and the awful peril OF I'm
periaism until nothing more terrible
remained for the Carnegie Hall score 10
say. He put upon IL all the emphasis il
would bear, and the smon-pure anti
imperalistic" movement has since ceased 10
move Afterward BRYAN went 10 Topeka
TO accept the distinctively Popuist nomina-
tion and free silver being the issue para
mount there. upon it he crowded the en-
phasis. He had hitched anti-imperial-
ism Ia le 10 / 50 deXterously that he felt
sure that the team would carry him 20 the
White House along The roughest road
Then came the ermont and Maine cleo