Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-05-20
A NEEDLESS POLITICAL WORRY.

What course will the National Dem
ocratic Convention follow with regard
to the planform and nominees of the
Populist party as determined by the
Sioux Falls Convention? Will the Kan
sas City gathering be measurably influ-
enced in the formulation of its platform
by a desire to propitiate' the Poulsts?
VIII 1t go to the length of accepting Hon.
Charles A. Towne as its Vice-Presiden-
tial candidate? These are some of the
questions that are propounded by Hon.
John r. Mclean through the medium
OF his newspaper Cincinnati Enquirer),
and they have been re-echoed with more
or less of uneasiness and resentment by
Democrats elsewhere. with more of
both, indeed. than seems to be necessi-
tated as yet.
AS a body Of sovereign American cit
liens the Populist convention was enti-
tied to concoct any platform that
pleased 1t. and to name thereon whom
soever 1t chose to name as its standard
bearer. Had that convention thought
it worth while to declare for the bot
Ting of moonlight and to nominate the
Arloband OF Swat, or the Sultan OF oil
the Sulus, there would have been no.
body to say 1t nay or to estop it from
the exercise OF that undoubted privil-
eye. In such case. however. there is no
reason to apprehend that the Democ-
racy would have accepted the one or the
other. 1t is not running the Populist
party or debating it's nominees. The
the Presidency the logical Democratic
candidate. That action will neither aid
nor prejudice him with the Democrats.
1t chose to put in It's platform some
sound principles of Democracy. The
Democratic convention will not, on
that account, reject those principles. It
named Hon. Charles a. Towne for the
Vice-Presidency. There is no ground
for the assumption that this will lnnu-
ence Democrats to do the same.
In short. the Democratic convention
which meets at Kansas City will formu-
late its own platform. and will make
its own nominees. without reference to
what may or may not have been done
by the Poulists at Sioux Falls. The fact
ulist platform should not deter the
Democrats from putting it in their plat
form Also If 1t shall seem to them good.
Populist sanction cannot vitiate any
tenet OF Democracy. If the Sioux Falls
convention had declared for Mckinley.
the gold standard and imperialism the
Philadelphia convention would have de-
clnred for them none tho lose on tha
account. 1t chose to declare for Mr..
Bryan, against imperialism and against
the gold standard. This priority of dec
laration need not worry Democrats.
There is no reason to assume that the
Democratic convention will take either
an obseqious or a truculent attitude
toward the Populists. If the million
and half of Populists wish to vote
for the Democratic nominees they
should be made most welcome. Ger
tainly. If any OF them evlnce n desire
to vote for Mr.. Mckinley they will not
only be permitted to do so, but mcH maid
IoF TIL they want pay. Why, then,
should anybody worry about the Popu
lists? The Democratic convention will
doubtless do as its predecessors have
done-formulate its platform and name
It's candidates and appeal TO men of all
parties to support them. The indica
tons are that 1t will neither affront the
Populists nor cater to the coterie of
snobs who would be pleased to see II
offer such affront.