Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-08-23
URGES BRYAN's ELECTION.
w. B0urke Says It MouId
serve as a Cheek to Im-
perfalism.

Indianapolis, Ind, lug. 15.-The fol-
lowing letter was sent by w. Bourke
Cochran to Edwin Burritt Smith in
response to an invitation to attend
and address an anti-imperialist ON
gress here:
New York. Aug. Any Dear Sir: I re-
gret very much that owing TO business en-
gagements here l will be unablet to attend
the liberty convention at indianapolis on
the 18th. The attitude of antf-imperialists
to imperialism cannot be open to doubt.
and therefore I assume the object OF the
convention Is not to express opposition. but
TO devise q method OF making that oppost-
ton effective.
The issue of Imperialism having been
sQuarely raised between the two great
parties. IL must be plain that the only way
in which a citizen can exercise any direct
influence upon the result is by voting Tor
the republican candidate who supports II
or the democratic candidate who opposes IT.
Nothing can be accomplished by the
nomination of a third candidate that can
not be accomplished equally BY abstention
from the polls, except that the citizen VINO
remains at home on election day passes
unnCticed, while he who votes q third ticket
attracts attention. The difference between
a silent and a vociferous refusal to exercise
the suffrage is not worth discussion. since
a~bstention from civic duty Ia never conn
mendable.
when the republic is in danger the only
place for the patriot is in the ranks or the
active defenders. Absence from the field
of contest or shooting in the air can never
be justified.
1T cannot be, denied that while anti-im-
perialists unanimously approve Mr.. Bryan's
position on Imperialism many of them hesf-
tate to vote for his election to the prest-
dency because they regard his views upon
other questions with distrust and appre-
hension.
we cannot hope to deal i~ntelligently
with the issues of this campaign unless we
1berate ourselves from the domination or
the questions, discussions and passions OF
the last campaign. Within four years po-
Htical conditions have changed decisively,
and as conditions change issues change
with them. The question which the people
must decide now is radically different from
that submitted to them in 1896.
Then the election of Mr.. Bryan would
have placed the democratic party in COM
plete control of the legislative as well as or
the executive branch of the government.
with full power to enact all its beliefs into
laws, while now his election viii result not
in placing the control of the government
in the hands of the democratic party, but
In dividing its control between the two
parties. Whatever may be the result or
this election, the senate will remain repub-
lican for two years certainly and probably
for four.
Even If the people raised Mr.. Bryan to
the presidency in November the demo-
cratic party cannot possibly achieve any
power of legislation during the existence
of the next congress-. and without legis-
latfve sanction no change in the standard or
value, no reorganization of the supreme
court. no modification whatever of our
financial. Industrial or political systems
could be accomplished.
There Is one issue which the popular
verdict will settle irrevocably, and that Is
the issue of Imperialism. If the republican
party be successful it's control of the ju-
dicial as well as of the executive and legis-
lative departments of the government viii
be absolute, and its disposition to exercise
all its power for the enforcement of an i'm
perialistic policy cannot be doubted. At
the end of four years Imperialism will be SO
firmly imbedded in our political life that 1t
can never be expelled.
Mr.. Bryan's election of itself would put
a Qufetus on the imperialistic adventure.
Imperialism rebuked at the polls and
shown to be improbable would not have q
single supporter in the ountr Within q
month of election. Senator Hoar could re-
duce his noble conceptions OF freedom and
duty to definite proposals OF pacification
which both parties would accept. TIL
country having pronounced for justice. poll
iticians of every shape and description will
be eager to do justice. and where the desire
for justice is sincere the way to justice Ia
soon discovered.
'since the election of Mr.. Bryan is GER.
tain to deliver the country from the immi-.
nent peril of imperialism, can the liberty
convention hesitate to support him because
of impalpable danger arising from his opin-
ions on subjects with which as president
he cannot possibly deal2
IT confess 1t is hard to understand the
attitude of those gentlemen who would
have supported him If the convention had
been silent or evasive on the free coinage of
silver, but who hesitate to support him on a
platform which excludes that question
from the serious discussions of the contest
by RELOCATING Ii to a subordinate position.
The democratic platform declares tina
Imperialism is the paramount issue of the
campaign and Mr.. Bryan's speech at In
~dianapolis accepts his conception of the
issue, emphasizes it and vindicates it. But
a declaration that imperialism il a para
mount issue is equivalent to a declaration
that 1T is the sole issue, for no presidential
election ever decided more than one ques-
ton. In my Judgment the platform actual
ly adopted by the democratic convention
should be much more satisfactory to sound
money men than any OF the substitutes
suggested by older and more conservative
managers.
Since nobod pretends that Mr.. Bryau's
opinions on the questions raised by the Chi
cage platform of 1886 have been changed.
his refusal to disguise them in any way
was highly creditable to his honesty, and
honesty is the first essential of patriotic
presidential service.
Mr. organs conversion to a belief In
sound money would In my opinion be a rea-
son for national rejoicing, but any ADAM
onmen or abasement of the f~rankness and
sincerity which have always ;stinguished
him would be little short of a national cal
amity. We need not accept Mr.. Bryan as
an infallfble or even as a sound authority
on economics to acknowledge tina his in
tegrity, his t~rEthfulness and absolute sim
certify have been among the most salutary
influences Of this generation on our poit-
ical life.
1T is certain that this country IN indebt-
ed to him for the gold standard law which.
though 1t has the defects OF its party origin,
In the best contribution to our national
stability since the resumption of specie
payments. If the democratic platform of
1886 had been avasive, as unquestionably IL
would have been If the sc-called conserva-
tives had controlled the convention. can
anybody doubt that the republicans would
have met evasion with evasion and that the
financial issue would be still unsettled,
hanging like a sinister shadow over our
Industrial system7
NJ Bryan's frank, sincere and une-
Quivoeal advocacy of the free coinage OF
silver forced the republican party reluc-
family to declare in favor OF the gold stand
ard. The result was not that which Mr..
Bryan sought: none the less it was pro-
duced by him. Because he was sincerely
wrong he forced the republican politicians
to become insincereIy right.
ITO this sincerity of Mr.. Bryan the coun-
try is Indebted for the opportunity TO pass
sQuareiy and decisively upon the issue OF
Imperialism If the republic is to be over
thrown the assault must now be made in
the ope light Of day. 1t Is no longer pos
sible to strange 1t under cover OF misIead-
ing and hypocritical phrases.
In this open fight for liberty surely
every anti-imperialist should be ready to
bear his part. Hesitation to avail ourselves
OF the leadership under which alone oppo-
sition to imperialism can be made effective
HiafrTfrf Of the leaders views on