The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-02
Joined to His Idols.

The various gentlemen the country
over. calling themselves Democrats, in
Guiding the sponsors of the Dewey
movement, David Bennett Hill. Henry
Watterson and those In general to
whom is to and anti-expansion have
become a source of infinite WEAKNESS.
are not to be congratulated on the eff
feet Of their remonstrances upon Mr..
Bryan. He stands on his kopje and
sings them the same old song. He ig-
nores their demonstration in force.
They conceded in advance that they
would support him, though his platform
should declare that all men must be ex-
actly six feet high and that the width
OF the Atlantic ocean must be made
equal to that of the Pacific, by the eff
forts Of the United States without
waiting for the aid or consent of any
other nation" In return they asked
that he would pluck one or two thorns
out of their couch and make their dis
agreeable task as tolerable as possible.
II 1t were possible to admire Mr.. Bryan
politically. one would find joy in the
grim determination with which he holds
a nasty mixture to their lips and tells
them that they must drink every last
drop OF II.
According to the press reports. he has
not varied by syllable his stock speech
for the campaign. He delivered it in
substantially the same language and
without single variation In idea at all
points that he visited on the Pacific
coast He is now rehearsing it in Mich
igan, where he went to see that the
machinery of the state convention ran
smoothly. He said again that we must
have free coinage of silver at IS to 1.
And he told those people as he told ours,
that 5000 American soldiers from the
Philippines would return to "stifle lib
erty" in the United States. He adds
only the Puerto Rico matter to his rep
ertoire, and challenges any one to men
ton a despot upon whom more arbi-
trary powers had been conferred than
those vested in the president for the
government OF that island. We are not
much interested in despots. but we could
refer him to a president who received
just such arbitrary powers In the past.
and exercised them, too. His name Is
Thomas Jefferson, and he received from
congress those tyrannical powers over
the inhabitants of the territory includ-
ed in the Louisiana purchase. without
asking their consent.
1t is as intensely amusing to see this
champion OF popular rights running
about the country and setting up the
pins for his renominatio as 1t is In the
smaller field to see the Peoples" party
managed entirely by few individuals
and committees, in supreme contempt of
the people themselves and what they
may think or wish. Fancy the uniyer-
sal howl. the wealth OF execration that
would greet President Mckinley IL he
were TO attend conventions In the sew
eral states to make sure that he had
everything solid. But Mr.. Bryan is tax
ing no chances. He certainly deserves
credit for his extraordinary success in
making a profitable occupation OF crush
ing all opposition to his machine with
one hand while with the other he ad-
ministers to the few Gold Democrats
who would like some trifiing concession
allopathic doses OF the medicine which
they most loathe. Democrats may like
or dislike Mr.. Bryan. they may resist or
kneel before him. but they need not ex-
peet from him any intimation that he
Is not possessed OF all wisdom. In the
whole history OF American politics no