Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-08-23
be Improbable, would not have 81
pporter in the country. Within m
election Senator Hoar could reduce
BILE conceptions of freedom and dut
finite proposals of pacifcation W
tn parties would accept. The cou
wing pronounced for justice, polite
every shape and description viii be {
do justice, and when the desire
itice is sincere the way to justice is
THE PARAMOUNT ISSUE.
Since the election of Mr.. Bryan is
II to deliver the country from the il
Mt peril of Imperialism, can the Lii
INVENTION hesitate to support him Der
impalpable danger arising from
inions on subjects with which, as P
ut, he cannot possibly deal? / conf,
hard to understand the attitude of /
ltlemen who would have supported
the Convention had been silent or evi
the free coinage of silver, but who
e to support him on a platform W
;ludes that question from the sci
cussiOns of the contest by relegatiT
a subordinate position. The Democ
ltform declares that imperialism is
issue of the campaign. and
vans speech at indianapolis accepts
lception of the issue, emphasizes it
dictates it. But a declaration that
'ialism is a paramount issue is equiv
a declaration that it is the sole issue
Presidential election ever decided
IN one question. In my judgment
Itform actually adopted by the D,
tic Convention should be much j
isfactOTV IN eound money mon tba,,

MR.. BRYAN's SINCERITY
Mr.. Bryan's conversation to a belief in
sound money would. in my opinion, be
reason for national rejoicing, but any
abandonment or abasement of the frank
ness and sincerity which have always dis
tinguished him would be little short OF
national calamity. We need not accept
Mr.. Bryan as infallible, or even as a sound
authority on economies, to acknowledge
that his integrity, his truthfulness and
absolute sincerity have been among the
most salutary influences of this generation
on our political life 1t is certain that this
country is indebted to him for the Gold
Standard law, which though it has the
defects Of its party origin, is the best con-
trlbution to our national stability since the
resumption of specie payments If the
Democratic platform of 1896 had been
eyasiye, as unquestionably it would have
been II the so-called conservatives 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 system? Mr. Bryan's frank
sincere and unequivOcal advocacy of the
free coinage of silver forced the ReDub-
lican party reluctantly to declare in favor OF
the gold standard. The result was not that
which Mr. Bryan sought; none the less It
was produced by him. Because he was
sincerely wrong, he forced the Republican
politicians to become insincerely right.
WHAT TIKI COUNTRY OWES TO BRYAN.
To this sincerity OF Mr. Bryan the coun-
try IL indebted for the opportunity to pass
sqaurely and decisiyely upon the issue of
imperialism If the Republic is to he
overthrow, the assault must now be made
in the open light of day It is no longer
possible to strangle it under cover of mis-
leading 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 leader
ship under which alone opposition to
Imperialism can be made effective through
distrust of the leaders, views on economic
questions not now in Issue, would be as
senseless as hesitation to employ surgeon
on whose skill depend the sole prospect Of
life, through dislike Of his religious be-
Iiefs.
IT can hardly be necessary to say that we
who four years ago sacrificed our political
prospects and personal associations rather
than lend even passive support or silence
to declarations which we believed to be
subyersive Of order viii pursrs the same
course again If these questions should ever
recur