The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-27
POLITICAL NOTES AND GOSSIP.
Farewell, G6id pemocrats.-Thed de

Fare"ei, DuAd Democrats.-The de-
termination, officially expressed, Of the
Gold Democrats not to put ticket in the
field this year is generally accepted as
meaning the disspTa arancc of that party
as an independent affair and its absoIn-
ton by the Republican organization. The
matter is regarded important only as .he
action at indianapolis Wednesday tends
to clarity the political atmosphere and
minimize the causes Of confusion in the
popular mind. 1t will, perhaps, never be
determined with any degree of accuracy
just how many gold monometallists were
at any time or are now in the Democratic
party. In the election of 1896 Palmer and
Buckner, the Gold Democratic candidates,
poiled 1873, 900 votes, or less than l per cent
OF the total vote of the country, and
failed to so consolidate their vote as 10
carry a single precinct out of the many
thousands of these political divisions. 1t
has been contended with a good show of
reason that the Palmer and Buckner vote
was only fraction of the vote which was
diverted from Mr.. Bryan four years ago
by the third party movement. OTganiZa-
ton Democrats are divided in opinion as
to the soundness of this view. though, OF
course. the majority of them concede that
it is in the main correct. For the most
part 1t is believed that the great mass OF
voters who quit the Democratic party in
the last campaign and went over directly
to the Republicans will this year again
vote for Mr.. Mckinley. This takes &C
count OF the knowledge that hundreds Of
thcm-maybe thousands-are very much
dissatisfied with the Mckinley Admins
tration, and will come back to the Democ
racy in November on the issues OF impe-
rialism and the trusts, reconciling their
action to the firm conviction that for years
at least the monetary question will be
removed from politics. These voters, 1t
is believed. would have cast their ballots
against Mr.. Bryan in 1896 even If there
had been no organized party revolt. They
constitute a large part OF that dreaded
ming called the silent vote by the poll
ticians. In this they differ from the great
mass of the goo men who voted Tor
Palmer and Buckner. The mass OF these
cannot be classified with the silent vote,
and therein lies their annoyance to the
regular Democratic organization Their
leaders are continually breaking into print
with the boastful claim that they are
Democrats, and that they cannot support
the party. They shout this from the hust-
ings whenever they are favored with an
audience, and scream il from the street
corners and in the market places. with
the DISARMAMENT of their organization they
are left without distinct political entity,
and will be swallowed up in name as well
as in fact by the Republican organization.
This renders them comparatively harmless,
because without even pretence to the old
name they cannot confuse the public mind
or deceive unthnking and poorly informed
people. In other words. the Gold Demo
crat'' as i harassing factor in national
politics has passed out of existence. From
now on il he votes with the Republicans
on the currency issue he belongs 20 the
Republican party, and If he votes with
the Democrats on the issues of imperial
ism and trusts he belongs TO the Demo-
cratic party. He has no party of his OWN