The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-16
SHEPARD OUT FOR BRYAN.
Gives Reasons Why He VIII support
the NeEraskan.

NEW YORK. Aug. I5.-Bdward NJ. shep-
| ard. who has been mentioned as a candi-
date for Governor. has issued statement
avowing his support of Bryan. In his
statement he says he will take no Office Ii
is. in part, as follows:
| Il shall vote for MIR. Bryan / shall Ok
! what | can TO elect him. Nothing could be
more Inconsistent on my part than re
| fuaal to cooperate with the Democratic
| party at this election. | have hitherto
believed, and / now believe. in its tradi-
| tional doctrines: and | have faith in its
| capacity for future usefulness. From the
| fall Of 1898, when the Paris Treaty first
| presented the new issue of imperialism
| | have steadfastiy, in season and gu. 81
| season. and much OF the time in a seem
! ingly small majority, declared that issue
| TO be paramount in the American polite:
| OF our time. was then glad, for the sake
| of the issue. to resume my relations with
| the Democratic organization which | had
| from the time of its opposition to Grover
| Cleveland's nomination in 1892. found rea-
! son (Which. whether right or wrong,
| then believed and now believe to have
| been good to criticise in local, State, and
| national campaigns.
Since September, 1898 have urged the
Democratic party, oYerruling its own i'm
| perialistic minority. TO plant itself square
| ly and aggFessively upon this az its 81
dominant issue. The 16 to 1 fallacy had
net two years ago as now, ceased to be a
| practical danger; President Mckinley and
many besides him of the original free sill
yer Republicans were stiR coquetting with
It, | then said and | have since re-
peatedly said, that, If l were compelled
to choose between the new and un-Ameri-
can policy of foreign aggression on the one
side and on the other. the enactment Of
free silver bill. l should instantly choose
the latter.
I'm 1896 felt bound. in spite of my alb
horrence of the i.i&h protective policy of
the Republican party. to assent to its con-
tinuance and extension rather than risk
the then practical and immediate danger
OF free silver coinage. | voted then, and
I shall no less vote now, upon the issue
which is paramount present. and practi-
cal. and not upon one which is neither
paramount. present. nor practical.
clearly see how many others should differ
from me.
They consider our war for Philippine
conquest. and the proposal to hold brown
and yellow men in the tropics and the
Orient as subject races outside of our con-
stitutional safeguards to be a mere in
cident of foreign policy, to involve no in
furious violation of American principle
or menace to the moral and material
prosperity of our country. They consider
Imperialism a fanciful not a real danger.
OF course they differ from anti-imperial-
lists. for they cannot understand their point
of view But / cannot understand how
anyone who shares Senator Hoar's opinion
more strongly stated than / should state
it-that the issue presented by the Presi-
dents war of subiugation in the Philip
.barx rx~ffh
which our country has had to do since the
landing Of the Pilgrims. can fail to vote
with regard to that question alone. In
order to save the Union and to give lib
erty to negro slaves our country in 1862
adopted paper currency, for many years
irTedeemab!e in any coin, with many and
ever recurring dangers, and therefore
worse than silver coinage on 80 per cent
basis. The price paid for union and lib
erty may have been unnecessary; but who
pretends that the price was too high.
IF Mr.. Bryan had then been the Presi-
Dental candidate representing those
causes. and If he had been ten times fur
sher away from the ideal of sober, con-
structiye. prudent craftsmanship than so
many now believe him to be, wise and pa
triotic men would nevertheless have sup
ported him Their good sense would have
led them to deal with the present and
paramount question. So surely the course
is clear for those OF us who would. IL
compelled to choose, have chosen free sill
yer with its evils, moral and material,
when it was a practical danger, as an evil
vastly less than the imperialistic folly, and
who believe that no administrative act of
Mr. Bryan in the Presidency can involvs
danger of any real moment compared with
that to our national morality and the very
life of American Democracy involved in
the continuance Of the Mckinley policy IN
the Philippines and its enormous extension
now threatened in China. l shall certainly
not stultify myself by divergence from this
clear, straight course