The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-06-29
ANTI-IMPERIALIsTS MEET

York at the Plaza hotel, ON Monday,
preliminary to holding great Anti
Mckinley liberty convention" after
the Democrats have held their con
vention and formally declared
against imperialism.
The gathering was at the Plaza hotel.
That politics makes strange bed
fellows was never more wildly appar
ent than at the Plaza meeting. Men
of national note, who we're foremost
as Gold Democrats in the last cam
paign, were declaring that 1t was bet
ter for the antlimperialists to seek the
election of Bryan than to run any
danger of getting another four years
of Mckinleyism. Others who we're, In
1896, active In the Mckinley Sound
Money League were talking in much
the same way. Singular, too, was the
presence of an active Bryan force IN
the person of Elwoods CorSer, secre,
tary of the Tekler-Towne Silver Re.
publicaps, who propo Sc to call them.
selves in the coming campaign the
Lincoln Republicans" Mr.. Corser,
who is personal friend of Representa-,
tive Towne, tried to swing the anti.
imperialists into line for Bryan today,
and after the session was over he was
of the opinion that he had accom-.
plished his object.
Mark my words" he said, every
man in that room will vote for Bryan.
They will not even ask him to change
in any way his position on free silver.
conservative statementof the money
question in the Democratic platform
They will not ask Mr.. Bryan to de.
part from his original principles or to
do anything that would lessen his
vote in the West.
The anti-imperialists did not adopt
any resolutions favoring candidates.
Carl Schurz was against doing any.
thing of the sort. He was in favor oil
making the fight of anti-imperialists
upon their own platform. Edward
Atkinson took similar position, ex.
cept that he strongly urged that the
fight in the Congressional districts
should not in any event be neglected.
This contest to capture the next Con.
gress is being waged in 20 close dis.
tricts. The anti-imperialists in most
of these districts support the Demo,
cratic candidates, but in few in
stances, where the Republican Repre-,
sentative has declared against imper.
ialism, they favor him.
Another thing of much interest done
by the anti-imperialists was the send.
ing of an invitation to attend the con.
ference to E. G. Benedict, supposed to
be a mouthpiece of President
Cleveland. Mr.. Benedict had an.
nounced himself as political orphan,
but, Judging from the kindly way in
which he answered the invitation, he
is not at all averse to being adopted
by the anti-imperialists. He sent
heartfelt regrets and said that if it
had been possible for him SO to ar
range his engagements he would have
liked to attend the meeting. As the
meeting was notpublic, this and other
letters received by the secretary were
otgiven out.
No Invitation was sent to Mr.. Cleve-
land in person. The secretary, Edwin
Burritt Smith, was asked why the
former President was neglected in
this manner. He said that Mr.. Cieve-
land had,not been active enough in
his anti-imperialism to warrant the
belief that he would have attended
the conference if he had been invited.
Mr.. Cleveland was made vice presi-
dent of the original Anti-imperialist
League organized in Boston, and
probably still holds the office.
GT1NDARn or DFEENEp 1(rIr