Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1900-09-06
The Paramount Issue.

If, as Bryan and his platform aver,
the retention OF the Philippines is the
paramount issue in this campaign,
what makes it so? Not the mere die
ltum Of the Democratic oracle, OF
course, but the opinion of the people
of this country. All that Bryan might
say about any issue would not suffice to
raise that question to place OF prime
Importance If the issue did not actually
rank there in the estimation OF the
people That is clear enough.
But let us concede, for a moment,
that the question Of expansion or i'm
perialism, is, as the Kansas City plat
form says, the paramount one. Let Us
see where logic will then lead us. If
expansion is the chief issue, all others
must be secondary and subordinate to
it. Under the head OF secondary is
sues, must therefore go such ones as
free silver, the tariff. trusts. income
tax and others that are recognized in
the Democratic platform. The reten-
ton Of the Philippines-for this is the
only case. OF alleged Imperialism in
points placed far in advance of all
these other issues by our Democratic
friends. Four years ago they held
that the necessity Of free silver was so
urgent that unless we speedily adopted
it widespread ruin would ensue. Bry-
ans speeches of that period were filled
with the direst predictions of woe if
the gold standard were continued.
He rode madly over the country talk
ing himself hoarse over the prospect.
In those days there was no doubt about
what was the paramount issue and it
didn't have to be labelled to be reeog-
nized. 1t was free silver.
Now what we are getting at is this
If silver were so all-important four
years ago, how does it happen to be
relegated to second place nowo It is
that silver could have
retained its Importance and that ex-
pansion could have crowded ahead to |
the extent OF practically obscuring it.
Nobody claims that. Under ordinary
it is apparent that ques-
ion like the stability of the money
interesting and involving
everybody so deeply, must take precs-
lence TO an issue like the retention of
Stands thousands of miles away, which
ew of us will ever see or scarcely
hink about. What would the dispos-
i of these islands amount to, to the
Iyerage voter, compared with the buy
NC value of the dollar that purchases
lis daily bread The islands might
ink into the sea and it would not cause
! great sensation among the people Of
his country. If this issue is the para
Mount one. the others must be OF very
title importance. If the worst accusa-
ion that can be brought against Nc
linley's administration is the reten-
ion Of these islands, things cannot be
cry badly of under his rule
The truth is that tour years of Nc
,inley prosperity has knocked free
liver into a cooked hat. 1t is no good
5 an issue. A new one had to be dug
p and put to the front and expansion
) it. just as long as the Republican
arty is able to compel its adversary
} abandon issue after issue, as it has
one, first with free trade and then
18th free silver, just so long will it
ave logic on its side. To be sure, I
he people are not always amenable to !
,gic, but it is not 4 poor weapon. !
o Judge from the past, if Mckinley !
reelected, four years hence will q
nd imperialism as dead an issue as +
liver now is, and eight years hence l
will be as deeply buried as free l
ade. 1t will be settled. and settled !
Chilly, as so many other questions \
ave been, by the Republican party, '
it gets the opportunity.