The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-06-09

than he was last election, it is mot be-
cause he has won the confidence of any
substantial number of voters, who
doubted and opposed him four years
ago, but because the events of the FOUR
years, the events of war and expansion,
and the conduct of Mr. Mckinley and
his associates in power, have made Nc
kinley weaker Mr.. Bryan can over
come the advantage which he may en-
joy by shouting so loud in behalf of
silver as to convince the men whom
he must win over to his side that he is
utterly lmpract1cable and irreSpOnSi-
ble that he is a one-ideaed fanatic, or
a rude, ignorant and disingenuOus
demagogue, who is not fit to be trusted
with the power of government.
THE REMAINDER OF THE CHI
CAGO PLATFORM.
There We're a good many things in
the Chicago platform besides the money
and the trust questions. It is thefashion
of the trainers of that platform to as
sert that it is the latest and neblest
expression of Democracy. Many of
them know better The credit of it's
authorship has been claimed by a num-
Der of incOnsiderable persons. and there
is general belief founded on his pres
ent masterShip, that Mr.. Bryan dictated
1t all This is so far from being the
truth that it is pretty well understood
that he did not like some of the plankS
1t is a collection of incongruOus and
selt-contrad1ctory propositions, evil
IDENTIFY the work of men who had no
settled fundamental principle, but who
were hunting for the votes of the ig
nOrant and the Disconnected.
The assertion, for example, of the
belief that the supreme court should be
packed to secure decisions upholding
the legislation of congress for an in
come tax, or for any other law which
possible POpuliSt majority might en-
act. is a proposition which would have
defeated the ticket if the silver issue
had not. An attempt has been made to
explain away this plan, and show that
the convention intended to declare that
it was Mr.. Bryan'S purpose to APP
point judges of his own way of think
ing when he had vacancies to fill, as
all presidents have done But this will
not do. The plank meant much more.
The political branch of the government
may control the judiciary. Not only
does the president appoint judges, but
congress may change the number of
! judges. 1t may add enough judges to
the supreme court to revolutionize it.
1t may withdraw questions from the
jurisdiction of the courts, for most of
| their Jurisdiction is prescribed in the
| judiciary acts of 1895 and the amend
Inents. 1t cannot deprive the court of
the right to decide on the constitution
| ality of a statute, it is true; but, con-
| spring with the president, it may, by
/ the addition of judges, make the Opin-
! ions of the court conform to those Of
| the legislature If the Chicago plat
/ form is to be reafHrmed in its entirety,
! the Democratic party will invite the op-
/ position of all who believe that such
Interference of the political with the
! judicial power would be dangerous
| menace to our institutions.
/ There will probably be little discus
sion Of these issues il the campaign.
! There is a good deal of sentiment in
| favor of an income tax, but the Su-
| preme court has decided that such a
| law as that passed in 1894 is uncon-
| stitutional. An income tax law might
/ possibly stand the test Of another ap-
! peal to the court, but the movement
! for such an impost is now directed to
/ securing an amendment to the conSt1-
! tuition, which is practically impossible
| in the present state of public opinion.
! Whatever may eventually result, the
| movement is now merely agitation; and
the same is true of the discussion OF the
state ownership e. railroads.
THE CUBAN SCANDAL.
There are always some voters who
! are evading the main issues, and some
also are more likely to respond to moral
appeals than to true political consid-
erati0ns. There are great many
voters who will take their stand on the
issues OF imperialism on purely moral
grounds, while there are others with
whom imperialism is stfll az depatable
issue, who viii finally decide the ques-
ton for themselves on the showing
which the government has already
made of its capacity to manage the
dnalrs of distant colonies To these
and to the great body of men in this
country who sJeadfastly vote against
corruption whenever it shows itself, the
Cuban scandals will appeal very
strongly. They are very gross, and
they are the result of shining against
the light Although Secretary Roof
in his annual report declared that ap-
pointments to so-called colonial offices
should he made under the merit sys-
TEN, nothing whatever has been done
/ al
Hawaii or to Porto Rico, where gov
ernments have been established, or tC
Cuba, whittier civilians have been sem
to aid in the administration of the Gu
rious trusteeshi9 which the govern
! ment is conducting under the military
IlrANA-afl 4lat IyAe tn,