Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1900-03-28
POLITICAL PROBLEMS.
Dryan's Nomination Ii Conceded, hut
There viii lie Hot Time In Two
Comm trees an Resolutions.

|
The longer one studies present po-
| litical conditions the more impressed
does he become with the difficulties
and perpleXities confronting the man.
ayers of the peoples party.
In states wherein the democrats
hold the balance of power, it is com
paratively easy to parcel out the Of
fees and agree upon a fusion pro-
| gramme and joint conventions, etc.,
ETC., and there is a reasonable GER
tainty that, in presidential year,
the democrats will Loyalty support
the state ticket, upon the success of
which depends, in part, the triumph
of their party presidential candidate.
| But when it comes to nominating a
! presidential candidate and formulat-
ing platform for him to stand upon,
| two months in advance of the date of
| the convention of another political
party which is expected to nominate
the same candidate, then it is that
difficulties begin to multiply in the
way.
For instance: If the populists nomi-
nate Mr.. Bryan upon a platform
which is in accord with populist prin-
ciples and abreast with the radical
spirit of the times and Mr.. Bryan ac-
cepts the nomination upon such plat
form, it is fair to assume that he in
dorses the principles and demands of,
and in, the platform upon which he is
nominated and is, to all intents and
purposes, populist. If, on the other
hand, he does not accept such nomina
ton, or accepts is as a democrat, not
committing himself to the advocacy
of the platform demands, then the
peoples party will have no candidate
in the field.
Then, again, if the populist conven-
ton should nominate Mr.. BRYAN
upon platform specially designed
to cause him no embarrassment and
emasculated of the distinctive radi-
cal populist principles, it will be diff
ticult to hold in line for the ticket the
rank and file of populist voters.
And it is not only the situation of
the peoples party which may we'll
evolve perplexity and doubt. but the
prevailing situation in democratic
ranks is also involved in uncertainty.
There is no longer any doubt but
that, while Mr.. Bryan's nomination
by the democracy is conceded, there
is to be battle royal between the
radical and conservative wings of the
party for control of the committee
on resolutions which must formulate
the platform declarations of the con-
vention. 1t must not be forgotten
that number of most influential
democrats who stand high in the
councils of their party and not few
of whom hail from the west and
south, have declared that the plat
form of the party must not be
tainted with populism.''
The democratic party is at present
making every effort to get itself to-
gether for the coming campaign and
signs are multiplying that the party
managers are likely to bid more for
the support of democrats of the Hill
Gorman-Cleveland type, than they
will offer for the support of populist
voters. Some very strange scraps of
political gossip are beginning to APP
pear in print, which may, or may not,
foreshadow the policy of the party
leaders.
For instance, the Mississippi Valley
Democrat, an ardent Bryan organ
and heretofore an uncompromising
advocate of free silver coinage, in a
recent issue says:
From present indications the people
might as we'll make up their minds that
the silver issue is a thing of the past,
at least for some years to come. 1t can
not cut any figure in the approaching
campaign. This has been DELHI
erately planned and counted on in the
passage OF the infamous bank trust bill.
The conspirators expect defeat at the
polls as n result of that legislation; but
they depend upon holding the senate fer
six years. which they fondly hope will
be time enough to change this govern
ment from republic to a plutocratic
monarchy. But otherwise the
financial issue from this time forward
is the right Of the people to control their
paper currency. Shall the people author
ize and issue their own money, or will
they delegate that function of sover-
eighty to the banks and burden them
selves with perpetual debt for the bene-
fit of the plutocratic masters? This is
the issue, and the people understand it,
We Will give the money changers their
swindling gold standard. for which they
nave sold themselves to the devil, but in
return for this concession we will with
draw the pledge of the nations credit
TO Understanding bonds for the exclu-
sive use and benefit of the money lenders
and pledge 1t instead to a legal tender
paper currency sufficient in volume to
meet the necessities of all the people
This Is the issue, plain and straight
The conclusions thus stated by the
Democrat, If sound and logical, will
take the entire financial question out
of the approaching campaign, because
the currency bill, now practically a
law, is the creation of the adverse
majority in the senate and fixes the
status of the paper money of the ma
ton and provides for the issue of
whatever bonds may be issued in ad-
dition to those now outstanding. If
therefore the silver question has been
eliminated by the passage of the cur
rency bill and cannot be revivified for
six years because of the complexion
of the senate, so also is any discussion
of bonds and paper money useless,
because their status is just as surely
fixed as that of silver by the terms
of the currency bill and the majority
III the senate which supports it.
In any event, if we ''give the money
changers their swindling gold
standard" paper money redeemable
in gold only is worse than such
money "redeemable in coin," as per
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