Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-05-10
IMPERIALISM OR DEMOCRACY.

OF JUG DeDlpcraIlc party III opFositiou
to Mr.. Mckinley in 1900, as was the
That he may be successful In 1900.
in spite Of the fact that he was
defeated in 1896, is also possible.
1t is of vital importance, there
fore, to the county at large and to
the Democratic party that there should
be no misunderstanding as to the causes
which, with the same candidates in the
field, may make that success possible
in 1900 which the party failed to attain
in 1896. 1t is not that the candidates
themselves have changed. Bryan is
Bryan still, as Mckinley is Mckinley
still. The former has demonstrated by
four years of incessant practice his
physical capacity to talk oftner and
longer upon the same subject or limited
range of subjects than any man living.
OF who perhaps ever lived. Mr.. Mo
Kinley has in the same period demon
strated his capacity for changing his
mind ofteuer or presenting that appear
ence moro perfectly of having Two
minds at the same time on the same
as facing both ways" than any
lightning change artist in the Fro.
fession. Whether either man has grown
hairs breadth in stature or in the esti-
nation Of the American people, either
intellectually or morally, may we'll be
doubted.
The change, therefore, which makes
different result not only possible, but,
in the opinion Of many shrewd OBJ
servers, altogether probable in the
popular vote next November, II not in
| the candidates must be in the issues
presented for decision by the people.
In the attitude of parties, or in the
people themselves. This change in the
issue Is apparent, or should be, to the
| least intelligent observer. New con-
ditions wholly unprecedented in the
history Of the Republic and which
could not even have been anticipated
four years ago have arisen to impart te
the coming contest a complexion and e
character possessed by no other Presi-
time in our history to deal with tho
novel and complex problems presented
by the acquisition of millions Of sub
| jects, not citizens-men of alien race,
language, custom and to a large extent
eligicn--inhabiting outlying and dis
| tant territories IN the tropics. The
| questions that occupied the public
mind in 1896, and upon which the
elections of that year turned, engage
the public attention no longer. except
in very remote and speculative degree.
The question of the flee coinage of
silver at the ratio Of 16 to / has oeased
to he a practical one-if not dead--as
most men seem to think it is at least
sleeping and likely to continue dormant
for years to come. Imperialism, mill
tarism, the enormous growth and de-
velopment of trusts-thesa are the
topics that occupy mems minds today
and which must largely enter into II,
in fact, they do not control, the result
of the next election.
Mr.. Bryan seems 10 think-we say
"seems," because his most recent utter,
auces give color to the assumption
that while these new issues are not
unimportant the main thing is to se-
cure reversal of the popular verdict
of four years ago which condemned the
Chicago platform and rejected his own
candidacy. For that reason it will he
the duty of the Kansas City convention,
he thinks, to reaiiirm the Chicago plat
form in every particular, especially the
financial plank and the declaration
there contained in favor of the free and
unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio
of l6 to l. In other words, Mr.. Bryan
apparently is willing to dwarf the
whole contest by making it turn mainly
and primarily upon q personal vindi-
cation of his own candidacy four years
ago and of his own individual views,
then and since expressed, upon the
currency question. He proposes, ap'
party at this critical period of our
national history-at this crisis, 10 fact,
OF our rational life-shall busy itself
not with the vindication and success of
Democracy, but of that recent, partial,
temporary phase of Democracy known
as Organism.
We trust that before the, national
} convention assemblies at Kansas City
Mr.. Bryan himself, who is undoubtedly
an able il unfortunately a too one
sided man, will see tho narrowness and
weakness of such a position. The
J Democratic party does not live to
crafty the intellectual pride or hobbies
of any one man, however sincere, how
ever eloquent or gifted. The American
people, and especially the Democratic
: party, are not concerned with repeating
} the things, good or bad, and especially
the experiments, of 1886. That great
party, with over Z, 200, 600 Of votes and
representing the political sentiments
of more than 35,000,000 Of people, il
J greater than any Inan-greater even
J than the greatest whose name has ever
adorned its annals. We have reached
, period when. more than ever before,
that great Democratic maxim, ''Prin;
ciples, not men," and that kindred
sentiment, Measures before mon,
should become the guiding star Of the
\ party, the beacon light of the Republic.
MIR. Bryan may be altogether worthy
to be the standard bearer of the party
, in the present contest. He should re-
} member, however. that it is the stand
ard OF the party, the broad banner o.
, Democracy, not his own pei sonal OF
! private flag of free silverism, which will
then be intrusted to his keeping. 1t II
Unnecessary oven to discuss whether
such Bryanism is good Democracy OF
} not. IL is very certain that it is moi
the whole of Democracy and that al
! Democrats are not Organizes, not ever
: all of those who voted for him in 1896
What, with his present ambition to. bt
] again the chosen leader of the Demo
cratic hosts in their coming battl,
against the allied powers Of imperial
8 ism, bureaucracy and plutocracy, Mr.
} Bryan needs more than anything else il
] to broaden his own intellectual horizol
and enlarge his synpathies, to becom
I more national and more Democratio
loss sectional, less personal, less Popu
, listio.
. He has dwelt so long and so per
] sistently upon one subject that in
. measure 1T has mastered him instead o
: his acquiring the mastery over it III