Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-11-02
NATIONAL HONOR over
C0LOAlAL QUESTIONS
WHY JUDGE HORNBLOWER DE.
CLINES TO SUPPORT BRYAN.
Opinion of n Lending New York
Jurist, Whose Elevation to the
Supreme Bench Was ncatcn
by David Il. Hill.
{By Judge William b. 1Iornblower Of
New York;

New York;
Judge William b. Hornblowcr of New
York, who was nominated to the Su-
premc bench Of the United States by
President Cleveland. and whose confirm
alton was beaten in the Senate for pure
ly personal causes by David 4. Hill, has
made the following statement why he, a
Democrat, cannot support Bryan:
I have been repeatedly asked during
the past few weeks what. in AZ jndg-
ment, is the duty Of a Gold Democrat
who is also an An+i-1mperialivs. ~ The
pending presidentl,. campaign Ihe
question is by no means Il sinapl" ne,
and l can well understand and appreciate.
the position taken by such men -: MIR.
Schurz, Mr.. Shepard and MT. Dlaey.,
For my own part, however, | c"an",. see,
my way clear to reaching theii conclu-
sions. The same reasons which c~crnDcll-
ed me to oppose Mr.. Hryan in :stG COM
pei me to oppose him in the present cam
paign. All the hcre.lcs. financial and
Populistic, which we've embodied in the
un- Democratic, cra.I-".ilt platform oS
1896 are %readopted ~';t:.out any attempt
~ vi ~ bA0
Kansas City platform. The IL to l plank
Is expressly reNtarr:ed and rcdeclured,
and this at the i.~:rncc of Mr.. Bryan
himself. ] cal"c. support Il candidate
who still adheres to a proposition which.
to my mind, is a haoIstrosity and which,
II carried into at...:. would in my judg-
ment produce ny:>::: disaster to al!
classes Of the conr.Nnity and bring dis
-,,-. .-l ..-.,: 49,. -. .,-, 11,-
fact, If 1t be Il t2::. .,h! recent ~lcgisla-
ton has made - ~iifLasi:: fnr Mr.. Bryan
to carry into practise has avowcd princi-
pies does not, 1t seem. 20 be. make 1t
any the more .;Gt.:; ~ intc for q man
who stil mai!:.:aa :&cs= rsinc;plcs. 1t
Is quite withlr ~: Ea":!c:i.;t"* tHat DUR
ing his dmiaJs-'ennu :: be sb"i!ia be
elected, a >or1.:s:. shang" :a.stt IN eff
fectcd in the ~rc,:iiTs. composition o. Goth
houses Of Congress. and the ~yeri.rt of
the people expressed at the poll: in favor
OF Mr.. Bryan'a election as President
might be carried into effect. 1t will GER
tainly be Mr.. Bryan's dirty, according to
his expressed declaration. to do what in
him lies to bring about this result.
1t is not to be forgotten that Mr.. Bryan
Is not only the candidate Of what is left
Of the Democratic party, but he is tho
candidate also Of the Popllist party, and
has accepted the nomination on their plat
form. The radical notions Of the Popu-
lists, if ever carried into effect In this
country, would reduce popular govern
mant to a position where we should be
the laughing stock Of the nations, and
would produce a reaction in the minds Of
the voters which would carry US far in
the direction Of domestic imperialism,
which I suppose will be conceded to be
Of vastly more moment to Is and to our
posterity than colonial Imperialism. In
deed, the chief objection to colonial inn
perislism is its probable effect upon our
domestic institutions, and IT'S tendency to-
wards enlarging the powers of the e@ecu-
tive as between the executive and the
legislative departments of the govern
ment. and towards increasing the pow
CTS Of the Federal government as be-
tween itself and the States.
The question as to what IS the para
noun issue" il this campaign is one on
which men may honestly differ. 1t seems
to me, however. that the most important
issue before US at the present moment is
whether our domestic affairs are to be
thrown into confusion and exposed to dis
aster. The rights and wrongs Of our CO..
1onial possessions must in this emergency
be subordinated to the rights and wrongs
of our own affairs.
Furthermore, I I'm by no means satis-
fed that Mr.. Bryan would be a safe per-
son to whom to intrust the imperialistic
questions which will confront us in the
future. In my Judgment he ought to
have made his fght at the time when the
treaty with Spain was before the Sem
ate. He should have upheld the hands
Of such dissenting Republicans as Sena-
tor Hoar, and be should nave opposed to
the bitter end the principle of buying for
"ign peoples without their consent and in
he midst Of n war for independence on
their part. BY supporting the treaty Mr..
Bryan made himself Il party to its COM
pact, and is. more than any other ono
man. except Mr.. Mckinley, responsible
for the situation. Tho treaty was rati-
fed. the purchase money was paid, the
islands are in our possession. In my
Judgment, the question Of their future
and of our future. as determined indi-
rectly by their future. must wait until we
have settled the question Of the present.
and that question is whether honesty, III
aBgrity and common sense shall be an
sssed to the financial affairs of the United
States. or whether popular approval shan
=. given 80 the vagarics, whims, aad I'll.
rac1es OF the Popuiists and Bryanltes.
with all the resulting disaster and dis.
honor.
WILLIAM 3. HORSEPOWER.
New York. SAINT IS.