The age-herald., 1900-05-20

are the main reliance of the republicans III the coming campaign There is another side to both of these. The prosperity of the big corporations has thrown out Of business many small dealers, and dealers not so small, in special single Hnes who were formerly prosperous and who in '96 were frightened into believing that the stability of their business would be threatened by the election of Bryan. It has also thrown out of employment many commercial travellers and agents and mid dlemen, the most of whom were in '96 most active agents in opposition to the democratic ticket The thing they were led to fear from Bryans election has come upon them through the policy of the party which they supported. The curtailment of independent business institutions has in- jured not only the small capitalist, but has thrown many out of employment. few of the most skilled have found employment at perhaps advanced wages; the rest have become-democrats, along with their im- poverished former employers. To go into the details of this evolution would make volume.
 The Porto RIean Tarif
 The glories of the war and of territorial acquisition are attended by the threaten ing shade of imperialism. Many Ameri- cans, among them not few democrats, feel qualification and pride in the acquisi- ton of vast territory. The raising of the flag over remote lands thrills them with sense of the greatness of their government In their imagination they can see the glorious light of liberty and humanity bursting forth as the flag is unfurled. Such sentiment might bring support to the ad- mnistration were it not for the sinister aspect put upon this dream of territorial grandure by the disclosed policy of the rresident and the republican party. This policy was disclosed and eXemplifed by the Porto Rican tariff legislation. By that act ip1np IF ria1i iSrn ity to the policy the constitution has been attacked, our system of government shaken and men who care for the liberties of distant people are shocked to have their own institutions attacked. The question be- comes one, not of whether we shall conquer a people. and acquire territory, but of whether we shall pay as the price of this territory the abandonment of our theory of government, procaiming our constitution unfitted to the needs of a great and grow ing nation-whether republican form of government is too restricted and a failure However much of an eXpansionist, no democrat is going to desert his party to support policy to which expansion is merely an incident and imperialism the ob- ject.
 Imperialism
 But Americans of all parties resent the Porto Rican tariff legislation and the policy for which it stands. There are many men in this country who have al- ways been counted republicans who now oppose the administration in mere expansion, but thousands more who were captivated by the idea of acquiring ter ritory are now intense in their antagonism to the policy of mperialism-dstinct, dis eliminating colonial government of pos sessions, outside the constitution. support ed by a great military establishment. Attacks upon this policy which will be read with the greatest interest by the peo- pie all over the land during the coming campaign have been made by distinguish ed men who have always been republicans and by newspapers of great influence which are republican organs. Leaders may stand by their party best they can, organs may defend the evil which they have themselves condemned, when their party interest is at stake, but it is ompossible that all of the great mass of people who have heard their honest eX- pressions of dissent and sympathized with them will accept the evil because exi- gencies compel the politician and the or gan to finally turn back to the party, right or wrong. Many thousand men will vote the democratic ticket this fall because they oppose imperialism. The Porto Rican tariff legislation alone will. in my Judg- ment, cost Mckinley enough votes to de- feat him. The pro-Brtish attitude of the administration will cost him many votes Public sympathy with the Boers will cost him many votes
 r~Yhe growth of trusts under the fostering influence of the republican policy will cost him many votes. The scandals of the war department in connection with the Spanish war will not be entirely forgotten by the people, and their recollection will be fresh- ened by the more recent Cuban scandals Hannaism, which means the recognition as dominant, regardless of the welfare or the great mass of the people, the influence or the manipulators of markets and of money, will be productive of campaign funds, but will bring no popularity to the candidate. The financial legislation by which the gold standard is established and the issuance of paper money taken out of the hands of the government and placed in that of the banks, will take the enthusiasm of avarice out of those who have got what they want, and will leave no excuse for any man who believes in bimetallsm to continue longer in the republican party
 There is the best of indicati that more who were formerly republicans will vote for Bryan than did in 1896 on account of the money question, and that there will be a very large vote from among the rank and file of republicans, including a very large percentage of the German and the Irish vote, who do not believe in bimetallism, on account of their disapproval of the ad- ministration's policy in matters of more immediate interest than the money ques- tion appears to them. The things that will operate to Bryan's interest not con- tingent upon any change in the attitude of the democratic party, nor can they be mag nifed by making any change. Standing by its principles and holding all those who were with it in 1S96 the party can win vic- tory by the addition to it's strength through the failures of the present administration and the influences which have given the Mckinley regime bad character.
 JOHN PIERCE MILLER.