The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-31
vu<r WILL GOLD DEMOCRATS no,
rhe s,tuation which wili Confront Them In
tho Coming Canvass.

The situation which Wall Confront Them In
tho Coming Canvass.
To rHE EptToR OF The suS-ST ilnd
that my Democratic friends very gonera1y are
now W resting with the question whethcr they
shall vote for Bryan at the next election though
all OF them voted either for Mr.. Mckinley or Tor
Gen. Palmer In 1896. Naturally enough, they
are anxious to vote for the Democratic party.
for the thought Of again contributing actively
to lis defeat IL altogether distasteful to them
Under the influence OF that partisan prejudice
they say. with wry faces. that they have oraced
themselves to swallow even tho Inevitable
nomination OF Bryan aud adopt him a. their
candidate. | tell them. however. MAJ when
the election comes they will DO OF q different
mind and will be no moro willing TO support
Bryan 10 1900 than they we're In 1893. and Tor
reasons which / shall proceed to give.
Bryan's nomination will precipitate q conflict
between the conservative FORCES OF American
society and the elements which would disturb
end destroy the social and political safe
guards OF our national prosperity which will
be even more ominous than that OF 1885.
His campaign. under the propulsion 81 infiu-
ences new TO American politics which neither
be nor the Democratic party will be able to
control In 1900 any more than they could In
1876. will arouse general alarm in quarters
IKE those of the conservative Democrats. In
stead Of checking those influences Bryan
will be unable to prevent them from in
creasing in violence. Only as their repre-
sentative has no the strength. which In.
dubitably 10 now his. to dominate the Demo
cratic party against the opposition and tho
unooncealed distrust OF such Democrats a.
AANaA = -A~- L--
erlees; be is all powerful. 80 that there il every
reason to expect that his denomination will DO
By reclamation. Starting thus. his candidacy
win be hailed and pushed BY the radical ele-
meDts as their special triumph. Because oftheir
0rst defeat at the polls. their zeal will be even
more fiery than before. They will look on
the election "a their last chance to obtain
the perm mastery Of the Democratic
party and through IL Of Congress- and the
National Administrator and they will leht
with their utmost strength.
The question which will be brought forcibly
before Democrats as the campaign proceeds
will thesetore be whether they are to assist In
this effort 70 rev0lutionise their party per-
manentlH in accordance with the spirit first
loosed hy the Chicago platform. or whether
fidelity TO their political convictions and
AoSSWS ~ bAuc uOtb
not require them to resist It with all
their power. II Bryan is again defeated
next Der his In the Democratic
party and that OF the Influences behind
him win DO broken finally: II he succeeds
the Democratic party will be the most dis
tinotively radical aud revolutionary party
which has ever appeared in American politics.
steadily growing more and moro offensive 10
old. IA ahknnad Dnu,,vatia o>, 49,,
era In our politics will have been ushered in,
and as time goes on Democratic sanction will
be given b social and political theories which
viii TAKE the breath away from those who ad-
here to the old Dem ocracy. That such is the
present Democratic drift under the neopulsion
Of the Influences behind Bryan must be OBJ
vfous to every discerning mind.
The election next November, u ma now be
assumed with something like certainty. will
take place at a time OF business progress and
prosperity unexamp pied In our history. and that
good fortune will be 40 plainly. 80 unmistak-
ably the consequence OF the defeat Of Bryan in
1880 that there will be no doubt on the subjec4
In any reasonable mind. Oontrasted with the
observations OF that prevailing prosperity VIII
be the remembfance In every such mind Of
the depression and calamity Of the four years
NV Wv " VI nj tuOuRn
l shall not lay the. responsibility for that bitter
experience on the Democratic party alone. One
OF the Iaost active causes OF IL. however, was
the ruinous uncertainty as to the currency pro-
voked by the inability Of Mr.. eveland
TO resist the increasing Democratic in
luenoes which brought about the nomination
OF Bryan and the 10 TO platform andcampaipn
10 1896. The defeat OF Bryan settled that
question for the time being. The gold STAN
dard was preserved by the election OF Mr.
Mckinley and the prosperity which at once
ensued VIII still he in cvid nee when Der
comes. The Republican pledge 10 maintain
tho gold STANDARD has been redesne; prac-
ttcallJ Ia the passage OF the Currency act. and.
provided Bryan is again defeate next Noyen-
ber. the consequent prosperity will continue.
II. however, as every sagacious man we'll
understands. Bryan is elected this country will
fall back Immediately into another period OF
depression. Doubt will Cypress the whole
financial and business and industrial world:
foreign capital will take alarm; enter
prise will halt, for new misgivipos
H. to the security Of the existing monetary
standard will arise, Bryan's election would
carry with N of course the control OF the House
OF Representatives by the forces behind him.
and no protection for the gold standard would
remain except a ~peri'ous majority in the Sem
ate. subject to destruction by those influences
or by the chances OF life and death. No reason
able man would dare to bank on a security
30 shaky; and we should be hack in the
suds again. An experiment wholly novel in
American politics would have been made. with
possibilities which no one could foresee, and II
would be on experiment nov less ~iearfully re-
earded by Democrats than Nv REPUBLICANS.
have no hest alton. therefore, In telling my
gold Democratic friends that even n they
have persuaded them selves in March that they
are going 10 face the inevitable and vote for
BRYAN they will not actually put in such a vote
in November. This country will do some
heavy thinking In the next ak or seven months.
and as a consequence 4, Ia sure 10 come to-a
common sense conclusion. AMERICAN.
Y YORK. March ~.