Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-22
wAA4 VI 4A4 eUluksP


The fusion mplo'drumu has been
played TO hnlsh and the curtain has
been rlmg down upon the last scene
The plot was poorly conceived, the
stuge mounting inappropriate aud
The actors not In sympathy with the
roles they assumed, Too tragic IA
be II farce nnl too farcul 10 pnss for u
tragedy, II met with II chilly reception
from the thenter-golng people and will
probably never again be put upon the
hOnrds, u contamination which Is de-
Voully 10 he prayed for
Dropping metaphor, ! wish TO once
more express my honest conviction
That fusion inevitably leads TO conin'
sion, Is dishonest and unprlnclpled and
defeats lis own purpose, y demo'por
Us not democrat, while n popocWi
Is not popullst, but the progeny OF
fusion mlscegenntion Is II hybrid
neither fish nor fowl, man or devil
with no classification In the political
Kingdom, Oil and water will not mis-
neither has Christ any consort with
Bellnl. An unholy alliance between
thc forces Of reform and corruption
Cnn never work out any good results
bryan and Croker, rs apostles of re-
form, Is nm absurd and ncongruous
monstrOslty,
What were the causes of the over
wheming disaster which has overtak'
an the allied forces led by the pure
and mcorruptible patriot, William j,
Bryan?
First, II must be granted that the
bountiful crops and the abnormal de-
mnnd for both farm and factory prod
nets, caused by war and short crops
abroad, gave 10 the "full dinner pull
argument great weight with the en-
ployed while the unemployed We're
frwer than usual,
Second, the Unprecedented and I'M
looked for increase in the production
of gold and the consequent Increase In
Tie volumn Of money converted the
silver issue into dead weight which
was serious handicap, and allenated
The class Of voters known us the ssh
yer republicans"
Third, the unti-eNpOnsion, anti-lm-
perialism issue, though sound in
ethics and patriotic in prinpiple, ran
counter TO the selfish instincts of hui
mnnlty and the spirit Of commercials
ism which now dominates the nation,
and II attempted hard task in nssall-
ing an administration while prosecut-
ing war. II is only the few that can
be reached by mn appeal to their high
or and n0blcr instincts; the masses
are swnyed by their material interests.
But there Is II factor, more potential
by fur than any, or all, Of these that
contributed 10 the downfall of William
j. Bryan.
II Is thG thousands Of voters who,
while nominnlly members Of the dem
ucr0tic organization and in sympathy
with It's platform of principles, yet
secretly repudiated those principles
and knitted the candidates Of the party,
This factor Is Il two-edged sword. cut
inc both ways. On the one hand the
ticket IL knitted and the open support.
which is, AZ best, lukewWm, is covert
ly and secretly deadly opposition. On
the other hand honest and progressive
voters In the republican ranks are
lonth TO put their condolences in Il party
which, while lis platform declares for
reform, is largely composed of those
who practice the evils they denounce
and are bcnciiclnries of the system
they promise to destroy. \ party
which Is largely composed of privi-
legged classes cannot be depended up
ON to support Il platform declaring
for Especial privileges to none." Thus
II was that Mr., Bryan was wounded in
the house Of his friends by the insin-
,ccre ballot, while the honest voter
was afraid OF him, because of the COM
pnny he kept
A few Of the utternnces of lead
ing democratic paper will serve to show
the msncerity and mkewarmness. of
the support these papers gave TO &i'.
p Bryan. ,,,, - f,Sr.
The Chicago Chronicle, Democratic
discusses the election result IN Ansrtl-
itorial Of two columns. It led the
democratic bolt in 1896. but supported
Bryan in n halr-hemted way this year.
VI says;
The amazing result Of Yesterdays cleo
aion reveals very concugively the monu-
mental fact that the democratic party
did not support its candidates. Mr.. Bry-
am Is defeated In 1900 by the Mr.. BRYAN of
ISA6 There was no democratic reunion,
on the contrary there was open and pal
pnble democratic dIsorguni2atIon panic
and rout. 1t is plain that
whatever policies populsts rcpub-
licars and socialists may prouose AS
remedies for the evils Of republcanism,
democrats cannot be led to their support,
Democracy and populIsm would
not mix, No convention, no newspaper.
NO amount Of oratory, no combination Of
favorable circumstances could bring about
~ true fusion between elements funda-
mentally HntagOnlstic. Mr.. Bryan Is de-
fented by democratic votes, because DEM
,ocrats could not be made To believe that
his candidacy represented anything better
fhan II represented four years ago All
else has been ignored, All other issues
have been postponed. Populism alone has
gone down never to rise again, let
us hope, with the assistance Of anybody
who calls himself democrat 1t
Is plain that nothing Is to be gained. moth
ing Is to be hoped from continuation