The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-07
THE WILSON'S OF WEST vrRGrNIA.

THE WILSON'S OF WEST VIRGINIA.
A recent alleged interview with Hon. Will
liam L. Wilson. former representative in
time Mr.. Cleveland's postmaster general,
has caused some The reported
interview came from Kansas City and rep
resented Mr.. Wilson as saying: 'It is to
be Mckinley and Bryan. Bryan will be
nominated. but conditions are so changed
that the campaign will be on new lines.
Both sides have so many new conditions
to confront that the old tactics will not
do. / think the Democrats will win. We
shall go into the fight solid" This was
that Mr.. Wilson Intended to support Bryan,
and, though somewhat noncommittal, 1t is
susceptible of that construction. But now
comes Mr.. Wilson and denies the essential
part of the interview. Having arrived in
Washington he was at once asked about
the interview and promptly repudiated it.
He says the nearest he came to talking
politics in Kansas City was that 81 did
express the opinion that Mr.. Bryan and
Mr.. Mckinley would again be the nomi-
nees of their respective parties as in 1896.
and that there would be new issues in the
coming campaign, but as to how those
new issues would affect the result or as to
making predictions / distinctly declined to
express an opinion" This shows that the
father of the Wilson tariff bill and Mr..
Cleveland's close friend is not ready to be
pledged to the support of Mr.. Bryan, even
if the latter becomes the regular Demo-
cratic nominee Like Mr.. Cleveland and
most of his friends. Mr.. Wilson is a gold
Mr.. Bryan on the money question. The fact
that he repudiates that part of the Kansas
City interview which represents him as
saying that the Democratic party Twill go
into the fight solid indicates pretty clear
ly where he stands.
Another Democratic Wilson of West Vir-
ginia has been heard from. The Wash
ington Post publishes a communication
from Ex-Governor E. w. Wilson, of that
State. in which he takes strong ground in
favor of expansion, not merely as an ac-
complished fact. an inevitable necessity
or a duty providentially imposed upon us
which we cannot escape. but as a good
thing in itself and a necessary means of
fulfilling our political mission. He scouts
the idea that by establishing our
the Monroe doctrine, and he treats the
consent of the governed argument as a
mere device intended to hinder the exer-
else of sovereign power inherent in all gov
ernments. He asks If when our indie
pendence was achieved the Tories were
they wanted. In short. he answers every
argument put forward by the anti-expan-
sionists and warns the Democratic party
not to take the unpatriotic, un-Americar
side of the question. Speaking as a South
ern Democrat he says:
The South, and especially the cotton
raising gulf States portion, understands
most thoroughly the importance of adj
vancing our trade with the East, and par
ticularly so In connection with the build
be the height of folly for the Democratic
party TO endanger the solidity Of the South
ern vote by changing a policy so long and
firmly established for the expansion of
American trade and In case of
war once begun by this country IL has
never proven a profitable business for any
political party TO oppose IL or its results. 4.
Judging from the expressions of these two
Wilson's of West Virginia We infer that
when the leaders come to call the roll they
will find some anti-Bryan Democrats
among the WIS. If not considerably higher
up in the alphabet.