The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-10-17
THURSDAY. OCTOBER Il, 1901.
n FUSION AND CONFUSION.

ss 1.tfler HE head Of !. A Change "
view !, sal. Richmond Times ga
ss.Tne panvilie Register says that as
~ general thing the more party l .
naficns q candidate has, Inc ieNsi
yttes he gets afterwards. II the VAL az.
sons parties rendering the nonina.i9; ~
to enc person stand 1or aiis sa -.
principle o,,i
each other our contemporary goes ",
at is not easily comprehended ROW. one
man can spread himself over 50 many
Y,Iatforrns and maintain his PERSONA
identity People prefer ndidates VINO
are not pledged 10 perform inpossi-
sbIlities.
..Ssome of us made similar arguments
when Mr.. William j. Bryan was y
candidate of the Democratic party, II me
popnlist party and The Free siise. ds.s.
publican party. but the Dauyille Resis-
ter was not then Of the opinion that It
was impracticable for one man TO pc
the candidate of three political parties
whose cardinal principles We're so Ut
ter1y unlike.
If the matter were carefully looked
into. we suspect the Times would ind
that the Register supported MI. WI
liam !. BRYAN. not because he was the
nominee of three parties. but beca'
he was. first of all, the nominee OF ~ z
Democratic party and pledged TO Dem
ocratic policies. The fact that he was
handicapped. as results would seem TO
show new. by the endorsement of two
other parties. after his nomination by
the Democrats. was not a reason why
he should be deserted by the Register
or any other Democratic paDer.-Dan-
vile Register.
We did not mean to criticise the Reg
lister for supporting Mr.. Bryan in the
campaign of 1900. He was the regular
nominee of the Demo crafic party, and
as the Register processes to be reg
uiar Democratic newspaper, it is rot
for us no question its sincerity or to
criticise 1t for pursuing the course
which it believed to be right. Our
criticism was first of. the fusion move
ment, which Mr.. Bryan did more than
any other man to promote. and orr
criticism was next of the Democratic
marty for subordinating some OF Its
principles aad compromising others OIL
its principles in order to make fusion
with Populists and Republicans practi-
cable. The Times was opposed to TINS
fusion movement from the start aud
predicted that it could come to 40
good end for Democracy.
True Democracy and true Populisin
are as far removed as the east is from
the west, and there can be no COM
promise between them. Whenever
there is fusion there must also be con-
fusion. If the Democratic party keep
its Populist allies in good humor 1t
must adopt the PRINCIPLES Of Polullsm
and discard the principles Of Democ-
racy; and il it do this it will always
drive away more Democrats than it
will gain Populists. If it once lets the
populist elephant get its trunk in the
bent of Democracy, the elephant viii
eventually crowd his whole body i'll
and take possession. This is notably
The case in the State of Nebraska.
Democrats and Populists have been
fusing there for several years, and at
the last convention, the Democrats sur
rendered bag and baggage and the Pop
lllists had all things their own way.
But wherever the Populists have not
controlled they have usually drawn out
of the alliance, and now it is proposed
to organize a new party out of all the
disgruntled elements that allied them
selves with the Democratic party under
Mr.. Bryan's leadership. Ii Democrats
do not learn from these experiences
that they cannot afford to fuse with
ptaler parties. whose principles are un-
like the principles of Democracy, then
they are indeed slow Of understanding.
81 viii walk in mine Integrity. That
must be the motto of the Democratic
party If it would succeed. The path
of duty is the path of safety.
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