The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-07-19
SPECULATION AND BOLTING.

isolation" The same special u
that Marion Butler a "he is tired
of free silver" Senator Jones says the
battle in 1904 will be waged On new
lines. Henry Watterson, who much in
jured Bryan's prospects in 1896. says
that Bryan has had his day" The
outlook is not now favorable to his
nomination in 1904. He has been ON
sistent and faithful n deserved a
better fate. Bryan no doubt sees the
handwriting on the wall, and like a
wise man is not now seeking the i'm
possible. He should not countenance
any effort to divide and disintegrate the
democratic party. We do not look for
such a course from him. Watterson,
rather unstable and infirm in his poll
teal principles, n seeking to be a
prophet often fails to be pro-
phetic in fact, says, and it is much
wiser than many Of his declarations:
Now, as in lays gone by, it is the
boys in the trenches on whom the
party and the country must rely. II
Mr.. Bryan is wise he will fall in with
the rest. All that he can do by staying
out will be to SOW seeds Of future
trouble to disorganize and disgruntle,
and in the end to lose much Of the cred
it he has won. Presently the tramp of
the legions will be heard treading down
all before it."
We regret to see that the Bryan sup
porters in Cleveland, Ohio, have boIted
and are trying to organize a new party.
The boilers will hold a state
ton at Cleveland on the last day of
July.
1t is interesting to hear from the al
legged leaders. 1t is reported that they
want greater issues to the 'front.' than
silver is now. 1t is given out, true or
false, that the democratic builders of
the national platforms of 1896 and 1900,
are not in favor of forcing free silver
into the state platforms this year, or
to renew the fight on that issue in the
near future" That is plain common
sense. That issue could not be carried.
The Washington correspondent of h
|. Baltimore Sun, a staunch gold paper
all along, writes OF the 14th inst:
1.-The most radical advocates Of free
silver believe it would be unwise, If
viewed from nc other point than tina
Of the interest of silver itself, to force
it into the fight inopportunely. More
over, other issues are regarded as of
too grave Importance to admit of their
being jeopardiZed by disputes within
the party over differences impossible
of settlement at this time"
OF course there are tens of thousands
Of true unblanched democrats all
around the country who are bimetal-
lists out and out, and will ever remain
so, and who are for pressing the fight
farther. They believe that Cleveland's
right hand a Secretary Carlisle,
was right when in his great speech in
the United States senate in 1878, he so
bitterly and blastingly denounced the
crime against the american people in
demonetizing silver in such a rascally,
stealthy way; declaring that it was
more disastrous h wars, pestilences
n fam:nes. But the democrats at large
while remaining firm and fixed as to
silver are not impracticable and I'M
wise enough to press the fight now for
its r~e-establishing, after two defeats
and the course of the United States
congress-. The Suns letter states this,
and if true, it is important:
THE half dozen or more men who
are recognized throughout the country
as the head and front of the movement
which made free coinage of silver the
battle-cry Of 1896 and which placed the
word paramount before the issue Of
anti-imperialism in 1900 have discussed
the situation fully and frankly with
the Sun correspondent and no one of
them has expressed the desire to have
silver held up at this time to be batter
ed again, as they realize it would be,
with conditions unfavorable to that is
sue, as they now are, and with other
matters more pressing"
The fight will be simply postponed
without any denial of truth m facts
and surrender of principles. Let the
democrats fight the vicious, reckless,
oppressive, uuprincipled republican par
ty and its issues now at the front. Let
the tariff war n the trust war be
pressed to the sternest conclusions. The
Sun says that men referred to are for
timely principles-for democratic prin-
ciples, and are not willing that 1.-The
party organization should be turn
ed owe to an element in sympathy with
the theory that trusts and monopolies
are good things; that concentrel ted
power of capital and commercialism
represent the intelligence and soul of
the people, n that the constitution
and free institutions may be repudi-
ated when it seems financially profta-
BILE to do So"
There is a great plenty of currency
now, and a great display Of demagogy
and serious departures from the fCnda-
mental principles of a true democratic
republican government Of the people,
and for the people-a sentiment stolen
by Lincoln and used in his short
Gettysburg address. There will be no
"~connoddling' Of democrats who are
really democrats, with trust monopoly
or Hannaism in any Of its forms and
corruptions. The democrats will make
NJ alff,~11 --,SI f-o,,5