The Washington times., 1901-09-01
Democratic Bickering.

This is no time for Democrats to
bicker among themselves over past diff
ferences in the party. Least of all is II
good. time for those who broke away
in 1896 and 1900, and contributed to the
election OF President Mckinley, to be
constantly nagging at the six and a
half millions of voters who stood loyal
fy by the Democratic platforms and the
party candidates in the years named
Granting, by way of argument, that
those platforms may have contained
they nevertheless were accepted as fair
expressions of the party faith, and
commanded the support of a round mil
lion more voters than had ever before
been given TO the candidates of the
party in a Presidential contest But
certain features of the platforms did
not meet the approval of a small mi
nority of the party. and this minority,
instead of yielding to the majority. as
is customary in such cases, bolted and
gave their support to the Republican
candidates-probabiy electing them
both times.
If there is ground for objection any
where it clearly is with the great ma
jority. But it so happens that the ma
5ority is not making faces or indulging
in any bitter talk. An utterly insignifi-
cant fraction of extremists. a fraction
too small even to be considered a fac
tion, seems to insist on an adherence
TO the declarations of 1896 and 1900. But
Of taac 81 r@fn f3r-a nd ,,fn
ty-nine per cent of those who stood by
the candidates and platforms of the
party in the last two national contests
seem to be entirely willing ID concede
that through a change of conditions the
silver question has ceased to be a po-
litical issue.
If we can judge by their expressions.
those constituting this overwhelming
majority are perfectly willing to let by
cones be bygones, and welcome back
the boilers into full party fellowship
for the purpose of presenting a united
front upon the great and vital issues
of today. They are not. however, will
ing TO turn the organization over bodily
TO those whose last political action was
to help elect a Republican trust Pres
ident. They are not willing to get
down in the dust and grovel at the feet
OF the boilers. They are not willing to
admit that their attitude In the last two
campaigns, under the conditions then
existing. was wrong. They are willing
to concede that the changed conditions
of gold supply have disposed of the sill
yer coinage issue, and upon that basis
they are prepared to join hands with all
who have called themselves Democrats
as well as with all other good citizens
in supreme effort to free the country
from the dominion of the trusts and to
stamp out the un-Anerican principle of
Imperialism that has so suddenly APP
peared as a cardinal tenet of the Re
publican party. II the Gold Democrats
are sincerely desirous of bridging the
chasm of the past there need be no diff
ficulty In doing so. and IT can be done
in such manner that Democrats of all
shades of opinion upon former issues
may preserve the full measure Of their
own self-respect.
Nor is it either wise or Just to be
everlastingly abusing Mr.. Bryan. He
did not create the silver issue in 1895
He was at that-tipe a mere neophyte
in the silver cause. The Democratic
party itself was overwhelmingly in
favor of bimetallism as represented b.
the free silver coinage idea. and Mr..
Bryan simply took up its advocacy.
He did exert his influence to induce the
Kansas City Convention specifically to
yeaftirm the silver plank onipinns