Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-09-15
WORTH KEEPING.

that in the pending campaign nation
oil issues are wholly unimportant. or
that 1t is sound policy to keep them
entirely out of sight. Members of the
lower house of Congress are to be
elected this fall, and the event of the
contest will go a good way toward
crystallizing the forces and fixing the
lines for the coming battle of 1904.
In this view it is the Gear duty of
those who expect to lead in that con-
test to be open and frank with the
rank and file by whose votes they
must win, If at all, upon every ques-
tion likely to come before the people
for determination two years hence.
Political candor is never losing
quality with men whose conduct will
bear the light of day. TIE masses of
the Democratic party,-those who have
upheld its banners in defeat as well
as in victory, and through the storms
Of SANDER and detraction as coura-
geously as in the sunlight of popular
applause, while the time-server and
the self-seeker have deserted their col
ors, with as much fortitude as while
the ranks were unbroken and party
traitors skulked at the rear,--all these
desire not only to deal honestly, but
to be honestly dealt with. and neither
to cheat nor be cheated, politically.
1t is therefore the present good for
tune of the party in Ohio that moth
Ing is left to conjecture In this respect
In the splendid work done by the San
dusky convention. That convention,
while very properly dealing IN detail
with specific matters of local concern,
did not neglect to fix, beyond ques-
ton or cavil, the great landmarks
which must control in the contention
OF 1904. And 1t Is equally fortunate
that the man who dominated the con-
vention and mapped out its fighting
lines, and who made its platform, has
thus put not only his party in Ohio,
but himself as well, on record in re.
gard to the issues Of national inn
portance; for 1t Is reasonably clear
that he is to be no ipconsiderablc part
Of the next struggle for the Presi-
dency. BY his work done at San
dusky he has given the people a
guaranty of where they shall find him,
politically speaking, two years from
now. This action on his part is no.
tice to the world that, as far as his
influence may go, the cause of De-
mocracy Is to be entrusted to Its friends
and not to those who betrayed and
assniled 1t In the hour of It's sorest
need The affirmation of the Kansas
City platform. without reservation or
evasion, has placed Ohio on the firing
line Tor the next two years And it
is all the more to the credit of Mr.
Johnson that in thus pledging his al
leglance to the principles avowed by
the Democratic party in 1900 includ-
ing that which specifically committed
the convention to the free coinage
plank of the Chicago platform, he
put behind him his personal opinion
as to the policy of the silver question,
out of Difference to the greatly pre-
ponderatlng views of his fellow
Democrats.
We think that in thus committing
himself and his State to the continued
agitation of the question of opening
the mints of the country to the equal
coinage of silver with gold-value for
value,- without asking the leave of
either Wall Street or England. Mr..
Johnson has acted not only the
part of courage, but of far-seeing
sagacity. The appearance of Mr..
Bryan in the campaign at Toledo, Sat
urday night, and his hearty acquies-
cence In the conduct of the canvass,
shows that this is not n mistaken es.
timate Of the situation. For, while It
is quite true that the immensely In
creased output OF gold in the years
since 1897, occasioned by the opening
OF the Klondike and the extension of
the mining operations of South
Africa and the improved processes of
separation, has completely vindicated
the Democratic argument OF 1896,
based on the quantitlve theory of
money, II has, at the same time
pushed the question, then so hotly dis.
puted, into the background by doing
away with the necessity of applying
1t 10 business affairs. Our contention
of that year never was answered; Il
was met by vehement denials, frantic
abuse and insane threats, but no CO.
herent answer was attempted. The