Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-01-05
POPULIST
MOVEMENT
W. J. BRYAN DISCUSSES THE
"PASSING OF POPULISM"
In the CommoRer. That Populism Was Detri.
mental to the Democratic Party Is False.
Says M. Bryan. On the Contrary, Il
Helped Save the Party From Annlhilation.

The Morning Star, of Rockford, Ill.,,
has an editorial on "The Passing of
Populism." Among other things it
says:
1.-THE populist movement was great
blow to the democratic party. 1t forced
that party to proclaim itself in favor Of
policies that it opposed from it's birth. 1t
drove thousands OF democrats into retire.
ment or into the republican party. 1t
scared capital and forced the business
elements of the country to organize
against the democratic party. 1t APP
pealed to the spirit OF unrest and rallied
to the populist standard every ism Of the
hour. 1t challenged the opposition OF
every person who had become successful
and the challenge was accepted. Under
such auspices the populists while mas
querading in democratic garments twice
struggled for the presidency and each
time was ingloriously beaten.
"Before the advent of the populist.
silver craze the democratic party was
compact, we'll organized ably led force.
1t held certain eastern states securely in
it's column and disputed the control OF
Illinois and Wisconsin in the west. To.
day it holds one state in the entire north,
Rhode Island.
"This is the result Of Organism on the
fortunes OF the democratic party. For.
tunately times have changed. The demo-
cratic party in nearly all its state conven.
tons has re2udiated populism, Organism
and silverism and the party has come
back to ITSELF"
The fact is that the popuist movement
has been OF great benefit to the demo-
cratic party and to the country. 1t
helped to save the democratic party from
humiliation and it helped to teach eco.
nomic truths to republicans who would
1888 the republican party had large
majority in nearly all the western states.
The farmers alliance, which was the
nucleus OF the populist party, did more in
few years to break the ranks Of the re-
publican party than democratic speakers
and editors had been able to do in a
generation, and this education has not
been lost. The retrograde movement
that has been observed in the west is due
partly to the improved conditions, which
some former republicans have credited to
republican policies, and partly to the fact
that the metropolitan dailies have con-
stantly declared that the democratic
party was returning to the position that
it occupied prior to 1896. The republic
cans who left their party between 1885
and 1898 hate Clevelandism as much as
they did the things that drove them out
Of the republican party; the fear of the
party's return to Clevelandism has had
even more to do with the falling off in
democratic votes in the west than in
dustria conditions.
The Star, in the editorial above re-
ferred to, like all the opponents of lie.
organization, either ignorantly or wilfully
misstates the facts. The position taken
by the democratic party on the money
question could not be truthfully described
as a "populist-silver craze" The silver
plank OF the Chicago platform was in line
with the action Of the party for twenty
years. Time and again the democrats in
congress had voted almost solidly for free
and unlimited coinage at the ratio Of 1G
to without waiting for the aid or con-
sent of any other nation. In fact, this
proposition never failed to command a
majority of the democratic votes in both
house and senate until Mr.. Cleveland's
second administration when he used the
patronage of his Office to induce enough
democrats to join the republicans to carry
through a republican financial policy in
dorsed by the democrats. (,The Wilson
bill which Mr.. Cleveland forced through
in the fail of 1898 was identical in pur-
pose and almost identical in language
with a bill introduced by Senator
Sherman a year before.)
The statement that the democratic
party was compact. we'll organized and
ably led" is palpable mistake, because
the defeat Of 1894, suffered just after Mr..
Cleveland had successfully carried
through his financial policy, was moi
} sweeping defeat than the defeat Of either
1896 or 1900. The defeat of 1894 came
before the present recognizing element
had openly co.operated with the republi-
cans; what would be tho defeat now
should the reorganizers, fresh from Their
alliance with the republicans, attempt te
lead the democratic party back into the
control OF the financiers?
The democratic party has never done