The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1904-11-12
WHERE THE REsPONsIBILIrYq


We are told that defeat in the cam
paigus of 1895 and 1900 was due to
the silver heresy of Bryan aud his
followers; that the people wanted a
sound basis for money-the gold
standard-yet Bryan received more
votes than has ever been given a
democratic candidate for president.
The west was for Bryan, while the
eastern states, dominated by the
trusts, were against him on the ques-
tion of free silver. The trusts con-
Tibuted to the republican campaigns .
sum Of money close to the $40, 600, :
600 mark and used it to keep the
eastern states IN line. The result OF
those elections is we'll known; the
change of few thousand votes pro-
perly distributed in a few close states
would have made Bryan president.
This was especially true OF the cleo
ton of 1900. With these two de-
feats to his credit, the so-called re-
organizers set to work with the avow-
cd intention Of turning down Bryan
and bringing the party back to what
they called its old traditions, to
safety and sanity as Grover Cleve-
land put it. 1t was turned over to
them at the ST. Louis convention and
Bryan and all silver democrats ac-
quiesced in the action, accepted the
change in policy; aud while the plat.
form was silent on the money ques-
ton, accepted even the gold teIe-
gram Of Judge Parker; the newspapers
all lined up in support OF the re-
organizers aud the great dailies of
the east which had bOlted the party
In 1896 got in line for the ticket
which had been put up in accordance
with their ideas. They Joined with
eastern democrats in hearty support
Of reorganized democracy. August
Belmont, David b. Hill, Grover
Cleveland aud others took bold Of
the campaign for the purpose of
showing the people what they could
do.
What is the RESULT IL is before
you in one of the most Overwhelming
defeats with which the democratic
party has ever been confrontsd-with
one exceptiou-and that in the cam
paign of 1872, when it took mp
Horace Greeley. The returns are
sufficiently complete to show that the
tremendous landslide is due to a loss
Of democratic votes and compare
tive gain in republican votes more
than to numerical increase in the vot-
ing population. In other words, the
people we're afraid to trust the re-
organizers who planned the campaign
and conducted it according to their
own ideas. Little was said about
the trusts and Judge Parker's gold
telegram had settled the money ques-
ton to their satisfaction. Toward
the close of the campaign it became
evident that the money of the trusts
had been turned into the treasury Of
the republican national committee
instead of to the democrats which Hill,
Belmont. and others had expected as
a result OF their reorganization
scheme. 1t then became necessary
for them to make a showing of some
kind and after the facts dawned upon
them, Parker was inspired to get out
on the stump and denouucs trusts in
a number Of vigorous speeches. He
was too late: the republicans had
captured the trust funds and mani
pulated things so nicely while Parker,
by his silence, had lost the confidence
Of the people who turned to Roosevelt
as the man who had pronounced ideas
on public questions aud was not
afraid to express them. Roosevelt
received hundreds Of Thousands of
democratic votes as result of his
dashing personality as comapred with
the sphinx like silence of his op-
ponent. The democratic party
attempted to 0e conservative when
conditions demanded positive and
uDequivocal action. To gain the
hearty support of the trusts and the
valuable fund such support would
have carried with it, meant that the
party must Guido its competitor in
showing loyalty to their interests
to gain the confidence of the people
1t was necessary to make positive de-
olarations against these; 1t should
have been outspoken on Imperialism
and tariff reform where it protected the
trusts. To have followed Bryan's
ideas on these subjects would have
held the rank and Ole of democracy
in line for the ticket, and while it
might not have resulted in victory in
the face of RooseEelt's personal
popularity, there is no doubt demo-
cracy would have escaped the humi-
liation Of such an overwhelming dis.
Teduvy