The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-08-25
ARTHUR ROPES General Eiltor
"BUNCO" VS.. DEEDS.

Nothing could show more plainly
that the Democratic party is striving
to get votes, at no matter what sacri-
flee of consistency and with no matter
how frequent resort to "bunco" and
duplicity, than the fact that of the
great Democratic papers hardly any
two agree as to the stand of the party
on certain of the great political ques-
tions of the day. The st. Louis plat
form and the utterances of the party's
candidate have up to date beer admir-
ably suited to this sort of political
double dealing. On the money issue it
is very pie matter for the press and
the stump speakers in the sound
money sections of the country to rely
on Judge Rarker's telegram as basis
for an appeal to the voters to support
the Democratic party as a sound
money party, while in the silver
States they can point to the platform
of 1896 and 1900 and state, what is
undoubtedly true, that the platform of
1904 is silent on that question merely
for the ends of party harmony, and
leave the voters to draw their own
conclusions, or tell them boldly that
the party is for free silver as in the
past.
AS to the Philippines there is the
same happy opportunity for showing
different faces in different directions
and for trying to draw votes for OPP
posite reasons. Undoubtedly there is
a large number of Democratic voters
and probably great majority OF in
dependent voters, who approve of the
course of the Republican administra-
tions in dealing with the problems of
the Philippines. The Democrats,
therefore. are trying haro tc work
both ways with this proposition.
They desire to put forward an "anti-
imperialism" issue to please some.
and 70 drop it to please others. The
New York World and Brooklyn Eagle
represent the opposing ideas on this
subject and they are having very
pretty controversy. The following from
the Eagle shows the situation:
1.-THE World seeks to get for Judge
Parker the votes of all who do not like
the course of Mckinley and Roosevelt
toward Porto Rico and Philippines.
''The Eagle seeks to get for Judge
Parker the votes of all who like the
course of Mckinley and Roosevelt
toward those American dependencies
1.-THE World would apparently repel
from Judge Parker the votes of those
whom The Eagle would draw to him.
The World would also apparently have
Judge Parker in his letter of accept
ance repel the votes of those whom
The Eagle would attract
1.-THE Worlds success would lose
votes for Judge Parker. The Worlds
failure and the success of The Eagles
plan would gain for Judge Parker
votes he can get additional to the
votes he cannot fail to have.
Each paper interprets Judge Park
er's utterance on the Philippines in
favor Of it's own views. The World,
however, is inclined to be more honest
with the voters than the Eagle, and
demands that the candidate declare
himself squarely on one side or the
ObuoI, Wuil6 bilo I1hBlo bpp6dIS bhlls-
fed to let matters 60 on as they are
The former says that, Whatever the
result in attracting or repeiling votes,
the World would have the Demo-
cratic candidate be true to Demo-
cratic principles and honest and plain
spoken in defining his position.
Evidently there are some disadvan-
tages in trying to run campaign
with candidate who hides his real
opinions in fine sounding but non
oommittal phrases. Even Bryan was
never open to such criticism. People
knew what he stood for and voted ac-
cordingly. 1t all reverts back to the
old proposition of the known against
the unknown. 1t Is up to the voter to
decide between a party that stands on
Its honest record of things done and
being done, and one which dares not
point to what it has done and knows