The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-26
rHE NEWS IS MIsTAKEN.

THE NEWS IS MISTAKEN.
 If we are not seriously mistaken. The Chattanooga News has let large sized feline out of the bag. It discusses the fact that Democratic conventions in New York, Pennsylvania and elsewhere have made no reference to silver coinage or to imperialism. It thinks these omis- sions mean something and says:
 To our mind, however. they mean a great deal. They mean, in the first place, that the Democrats of the East are going to stand for new issues. They will line up at St. Louis for platform of living issues that have not been buried twice in defeat. If they do that and carry the day, bolt is as sure as anything can well be in politics. The Southern and Western Democrats will not stand for it. They will insist on cy in the Philippines. and at least de- claring for bimetallism. If they are de- nied that concession there will be two Democratic tickets in the field this year head the bolt then and there, and the chances are that his ticket will get more votes in November than the other. We trust such a condition will not arise, but there is good opportunity for 1t.
 The News, we believe has always been an ardent Bryan follower. but of late 1t has shown a disposition as we thought, to abandon it's radicalism. which Is an- other name for Bryanism. and fall into line with the conservative Democrats throughout the country in an effort to harmonize the party on winning policy. This latest deliverance doesn't look much like 1t. however If 1t means anything 1t means that if the St. Louis platform refuses to declare for the free coinage of silver Mir. Bryan and his followers will bolt. The demand for a declara- ton for bimetalism is a subterfuge, for, if we are to judge from the tenor of the fled with nothing less than the reafirma- tion of his exploded financial theories, and 1t is useless to suppose that the St. Louis convention will be guilty of any such form of suicide. Neither Is 1t req sonabie to expect that the convention will worry itself much over the question | of the Philippines or over other foreign acquisitions. No issue can be made on imperialism, and If MT. Bryan expects the convention to adopt his radical mo- tions on either that or free silver he may as well do his bolting in advance.
 But when The News declares with so much positivity that the Southern States will insist on some form of endorsement of Bryans financial ideas, or that 1t must make an issue on the Philippines, The News is simply mistaken. Whatever the West may do the South has gotten very | far on the road back to sanity and sound | Democracy and is not going to kick out | of the traces to gratify the intolerance of Mr. Bryan. The Democrats who will go to St. Louis from the South will be conservative men, who will be very far from marking back to 1900 for platform material There is too much in the present that Is real, and too much in the | future demanding attention, for South ern Democrats to waste time or hazard the success of the ticket by hunting af- ter rainbows or demanding impossibIil- ties. They have gotten away from that kind of foolishness.
 Nor Is The News any nearer correct when it predicts that a boltlng ticket headed by Bryan would possibly get more votes than would a regular ticket put out by the conservative Democracy of the country. We decline to believe anything of the kind. Leaving out all other considerations, if Southern Demo- crats have any regard for consistency they cannot desert the regular ticket
 In 1896 there was "bolting ticket" as
 they termed 1t. nominated by Democrats
 who couldn't swallow free silver. The
 ticket, the platform and those who were
 behind them were all soundly Democrat
 ic. yet comparatively few Southern Dem ocrats declined to vote the regular ticket
 These matters are all fresh in the
 no other consideration, this would be
 enough to kill bolting ticket. But 1 that is not the only or the principal req
 son why such scheme would fail. A
 vast majority of Southern Democrats are
 now satisfied that the policy advocated
 by Bryan was wrong in theory and
 would have been disastrous in practice. | They are ready, wiling ana anxious to
 vote for a good man on a sound con- servative Democratic platform. That
 man will be Judge Parker. and the St,
 Louis convention will be composed of the
 best Democrats in the land. It will be composed partly of Democrats who could not endorse platform and candidates in 9t
 and partly of men who have become con- vinced of past errors and are willing
 to rectify 1t. Between them they will
 give us a ticket and platform which all
 Democrats could and should support
 They will support 1t. The voice of the
 charmer. in the person of Bryan. has
 lost it's power. They see in him an ob-
 structionist. an irreconcileable and q
 radical. They will not follow him out
 of the party. The News should gel