The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1904-07-02
ma APPROAcHINd CONVENTION


ton will be presented at St. Louis
Tue Parker element aud the Bryan
element, II these are admissible
names for the %contending forces, are
each believed to be strong enough to
prevent the nomination ola candidate
acceptable to the other, but neither is
strong enough to secure it for itself.
According to the immemorial rule
Of democratic conventions, 1t takes a
two thirds vote to make a presidential
nomination. Meanwhile it takes only
a majority vote to adopt a platform.
1t is said to be the intention Of those
who oppose the nomination Of an
Eastern man, II the worst comes to
the worst, to adopt a platform upon
which the Eastern candidates cannot
stand. This may be only a malicious
surmise Of the metropolitan press, but
certain It is that resentment toward
those failed to support Bryan in '9s
or 1900, or who gave him only a feeble
support, will be an active principle
10 the convention, especially among
Western leaders. The strangest sit
uation is likely to present itself 10
this connection. Bailey Of Texas,
Tillman Of South Carolina, Daniels OF
Virginia, Williams OF Mississippi and
a score Of other Southern leaders who
we're thoroughly loyal to Bryan and
free silver In '96 and 1900 will be
found In the Parker column, while
Gorman, who Of all the national lead.
ers now in public life was least in
sympathy with Bryan, will be found
lined up with the Bryan forces tn
defeat the nomination Of the New
Yorker, who supported the Nebraskan,
though not very alphabetically, on
both occasions. The fifty two dele.
gates from Illinois will come instruct
ed for Hearst, though they we're
named by John P. Hopkins, an anti
Bryan man, who defeated Carter
Harrison and the Bryan forces in the
state convention,
1t is impossible to forecast with any
degree of certainty what a convention
so constituted will do. The South
will doubtless line up with the East,
for the South is chiefly interested 10
issues 10 which the friendship OF the
East is more important to it than the
friendship Of the West. But the
South may be depended upon to behave
wisely and moderately, There will
be nothing Viudictive in its action,
whatever that action may be The
South is both weary and afraid Of
RooseveltIsm. The South has known
for forty years that the Socalled para
mount issues were transient and not
paramount at all. 1t has clearly
realized that the one permanent and
paramount issue between the
democracy and republicanism is
whether this is a government regu.
lated by a constitution or limited only
by Stewards indefinite "Higher Law"
or bI-metaliSm or silver or gold
monometalism it has a choice, but 1t
considers this a purely economic queS-
tion of far less interest than that of
race domination. 1t distinguishes as
neither the people Of the East nor
those of the West do between expan-
sion and colonialiSm. 1t looks upon
the tariff as a constitutional question
while the people Of the North and Of
the West regard it as an economic
question. The South has little faith
Ia legislature nostrums, but lives 10 a
PRESIDENT dread Of the evils Of a
meddlesome government without con.
stitutional limitations. AS a result
of the war between the states the
the tail has been wagging the dem
ocratic dog for the last half
century. In recent years IL has be.
cjme a forked tail; and the question
now is whether the Eastern fork or
the Western fork is to do the wagging
However this may be, it remains and
will long remain true that the fate Of
democratic doctrines rests with the
South. 1t is the South that has the
frmeSt grip upon the eternal veritIes
OF democracy The maintenance pure
and undetiled Of the faith of Jefferson
depends far more on the John Sharpe
Wililamses than upon all the organs
and Clevelands and Parkers inAmerica
1t remains TO be seer whether this
con vention will do the best that can