New-York tribune., 1908-07-28
THE INDEPENDENCE PARTY.

The anxiety OF MI Bryan ana MS ffifVps
efforts for the last two years to conciiiafe Mr.
Hearst and effect alliance with him indl-
cate clearly enough what is the expected
consequence of the launching Of Hearst na-
tionaI party with candidates Of its own it
cannot have any other result than the ies-
sening of the chance of Mr.. Bryans electi"h.
In this state the Hearst party last year pohed
about one hundred thousand votes mostly drawn
from sources usually friendly to the Democratic
party In Indiana. which AIr. Bryan hopes 10
carry with the aid of his colleague upon the
ticket Mr.. Hearst has organization. ana MS
candidates will surely draw few thousand sup
norters away from the Democratic ticket. IN
Illinois which is also in the centre Of the west
ern battle-ground. Mr.. Hearst. with his Chlcaso
newspapers, has built up a consderapIe ioilo"-
ing In California, for which Mr.. Bryan makes
a bid with his alien exclusion plank Mr. hearSt
also has such support to send the Delhocrauc
hopes gIimmering So, leaving MASSACHUSETTS
out of consideration. the Hearst party is strong
est where it can do the Democracy the most
damage-that is, IN the states which Mr. Bryan
must regard as doubtful if he has any hopes OF
election.
Aside from Its capacity TO injure Mr. Bryan
the new party movement does not look very
promising Indeed. it seems unlikely that tne
Hearst party will even show its past strehGih.
II is hardly probable, for instance, that IL Will
poiI in Massachusetts anything like the Vo'e 1t
did last wear. when ii was numerlcaH! secohu
10 the Republican party. or, again, that II VIII
aouaJ in New York its record of last fall This
- hacarsa Mr. Hearst cannot keep his support
ers in line against Mr., Bryan. Already there
ara Indications iT Brooklyn of shift 10 the
Nahrasksn with whom voters who followed MT
Hearst in the past naturally IN synipaIh!'
This detection will probably not be large enough
TO make the Independence party movement neg
ligihle 10 Mr. Bryan's managers, but ii may well
cause the new party 10 make very poor snow
ing on Election Day and reduce 1t TO Ihe class ol
/ the hopeless minor parties
There seems no reason why the independence
marty should be taken seriously except by Mr..
Rrran New and powerful parties have sprung
nm I'm the mast history of the country, and IL Is
the custom of Mr. Hearst and the writer's OF MS
nolitical broadsides 10 point TO the analogy OF
the Republican party as an inspiration 10 the
hesitatIng But new parties OF real strength
come into being in response TO genuine heeu'
when important issues are before the pubhc
which the existing parties have not the courage
or the intelligence to face squarely- But search
of the Independence partys many declarations
of nrinciples hitherto published fails to reveal
env definite thing for which it stands and for
which the other parties Go not stand as wen
! or better II has no vital issue when mas peeh
neglected by the two other parties
II is hard 10 guess at just what is the ooJecI
Of Mr. Hearst and his advisers in entering the
national field with independent nominations It
is suggested that the motive is a desire TO be
revenged upon Mr. Bryan for his failure to sup
/ mort Mr. Hearst in 1904. But If the New YORK
| or has further ambitions in the Democratic party
sucb a course will merely sow future enmity IN
! his pathway It may be that the Hearst sue
cesses In Massachusetts last year and IN the
| New York Mayoralty campaign of 1903 nave
been viewed too optimistically by him, and that
n sensationaly large vote is expected from the
entrance of the party upon a larger field vote
which will inevitably stamp the party as one OF
| the future II may be. TOO, that Mr. Hearst and
| his advisers expect, as many others nave e&-
nected the breakup Of the Democratic party,
and that he hopes to put its successor in Inc
/ field That is poor speculation The Demo-
| cratic party may decay, TO be sure, If in one
| campaign the radical wing controls it and IN the
next the conservatives try their fortunes with it.
No party can preserve the respect of the people
through such an oscillation of convictions. But
if the Democracy makes no more such expert
ments as that of 1904. waiting for its death and
the inheritance of its place will be long and
fruitless.