The Washington herald., 1916-06-21

oidate himself TO accept them. II rec
osnlzed the coinage issue as the chief
question Of the moment and was willing
mat he should be its spokesman in that
Parties were singularly confused and
broken. Two weeks after the Democratic
convention a considerable body Of Re-
puohcans, advocates Of the free coinage
OF silver, rejected in the counseIs Of their
own party. assembled in convention At
81. Louis, calling themselves the National
Silver party. and there IN their turn in
Corsed the candidacy and the views OF
Mr.. Bryan.
Early in September an influential body
OF men out OF the Democratic ranks
came together in convention az Indian
apolis, calling themselves the National
Democratic party, and formulated once
more what conservative ren believed to
be the true traditional doctrines Of the
Democratic party upon questions Of
taxation, revenue, and coinage.
Men OF strong party faith hardly knew
which way TO turn The great deep
seemed broken up. old landmarks swept
away. parties merged. confused. dis
persed.
Only the Republican party preserved its
full historical identity. Its opponents
were united in novel, uncertain, motley
assembly; it was at least compact and
definite.
The money issue seemed the only issue
OF the campaign. Party orators spoke
often Of other things. but upon that they
grappled in close. stubborn, inpass STONED
argument The country had never seen
such a struggle to rule opinion. Such
excitement, such a stirring Of the moral
and intellectual forces Of the country, on
the one side as II to regenerate society, on
the other as II TO save IL from disruption,
had never before marked a political cam
paign.
The election even Of 1850 had been pre-
ceoed by no such fever Of agitation. The
Democrats and their allies had the dra-
matte advantage. Their candidate made
a gallant figure wherever he moved. and
went up and down the country. as nc
presidential candidate before him had
ever done to give the people his OWL
striking version Of the doctrines he
preached To the excited crowds which
pressed about him he seemed q sort O.
knight Grant going about to redress the
wrongs OF a nation There could be nc
Histakins his earnestness or his convtc.
uon or the deep power OF the motives to
which he appealed. His gifts were those
of the practiced orator, his qualities those
OF the genuine man Of the people His
strong. musical voice carried his mesa ge
10 the utmost limits Of any throns. anc
rang in a tone which warmed mems
blood. There could be no doubling the
forces Of conviction which lay back OF
him. Very likely there were many char.
.atans in the convention which nominated
him, and men who acted upon mere ex.
pediency, but the crowding ranks in that
hall had been made up for the most part
OF men who deeply believed every word
OF the radical programme they put forth:
and the great throngs out-of-doors who
cheered the sentences OF that platform
with full-throated ardor cheered because
they also believed
No one could deny that the country had
fallen upon evil times. that the poor man
found it harder than ever to 1--we. and
that many a law needed 70 be looked into
which put the poor at q disadvantage
The country teemed with men who found
themselves handicapped in all they tried
to do-they could but conjecture why. Il
was no new thing that multitudes, and
mulutudes Of sensible men at thai, should
think that the remedy lay in making new
laws Of coinage and exchange
The battle was to be won by argument
not by rtdicule or terror or mere stub.
bornness Of vested interest
Tomorrow An Industrial Revo-