Show TilE THE CAMPAIGN OF 1900 By y Hon Hon W J Stone of ot Missouri in the te September Forum For If It McKinley Mcle should shoUd be reelected strengthened in his hi purpose by a a pop popular popular ular ula endorsement endorsement he would go for forward forward ward wa with wih this thi perilous perlou adventure aventure upon which he and his hi advisers have hae em embarked embarked barked bake the nation naton If I Bryan Brya should shoud be elected he would he has ha declared immediately convene congress in I ex cx extraordinary session and recommend 1 that we establish a stable govern government government ment In the Philippine islands as a we weare weare are ae doing in i Cuba 2 that we grant independence to the Filipinos as a we have have promised it to the Cubans 3 that we protect the Filipinos from out outside out outside side interference as a we protect the re ze republics r publics of Central and South America and as a we are pledged by the Mon Man Monroe Mono Manroe roe doctrine to protect Cuba Now as a to the te election electon What are Bryans Brans chances chace Wie While it is true te that aggregate popular plurality over ocr Bryan In 1896 exceeded 60 and ad that his electoral elector majority was wa 95 it Is i also ao true that a a change of 2073 votes properly distributed would hove have ha given Bryan Brya the states of California Delaware Indiana Kentucky North Dakota Oregon Oregon and West Vet Virginia Virgnia and that would have elected el him hIm A change of ot votes properly distributed distributed would have added Maryland to the Bryan Bran column In addition to the states st s named and ad thus given him the election electon by a majority of 23 2 in the electoral elector college Of the te eight states named a a part were carried by b only slight pluralities and the aggregate opposition vote ote not cast for either McKinley or Bryan amounted to 39 S of f which 1 J were gold Democratic votes cast cat for Palmer A study ol ot these figures makes it clear that the tle Republican victory of 1896 was wa not quite so sweeping as some would make mae it appear and when we reflect that at least half hal of the eight states named are ae ordinarily and nominally Demo Democratic Democratic cratic and that all al are fairly debat debatable debatable debatable able and when we further reflect that most of the gold Democrats Democrat who de deserted deserted sered the party pay in 1896 are ae disposed this year to support the ticket there is nothing in the returns of the last lat election electon to discourage Democrats In striving for a different result this year yea Again Agin In 1896 the Democratic party pa was wa in iii the throe of an a almost savage I conflict within Its own ranks Nearly of the delegates to the con convention convention 1 enton that year refused further to I participate in the proceedings of the convention after ater the adoption of the 1 platform and they afterward nomi nominated an independent Democratic ticket No such condition as a that ex cx e isis now Again Agin In I 1896 1396 an almost entirely new national committee was elected elete only one member of It ever having had any experience in the conduct of a national campaign This committee en upon the struggle without time for careful preparation without a tie dol lar in Its treasury with wih its party ranks pary divided to face fae not only the lican Hcan party paty and powerful with wih millions at its it command but to tc face also niso a hostile hostle faction faton of recal i trant tnt Democrats led by some reci of the ablest and most mo t influential men of the party part No such condition as a that ex cx exists c lt now Again AgIn The Te battle of fought almost wholly holy upon the one issue isue of ot silver siver coinage Bryan Bran Is not weaker upon that issue isse today than he was AVOS then In one sense he is stronger stronger in that all al who voted for him upon that issue in 1896 will WI vote for him In 1900 while many may who vote vote 3 against him on that issue in 1896 1395 will wil vote for him now From this it does wi not necessarily follow that those who thus change their votes to Bryan Bran ai at at this time have changed their opinion on the silver question queston but they will wil be moved to support him from other Wil considerations Again AgIn In a popular sense Bryan Bran ought to be stronger on the trust issue than tan McKinley McKnley and ad ought ou ht to tn gain gIn more moreon on that issue than tha McKinley All Al those interested in trusts who voted for for Mc Kinley in 1396 will wi vote for him again but since circumstances have agn forced the trust issue more prominently to the front it i Is 1 fair to say sy that many of those tose who voted for McKinley may In 1896 when this thi issue was wa less prOm prominent neat nent will Wil on this thI Issue i ue vote against him hint now Ba will wil lose nothing on this thi issue but will wl gain gin largely ant and loss los whatever he gains will wi be be j |