Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 October 1898 — FROM 1896 TO 1898 [ARTICLE]

FROM 1896 TO 1898

CAMPAIGN OF 1896 A NOTABLE EVENT IN AMERICAN POLITICS. Hugo Corruption Fund of the Republicans Turned Over to Mark Hanna—England's Interest In the Welfare of the' United States Not Entirely Unselfish. Will Be No Division of Democrats la Indiana This Year. The campaign of 1896 was in all regards a notable event In American politics. It was practically a single issue campaign, which may be variously stated without doing violence to history. It was a campaign of bimetallism against monometallism, a campaign of Demooracy against plutocracy, a oampaign of the silver dollar against the single gold standard and a oampaign of America against England and all foreign nations whioh seek to shape the financial polioy of the United States of Amerioa. It was a notable campaign in other regards. To defeat the honestly expressed Will of the Amerioan people, a huge corruption campaign fund was created by the liberality of trusts and placed in the hands of Marcus Aurelius Hanna, a political knave, for distribution “where it would do the most good.” That is to say, where its debauching influence would secure. the largest number of votes for McKinley. And that its potency was all that was expected by those who supplied the money, goes without the saying. History repeats itself. The oampaign of 1898, though not “national” in the sense that the oampaign of 1898 was national, is neverthe less, national, because it is a campaign in whioh bimetallism—silver and gold, free and unlimited coinage of silver vs. demonetization—and the United States against dictation from any foreign power relating to our financial policy is up for debate and decision at the polls. We have heard much of late of England’s anxiety to form some so# of an alliance with the United Statflk, upon the theory that the two nations, banded together, would be able to sway a 'soepter of universal empire. England cares nothing about our form of government, nothing whatever, whether it is democratic or plutocratic; she simply wants to know if the financial policy of the country is in consonance with her views upon that important subject. If the United States, under the sway of British influence and British gold, creates and maintains the gold standard, British statesmen discover in that one fact that the United States has yielded to her superior will, and that being ONE on the gold standard question v tho chief obstacle to some other form of alliance is removed, and evidently looks forward with serene complaioenoy to a time when our Benedict Arnolds will stand forth as the chiefs of our trusts and syndicates when they exploit their views in and out of congress, and British spies, instead of being arrested and hang, will oontinue their quest for American girls, the daughters of our Arnolds, and oarry their matrimonial swag to England to build and repair castles and bring the two nations into such harmonious relaunder the gold standard, that in case of an election of a president, the Rothohilds and British lords, barons and other titled aristocrats will contribute as liberally to a corruption fund as any of the pards of Hanna, or any of the pets of the Dingley law. It were supreme folly to mince mat

ters. Ttie patriotic men of UMfUnited States are engaged in a war of emancipation from British domination, in shaping a Unanoial policy, a policy ruinous to the producing classes of the country, and which, as has been repeatedly declared in congress and out of ooagress by capable men, as a policy ‘which plaoes the liberties of the people and oar free institutions in peril. It is known, and has been repeatedly declared, that those who are working to permanently establish the gold standard in the United States are cheek by . jowl, hand in hand, with the money barons of England and are, therefore, obnoxious to the oharge of being American tories working to establish British supremaey in our fmanoial policy, to create and perpetuate a gold standard, as treasonable to the welfare of our people as if the demand were made to tear from its anchorage the constitution and substitute for it au edict of the autocrat of Russia. What is there to prevent the consummation of a scheme so nefarious in its woof and warp ? The answer is, nothing under heaven bnt the patriotism, the integrity, the independent spirit and intelligence of the American peopfo It were felly to deny that in 1896 a large number of Democrats in Indiana abandoned the Democratio party. They had been good and true and strong and Democrats. They Were, doubtless, conscientious and belisved that they were acting for the best, at least suoh is the generous theory of thousands of their old comrades, who, as Joseph E. McDonald was wont to say, “have fought a hundred battles for the Demooratio party, and never one against it.” And now, if reports are true, thousands of these Democrats who wandered away are eoming back to the old fold. Nothing could be more natural, or more in keeping with the eternal fitness of things. They have found the Republican camp unhealthy, as pestilential and objectionable as Colonel Studobaker’s description of Camp Tampa. As a oampaign manager they cannot Indorse Mark Hanna, and as for MoHinley, his piety is as full of blowholes as Carnegie’s armorplates. Memories of the good old Demooratio ships, on whose quarterdeck Jefferson and Jackson had walked in command, was too sacred to be thrown into the limbo of Republican odds and ends, and 1,000 times, doubtless, during their captivity they remembered the old battleship bearing the “Flag of the free hearts’ hope and home,” cleared for action and bearing down upon the enemy, and recalled the shouts of Demooratio hosts as Victory after victory was gained for. good government, they have resolved to return fc& their old home, and who so blind and bigoted as to say them, *‘nay.” Not one, let themoome to swell the chorus, when in fancy the good old ship, that has withstood the > gales and the billows is seen with vision almost divine, and when Demooratio hoßts in ohoras, exclaim: We know what master laid thy keel, What workmen wrought thy ribs of steel. Who made each mast, and sail and rope. What anvils rang, what hammers beat, In what a forge dud what a heat Were'shaped the anchors of thy hope.. And the Demooratio party united, unified in purpose and determined to win, Will be found invincible.