Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 September 1900 — BUSY SELLING HATS. [ARTICLE]

BUSY SELLING HATS.

WHY REPUBLICANS MAY BECOME OVERCONFIDENT. leaders Believe They Will Win, bat They* Are Working; Hard What May lie I'arainouul Issue—Bryan’* Weak Speech. [Special Chicago Letter.] The political situatiou, so far as the Republican outlook i& concerned, may be sized up lit one' word—overconfidence. The great trouble at the present moment is that everybody nearly, and especially the Republicans, are too busy making money, getting their crops in, earning good wages at their situations in the mills all over the country and, in short, feeling so very contented that one who comes along to talk politics finds little encouragement. The correspondence, the clippings from the newspapers, the private communications received from leaders in various states, all indicate that this danger of overconfidence is liable to be the great one. It ought to be said* however, that the officers of the Republican national committee are fully alive to this danger. They like to receive the reports of prosperity and the reports also that as many millions of voters as possible, especially Republican voters, are having a very good time of it financially. Rut they do not allow themselves to be lulled into any feeling of false security by this. The Republican leaders believe that they will win, but they are going to work harder and harder to bring about that consummation, and they propose to take no chances. One of the best advertisements ever written simply said: “No time to write advertisements—too busy selling bats.” That about expresses the present sit- j uation.

It is equally evident that the Republican leaders, orators, writers and workers of various kinds are going to chase no rainbows, that is because they are going to take no chances. You do not hear those who really know their political business saying that this or that is going to be a paramount issue. They know better than to make any such predictions. It seems to them that special issues are likely to have to be discussed —expansion, or imperialism, if the Democrats choose to call it that, free silver, possibly the Chinese war. • It is likely to be almogt anything, but whatever it is these same Republican leaders, orators, writers and other, workers are going to be ready. They are not going to be put on the defensive. They have been in power, they have had responsibilities. They made promises four years ago. They have fulfilled those promises. They do not believe that the opposition party, no matter how harsh its criticisms now and no matter how fair its promises, could have done better if it had tried, probably could not have done as well, having had less experience and, as everybody knows, having made but a sorry mess of it whenever it has had a chance to try before. So all the Republican workers are going to meet the Democratic workers more than half way. If expansion or “imperialism” is the issue, let the two platforms be compared. Bryan actually promises nothing that the Republicans are not now performing. He says, to be sure, that he would convene congress and establish a protectorate over the Philippines. He isn’t square enough to mention that this would take about the same kind of a standing army that we are now maintaining and to Which tie seems to object so strenuously. So with the silver issue he and all his followers will have a chance to explain whether Bryan if elected would not immediately put the country on a silver fcnsis by paying in silver, for he is permitted by law to pay in “coin.” And perhaps the paramount issue may be the Chinese war. If so, the Republican performance is a good enough augury for the future. It is about the platform of the gallant McCalla, who. if I remember correctly, said after the commanders of the allies hesitated about advancing: “We seem to have come to no conclusion in this conference, gentlemen, but my inlnister is in danger in Tekiug, and I am going there!" It is the exact truth to say that Mr. Bryan’s speech of acceptance was a disappointment here, greater to the Republican managers possibly than to the Democrats. lie really dealt In. platitudes so generously that there Is nothing tangible in it to attack or pick to pieces. Besides the platitudes there are of course innumerable high flown periods and no end of misstatements of fact, to say nothing of the stilted Aod chestnutty philosophy so called apparent in the whole thing. Such ns It ts, however, the Bryan speech of acceptance will be riddled to pieces as time goes on. It Is believed that voters everywhere—w|jo will of course h£t*b opportunity to read It everywhere—will pick it to pieces for themselves, tbemselves asking Questions at the end of ‘every sentence, asking what Mr.

Bryan would, actually do under the circumstances, what he really means, what of it if It is so, etc. Moreover, it is a cowardly speech, omitting all reference to silver and the overturn of tbe supreme court. In the face of the great danger of overconfidence there is one compensating advantage—the Republicans everywhere jtrejanltedL There is no factional difference anywhere in national politics, a fact perfectly attested by the unanimity with which the nominations were effected and the platform adopted at Philadelphia. There is no factional quarrel in any state. This condition, it is true, may be possible. For the time at least it adds still further to the feeling of overconfidence. On the other hand, a later result is almost sure to be that the full vote will come out in barmbny and enthusiasm for the regularly nominated candidates and the accepted statements of policy. The great hope of Republican success throughout the country is that the various committees and the various voters for themselves will see promptly and thoroughly into the real issues, will not be mistaken about them, will not try to substitute pretended principles for real ones, will not try to substitute untried men for tried and true ones, will not be frightened by bogie talk, but will be on their guard against the real dangers of the widespread Populist onslaught upon expansion (and with it prosperity), upon a stable currency Sysiem (and with it prosperity) and ts solid and patriotic devotion to the courts and “to law and order, which also mean prosperity.