Che Conservative , 5
descript organization of political odds
and ends.
The populist managers realized their
advantage , and wore merciless in the
use of their power. The permanent
chairman of the convention told the
story of the organization and its suc
cesses in converting democracy. Speak
ing of the Ohicngo convention of 181)0 ) ,
h declared , with entire truth , that "the
spirit of populism sat upon their throne
and in their convention , and under the
name of democracy they commenced a
contest for populist principles , embody
ing in their platform nearly every one of
the paramount issues that has been de
clared in the people's party platform of
four years before. " Recalling the fact
that Alexanders and Ciusars , after their
wars of triumph , led their most distin
guished captives before the assembled
rejoicing multitude , ho says , that , "if
the people's party were to indulge in
such a parade , they would have the right
to load in procession before the assembled
people and the government as the
chief and greatest captive the demo
cratic party and the platform they had
adopted. "
Democracy Apparently Helpless.
The captive is far more helpless in
1)00 ! ) than in 189G. Four years ago the
democrats could at least claim that they
took the initiative in the matter. They
nominated Bryan on the 10th of July ,
while the populist convention did not
meet until the 22ud. This year the
democratic convention will not assemble
until the 4th of July , while its pre
destined candidate for president was
nominated by the populists the other
day.
day.The
The very spread-eagleism of nomina
ting oratory was so thoroughly monop
olized at Sioux Falls in May that the
leavings will be stale by July at Kansas
. What so-called democratic
City. - sena
tor can equal So .ator Allen as eulogist
when the Nebraska populist has already
pronounced Bryan "a statesman of ripe
experience , a philosopher and orator
without a peer on this or any other
continent" ; "clearly the greatest Amer
ican citizen of the age" ; "this magnifi
cent man , this matchless statesman , hero
and orator ? " Whence can there go to
Kansas City any rival of "Cyclone"
Davis , the unique product of Texas pop
ulism , with his impassioned declaration
that "wo are ready to give Bryan our
votes again ; yea , more , we are ready to
worship at his shiine and give to him
the hot blobhonis of a noble surrender as
the only hope , the only Falvation of this
nation" ? And who will have the as
surance to try his tongue at a hopeless
task after such an authority on tongues
as Butler , the populist senator from
North Carolina , has rendered the ver-
f
diet that "there are times when the human
t
man tongue can grow eloquent in paint
ing the sterling growth of some great
character whose virtues are not fully
known to the world , but when the duty is
involved upon any man to attempt to express -
press with human tongue anything to
add to the greatness , the sterling worth
of such a men as William J. Bryan the
human tongue is not equal to the task ? "
MiiNt Endorse u I'opullnt.
The truth is that there is nothing loft
for the Kansas City convention in this
matter of a presidential candidate ex
cept to say "Ditto. " As regards a plat
form , the populists have also saved the
democratic convention a good deal of
trouble. Here is to be found the reaffirmation -
affirmation of the demand for free silver
coinage , which was the corner stone of
the Chicago platform four years ago and
has been reaffirmed in many democratic
state conventions during the last few
weeks. Here , too , is a fresh plank which
is sure of endorsement at Kansas City , de
nouncing the gold standard act recently
passed by Congress as "the culmination
of a long series of conspiracies. " An
anti-injunction resolution is ready for
transfer bodily to the democratic plat
form. Indeed , there are but few in the
long list of principles which are not now
"good democratic doctrine , " as such
doctrine is interpreted by the new school
of leaders.
A Humiliating ; Spectacle.
There was one thing that the populist
leaders might have forborne to do , but
they would not. They wore forcing the
democrats to accept their candidate for
president. They were framing a plat
form which must bo endorsed in its es
sential features at Kansas City. Should
they name also a candidate for Vice-
President , and try to deprive the demo
cratic convention of control over any
thing ? There were men at Sioux Falls
who inclined to the side of mercy. They
favored the idea of making up a roll of
statesmen , and allowing the democrats
the privilege of a choice among them.
But the advocates of moderation were
outvoted two to one , and ex-Congress
man Towne of Minnesota was nomina
ted for vice-president. The democrats
can either take him or make themselves
responsible for two tickets again
Bryan and Towne , and Bryan and
It is a humiliating spectacle which is
now presented by what was once the
democratic party , with populism thus
firmly seated in the saddle. It is a
national misfortune that , instead of the
powerful opposition to the existing ad
ministration which should always ex
ist , wo see a once great party shorn of
its old influence and claims to respect ,
and mere tender of an organization
which the country detests. Now York
Evening Post.
"MODKKN" SCHOOL MKTIIODS.
It is not popular in this ago of prog
ress and modern methods and ideas to
even suggest that , perhaps , the strides
may have been a little too rapid in some
directions. Nevertheless if the objec
tion that is being urged in some of the
cities to the work accomplished by the
schools which have gone to the extreme
of so-called "modern" methods of in
struction are well founded there is am
ple reason for asking if after all some of
the old plans were not good enough.
The Washington Star holds up the
public school system of the District of
Columbia to ridicule. Bad spelling , in
accurate arithmetic , chaotic history ,
weird conceptions of government , slip
shod English and unsystematic punctu
ation are some of the prominent charac
teristics of a recent school exhibition.
The Star adds : "If this bo the product
of the so-called 'nature' method of
teaching , the quicker the schools are
taken from nature and restored to man
the better for the rising generation. "
But the people of Washington are not
alone in an uprising against "modern"
methods of school instruction. The people
ple of Chicago complain that the child
ren come out of the schools of that city
with some smattering of divers sciences ,
perhaps , but without knowing the mul
tiplication table , the common rules of
grammar , or how to spell the ordinary
vocabulary of Chicago when they at
tempt to write a letter.
They attribute this ignorance to the
later notion , that to memorize things is
not education , but that what is really
needed in schools is the development of
the reasoning powers. So the old fash
ioned tasks of committing things to
memory like the multiplication table ,
spelling , and the primary grammatical
rules , are remitted to the Chicago and
Washington boys and girls and their
minds are developed by discussions of
philosophy , psychology , botany and
metaphysics. But the results are evi
dently not satisfactory.
Bad spelling , unreadiness in "figur
ing" and the habitual mangling of the
English language in writing and speak
ing , are colossal drawbacks to the
graduates. St. Joseph Herald.
The Granger spent a few hours in
Nebraska City on Monday last and took
time to visit the school for the blind
where wo found Elder Harris on duty
and everything in order. Wo also had
a visit with that erring brother , J.
Sterling Morton , who showed us through
the Morton printing establishment and
talked perfectly rational except when
speaking of Bryan and the money ques
tion. About Nebraska City are a num
ber of plants in all of which is heard the
hum of industry and thrift , and these
plants stand as monuments of the energy ,
enterprise and sagacity of the man con
ducting ouo of the greatest printing
establishments in the west and at the
same time piloting THE CONSERVATIVE ,
not around , but straight through
threatening roofs , billows and breakers.
Auburn Granger.
