6 Che Conservative *
* WOO JamesB.
KX-GOVEKNOK
HOYD. Boyd was elected
governor of Ne
braska. Ho is a democrat and the
only democratic executive the state ever
had. His administration , in point of
economy and honesty , has never been
surpassed. It stands out in marked
contrast with that of the sham reform
ers and populist plunderers , with which
the state has since been afflicted. When
Boyd was governor , there was every
indication that the democratic party
would remain for some time in control
of affairs in this state. But unhappily
for democratic success , Mr. Bryan soon
became a factor in Nebraska politics.
Instead of using his efforts to maintain
the party in power , to which he pro
fessed allegiance and which had so
splendidly conducted our state govern
ment , he aided populist candidates. In
1892 , it was well known that his sympa
thies were with , and he secretly aided ,
the populist nominee , thereby aiding to
intensify the defeat of the nominee of
the democratic party. In 1894 Mr. Bry
an defeated the nomination of a demo
crat by the democratic state convention ,
and secured the endorsement by that
convention of Silos A. Holcomb , the
populist nominee. He has , ever since ,
used the democratic party as a populist
annex , as an organization , the only
privilege of which was to second popu
list nominations. Those Nebraska dem
ocrats who are democrats from princi
ple , instead of for place and plunder ,
are filled with disgust because of this
pandering to populism and its vagaries ,
they have therefore renounced Bryan-
archy.
In the following interview , in the
Omaha Bee , ex-governor Boyd , who was
for many yeara a member of the demo
cratic national committee , voices the
opinion of all real democrats throughout
the state :
"With America , imperialism is im
possible. We have been acquiring ter
ritory ever since the government was
founded , yet this is not an empire. To
say that new territory added from time
to time will be followed by the acclama
tion of an emperor to rule over us is ab
surd. Bryan may deceive some of the
people by his far-fetched cry of imperi
alism , but the scare will not be of long
duration.
"I myself am opposed to the reten
tion of the Philippines. This nation
should never have
Opposed to
Expansion. attempted to place
the whole archipelago
pelage under subjection. We should
have defined a zone around Manila ,
within whose confines every foot of
ground should have been proclaimed
American territory forever. It should
have been fortified and defended as only
Americans could have done it. Our fleet
could and should have held the bay and
the straits leading to it , giving notice
that America would dominate the
waters contiguous to Manila. Our
methods of government , education , bus
iness , etc. , should have been forced upon
the inhabitants of the zone , including
the city of Manila , and it would not
have been long before the lamp of civil
liberty anl righteous government would
have leavened the whole loaf. The Fil
ipinos , seeing our progress and the
merits of our methods , would have
fallen into line in emulation.
"It is not too late to inaugurate such
a policy. When congress declared war
. . , . against Spain , the
Not too Lute. . . , ,
joint resolutions
contemplated a policy with respect to
Cuba which should have been observed
in dealing with the Philippines. The
problem will work its own solution in
time. It is not a subject of political
debate , and it is too soon to make of it a
party issue. When the Filipinos at
tacked our flag we had to fight , and the
army had to put down the forces oper
ating against us. The uselessness of
the conflict , however , is apparent. We
have cleared a zone of only about fifty
miles around Manila. Outside of that ,
our soldiers hold only the territory they
occupy , and when they move , the Filipinos
pines get in behind and regain posses
sion. This process may go on indefi
nitely. The American people will not
stand for it very long.
"The greatest mistake Bryan ever
made was to require the Kansas Oity
convention to reit-
ProBpcrity . . . . < „ . . ,
Is Here. erate the 1G to 1
silver free coinage
plank. He emphasized it beyond all
others , thus doing what the republicans
would have him do. It will cause Bry
an's defeat under heavier majorities
than were given four years ago. It was
sheer idiocy. Money was never so plen
tiful and the interest rate never so low.
Prices of farm products were never bet
ter , and the producers are getting gold
money for their products. Prosperity ,
everywhere in evidence , cannot be
talked down. It may not be due to Me-
Kinley , but it is possible under the pol
icy for which McKinley stands. "
VARIATIONS OF PUBLIC SENTIMENT.
During the post dozen years there has
been a stronger tendency towards sud
den and great changes in our politics
than had ever been known before. The
"tidal wave" for the democratic party
in 1890 , only two years after the repub
licans had elected the president and
house of representatives , was followed
in 1894 by an equally pronounced re
action against the democrats , who had
swept the country in 1892. Such
changes are due , in part , to the decline
of party allegiance , especially among
the republicans. Political tidal waves
affect the country as a whole , but the
less powerful currents produce effects
which vary in different sections. This
is due , in part , to the fact that , with
the growth of the nation , issues affect
different sections in different ways , and
that there are classes of voters and of
interests which arc particularly strong
in certain states.
It was very different when slavery
was the burning issue of our politics.
Then it was only a question of time
when the North , which had a prepon
derance of votes , would become practic
ally united against the slave-power. For
years after the war the old issue in the
new forms due to reconstruction main
tained its old force. But with its grad
ual subsidence new questions came to the
front which cut across party lines , and
which did not have the same bearing in
all parts of the country. For example ,
when protection became the republican
creed , the state of Pennsylvania was
very differently affected from the state
of Illinois. So , when the free coinage of
silver was pushed to the front , Colorado
had a direct financial interest in its suc
cess , while such a state as Massachusetts
felt that it meant ruin.
Even states which are in the same
section often respond very differently tea
a new appeal. Iowa and Nebraska ad
join each other , and both were formerly
sure republican states ; but populism
could never get any hold upon the form
er , while it has held sway in Nebraska
for six years. Kansas , which used to be
considered as much a republican strong
hold as Iowa , went for the people's party
( later known as populist ) in 1892 , and
did the same thing again in 1896. The
Dakotas were brought into the Union
with the idea that they would be repub
lican like their neighbor , Minnesota , but
only one of North Dakota's three elec
toral votes went to Harrison in 1892 and
South Dakota's four went to Bryan in
1896.
1896.Minnesota
Minnesota , by the way , illustrated in
the election for governor two years ago
the influence which race feeling may
exert. John Lind owes the governorship
to the support which he received from
Scandinavians who did not belong to the
democratic party , for all of the republi
can candidates for the minor places on
the ticket received pluralities of from
27,000 to 45,000 , while his on the other
ticket was 21,000. This exhibition of
race spirit did not affect a presidential
election , but in 1892 the democrats un
doubtedly profited much in Wisconsin .
and Illinois by the feeling which had
been aroused among the Germans and
other foreigners by school legislation
which they interpreted as an assault
upon their control over their children.
It was the uprising against the Bennett
law in Wisconsin which enabled the
democrats to carry the state for gover
nor in 1890 by so large a plurality as
28,820 , and but for what survived of the
feeling of resentment against the repub
licans in 1892 , Cleveland might have
failed to get his plurality of 6,470.
It is unnecessary to multiply illustra-