demanded the repeal of the Sherman Act in 1892 stood for free coinage of
silver at 16 to 1 in 1896 and 1900. The Republican party which advocated
international bimetallism in 1884, condemned the Democratic party in
1888 for trying to demonetize silver and endorsed bimetallism in 1892,
favored "sound money" and international bimetallism in 1896 and renewed
its "allegiance to the principle of the gold standard" in 1900.

The Republican platform of 1860 branded "the recent reopening of the
African slave trade, under the cover of our national flag, aided by
perversions of judicial power, as a crime against humanity." The
Democratic party in its platform of 1896 expressed its disapproval of
the Income Tax decision of the United States Supreme Court and in both
1896 and 1900 condemned "government by injunction." With these
exceptions neither party has ever expressed its disapproval of any
exercise of authority by the Federal judiciary.

Neither of the great parties has ever taken a stand in favor of an
income tax, government ownership of the railroads or the telegraph, or,
if we except the declaration in favor of direct election of United
States senators in the Democratic platforms of 1900 and 1904, advocated
any important change in our system of government.

Let us now inquire how far the results of a general election can be
regarded as an expression of public opinion upon the questions raised in
the party platforms. Does a popular majority for a party mean that the
majority approve of the policies for which that party professes to
stand? It is generally assumed by the unthinking that this is the case.
But such a conclusion by no means follows. If there were but one
question at issue between the parties and every vote was for principle,
not for particular candidates, the policy of the successful party would
have the approval of the majority. But when the party defines its
position on a number of issues this is no longer true. Take, for
instance, the Democratic and Republican platforms of 1900, the former
containing twenty-five and the latter twenty-nine separate articles in
its party creed. Does a majority vote for a party indicate that the
majority approve of the entire platform of that party? No thoughtful
person would maintain for a moment that all who support a party approve
of its entire platform. In the case of the Republican party in 1900, one
large class of its supporters who believed the money question to be
para