The Commoner
FEBRUARY, 1921
pit stands upon its base, not upon its head. Any
reconstruction which must be made must come
from the bottom up."
If YV-UUU M Oijrfcli..iJicjP uumufty-- ....-. .-- -
actly a the oaso ol the Democratic party, yoi .
IwilL be conceded that he has been considerable
at a pillar xpr tweiy-Mve yuuvu. iiAAcnuw, v
fnfAmnnA that lie exnects to be in the Inner
Chambers when the reorganizing begins.
There was a well-defined reeling at tne meow
w nt Hntno of the nartv leaders in Wahington
Hast week that Mr. Bryan's hand was quite dis
cernible lu a. .movement to shake Ear-Governor
Cox's control by placing anti-Cox men at the
Fw"o1to nt fh natfonftl committee. No doubt Mr.
EnvvnTi ia nnnfflnf for tho time being to allow the
Icox managers to pay off the hard-pressing cam-
gpaign debts, when that is done tney may con-
pirfder their duties finished.
I Ex-Governor Cox insists on being accepted as
the party chief . He demands retention of control
rof the party machinery. He will not brook op
position, because he wants to be renominated,
land he is determined to grasp the honor. Cox,
Bike many other Democrats, believes there will
the something worth fighting for four years
lence. . . .
T nrrim n retain hlfl control. COX IS KOmK tO
to a lot of talking about party harmony. Mr.
Jryan will not be much excited oy mat.
f The Washington correspondent of the New
Work TTorald elves the names of a number of
prominent Democrats who are "off" Cox. These
men, the correspondent adds, have oeen in toucn
with William J. Bryan, and there are letters to
how that Mr. Bryan gives whole-hearted ad
herence to the plan to dethrone Cox and reor
ganize the national committee. Mr. Bryan told
tho coalition that Cox is "impossible," that the
ating position" only by relegating Cox to the
ranks and selecting a new chairman wno is not
f the Cox following; thpt he, Bryan, is prepared
to consider McAdoo a possibility four years
hence, but that a new man easily may come up
Krom nowhere, and that he can be counted on to
Slut in, his best licks for a general house-cleaning.
It Is readily apparent that while the country
watchine the course of the Harding adminis-
irfiHrm it. in croinsr to ho snlendidlv entertained
nfjr a most Interesting political game by the
iTWnnnr&ta Miami. Fla.r Herald.
"w- - 'r
THE BRYANS IN ACTION
The Bryans William. J. and Charles -W., his
brothers-rare busy with plans for reorganizing
Rhe Democratic party. They are proceeding up
rbn the proposition that, as the result of the No
vember cyclone, the party is pretty thoroughl
disorganized, and needs attention from the
around up. Hence they are considering the
situation in all of Its aspects, municipal, coun
ty, state and natidnal.
Charles W. Bryan has given out the latest
Interview on the subject:
"We . have been developing plans for thirty
Ways to have tho Democratic party deserve to
win the support of progressive forces. The plans
include, drafting of constructive national, state
and municipal legislative programs, represent
ing the consensus of opinion of the progressives.
; The legislative programs are being
developed by the students of governmental
needs and will be presented to the people. If
possible these platforms will be adopted in
county, state and national conventions. Selec
tion of state and national leaders will be de
termined at meetings called for that purpose.
lFhe time and place of meetings will depend on
'the organized opposition, if any."
This sounds like "business," and undoubtedly
means "business."
The brothers complement each other, and
Ltogether make a strong team. What William J.
lacks in taste and capacity for the details of or
Lganization, Charles W. supplies, and what
Charles W. lacks in eloquence and whooping-up
Equalities, William J. abundantly supplies.
Mr. Bryan denies a report that there is fac-
tionism in the movement. It is not aimed at
l'tho Tammany element" of the party. The light
in the window is ior an who may respond la
good faith and pledge support to the principle!
(enunciated.
If the democracy reorganizes on a Bryan ba&ia
Bhould it not make, and will it not be likely to
make, its next appeal under the familiar Bryan
leadership ? Washington Star.
tation of the Democratic, party. It was suggested
in these columns a, few days ago that when the
timo arrived for reorganization of the party that
the hand of Mr. Bryan would bo scon as well as
felt.
Mr. Bryan submitted as humbly as his dignity
would permit to the taking over of the party
by the Cox-Tcggart-Murphy crowd list summer.
He had Ms say in open convention a Ban Fran
cisco and then gracefully retired to the ranks.
No one in the ranks was less obtrusive. Tho
new captains drove tho old ship on the reefs, and,
in the language of that distinguished southern
senator, John Sharp Williams, "There she
sticks l"
But recently it appeared that the rising tido
and wilder waves might wreck tho remains.
There has been bitter warfare on Chairman
White. Somo of tho women of the party have
been bombarding him with requests for his resig
nation. An artist might paint the shipwreck
with the Cox-Taggart-Murphy crowd hanging
on one side and the McAdoo-Palmer-Cummmgs
faction clinging to the other, with William J.f
swimming to the rescue not to the rescuo of
either faction, mind you, but of the ship.
That, literally, is what is going ta take place
when the commoner's progressive platform is
announced. Tho Bryan plaur according to Judge
R. C. Roper, of Nebraska, is to reoganize tho
privates in the lines so as to develop an offc
tive lighting army. It is the aim of Mr. Bryan
td give control of the party to the middle clas3
-Democrats, leaving the generals' and captains to
take care of themselves.
It was not so much about tho plan of" reorgan
ization wo started out to speak, but more as to
the right of Mr. Bryan to take the reins. In
the races he made for the presidency ho polled
what may correctly be termed tho normal Demo
cratic vote that is, ho held the party together.
Wo all know what happened to Alton B. Parker.
The party went to smash. The two Wilson
campaigns can be properly classed as unusual.
In the first Wilson campaign, the Republicans
were split in two. The second Wilson campaign
was materially helped by war conditions. Then
came the Cox campaign. Glory be, the pieces
haven't yet been picked up. ,So, with consider
able accuracy, Mr. Bryan can claim, that while
he missed the goal, he left the party in reason
ably good condition. Probably at no time In its
history was the party more nearly in control
of the privates than In the Bryan campaigns.
If the generals and captains had stood their
ground, we might have now been speaking of our
beloved fellow citizens as" former President
Bryan.
There can be no question but that Maimi will
bo the center of deep concern on tho .part of
many Democratic leaders who led the party right
up the hill and right down again. They constant
ly will be anxious to know the thoughts of the
sage of Villa Serena, who' is less noted for h!a
serenity in politics thanvhe is in his homo life.
-Miami, Fla., Herald.
MR. BRYAN AND THE'DEMOORAT PARTY
No surprise JscauBod-by the newa from New
York that William J. Bryan and hia brother
Charles Bryan, have a program for tho rohabilv
FROM RDMOUIiE TO PRAISE
In the days before the world war the people
of all nations were trying to find a way to get
together in a great brotherhood of "nations, the
object being to make war practically impossible.
Responsive to the call of humanity for perma
nent peace, William J. Bryan, American secre
tary of state, evolved a plan to bring the na
- tions together in such a brotherhood. By the
strength of his great personality he actually in
duced more than thirty nations to enter into
treaties, under the terms of which no nation
could go to war with another nation until one
full year should elapse after a dispute should
have been submitted to other friendly nations
for arbitration.
Then came the war, Bryan droppod his peace
treaty talk, and declared that tho first duty of
every American should be to help win tho war.
After the War the demand for severe peace terms
with Germany was so strong that the gentle
peace terms which Mr. Bryan had proposed were
ridiculed.
But tiowhow changed tho drift of opinion!
The despised and rejected peace plans proposed
by Bryan are again receiving attention, and it
may be that the world win yet solve the prob
letns of the world war in harmony with tha
peace views of Mr. Bryan, and that the plan
of the diplomats across the sea to tie the Amor
lean eagle to the tail of the European kite may
be displaced by the common sense and humant-
tarian peace plans proposed by Bryan.
-Recently there appeared in the Houston
(Toxas) Chronicle the following remarkable re
Tiewvof the life- and peco efforts t Mr. Bryan,
clearly Indicating that President Harding may
yet espouse the Bryan peace policies. The
Chronicle article reads a follows:
"What an anomaly William Jenniags Bryan
has become in American politics, what a unique
figure. Who has been so often or so repeatedly
rejected from a partisan standpoint? Who has
found it bo difficult to gain ofice by election ?
Yet who has more distinctly atape hi per
sonality on the drift of events?
"It has been said of several Americans that
they wore too great for the presidency. It may
bo too early for that to be said of Bryan yot it
would not be surprising to find him ranked with
Webster, Calhoun and Clay, in this particular,
at somo future day. Since his appearance or
tho national stage in 189 G he has fathered many
reforms. Most of them have found a more or
loss definite expression in our political views.
"Scarcely ono but what was received with
smiles, if not ridicule, at tho outset, yet how
many of tho Bryan suggestions are wo not fol
lowing out right now?
"Under such circumstances, is it surprising
that ho should bo called into consultation by the
Republican president-elect, especially on a mat
tor ho Is so earnestly interested in, and on which
ho Is sot woll qualified to speak, as world peaco.
"How woll many remember hia arbitration
treaties when thoy were first announced. What
a makeshift thoy scorned. But wo were all tenso
and rigid then, preferring inflexible things, -because
of tho influence of a great tragedy in the
making.
"As tho war developed, we grew moro-tense
and rigid, moro in favor of iron-bound methods,
more amendable to arbitrary, unbending super
vision. Emerging from tho gigantic struggle, we
looked with enthusiasm on tho hard and brittle
covenant presented for our consideration. Wo
wanted only a peaco pact, but, such a pact as no
nation could possibly overstep.
"In this mood. Bryan's arbitration treaties
seemed more tenuous, moro impotent than ever,
and the thought of what they might havo ac
complished, or what thoy might still accomplish,
was qufctjtly forgotten.
"Now, however, it suddenly comes to the sur
face again, and with redoubled force. Even Mr.
Root says he is not so sure, but what it offers the
safest foundation on which ta build, and President-elect
Harding is so impressed that he wishes
to get the whole idea from the lips of Bryan
himself.
"None of un can foretell the outcome of all
his controversy over the best method by which
to inaugurate a pormanont movement for world
peace. There is a mighty jangling of opinions,
and a mightier web of cross purposes to be
cleared away.
"But, and this Is not tho point wa started out
to make, It la paradox of paradoxes that Mr.
Bryan should be sitting among national consel
lors again, especially with the Republicans la
power."
Driven out of tho cabinet by a Democratic
president, because ho could not reduce himself
to a level of a rubber sbjlmp; branded by the
administration and by the newspaper voice of
Big Business as a political outcast; his peace
plans ridiculed and rejected as the dream of
a dreamer, suddenly he comes before tho eye
of the world again, and today he is holding a
plaoe first among the statesmen of the world.
So appealing now are his humanitarian plans
that it seems quite probable that no manner of
league of nations can be consummated which
shall not carry th$ soul of the Bryan peaco plans
into the organic law of such a league.
Ridicule does not kill. It ridicule were fatal
why, if it were a deadly thing, Bryan would
havo died in 189G and every day since thejk.
If ridicule could kill why, if it were a deadly
thing, I should have died every morning before
breakfast during the past thirty years poisoned
by the sting ot the asps of error, and all pe
causo through all those years I have held fast
to tho pure principles ot gorarnment which that
remarkable man has proclaimed, darfn.g. al
ways, and happy in this hour, to hail him as my
brother and my friend. Edgar Howard, in
Columbus, Neb., Telegram.
JERSEY HOUSE FAVORS EIGHTEENTH
AMENDMENT
On January 24 the New Jersey house adopted
a concurrent resolution for ratification othe
Federal Prohibition Amedment by a voto of SI to
4. At tho same session the Houso unanimously
repoaiod Governor Edward's S.BO per cent beer
bill enacted last year, Oa tho same day the
Now Tork assembly voted down a request to
congress to logalhtft the manufacture and sale of
wlner and beer by & vote ot 71 to 42. American
Issue,
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