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In proportion as It Jias In its composition this
ingrodlont of tho direct action of tlio citizens.
It would oliminato tho olcctivo despotism which
has dovoloped to such an alarming extent the
country over, and to again quote Jefferson, An
olcctivo despotism is not tho form of govern
ment wo fought for.'
"Thoro is not an nrgumont against tho initia
tive and referendum which cannot with equal
force bo mado against domocracy. So lot us
bo honest with ourselves. If wo believe in an
autocracy, an aristocracy or a plutocracy, let
us say so. But if wo still beliovo in a republic,
a domocracy tho rule of tho people to attack
tho means which will again restoro that rulo
and make Its continuance possiblo is folly.
"H. B. MAURER."
"Now York, April 15."
Friendly and Unfriendly
OMAHA DAILY NEWS, INDEPENDENT
' "Whatever his rank an statesman, philosopher
And orator and h6 has no mean rank in either
of those high walks tho Nebraskan is the peer
of any man tho country has produced in tho
great quality of moral earnestness.
"Ho has mado the fight. Ho has kept tho
faith. And no ono yet has warrant to say that
ho has run his race."
FROM ST. LOUIS GLOBE-DEMOCRAT
"A prominent southern democrat in Washing
ton is reported to have remarked that Mr. Bryan
is tho greatest democratic incubus and ono of the
best republican assets. A great many democrats,
observing Bryan's activity in shaping things in
tho house, will agroo with this opinion, though
perhaps not inclined at tho moment to say so.
But is Bryan or the party itself tho incubus?
Threo times ho has beon the nominee and in
each of tho threo battles received over 700,000
more votes than were over given any other
democratic candidate. The democratic record
vote before Bryan's advont was Cleveland's .5,
556,918 in 1892. Bryan's,,-Iqwest' voto in his
threo battles was Gy35123. Tho idea that ho
jw.as, an"fnbubus in 1904 led to tho nomination
of Parker, who was snowed under, getting a
total vote of only 5,077,911, and losing by the
unexampled majority of 2,500,000.
"These figures prove that there is a democratic
incubus somowhore. But is it the man who has
far oxcoeded any other in gaining votes for tho
party? There is apparently a paradox in the
situation, but tho simple fact is that there are
not enough democratic votes in the country to
olect anybody to tho presidency. The people
decline to. give tho party a vote of confidence.
Bryan is his party's best vote getter, and yet has
been beaten three times by from 600,000 to 1,
200,000. Tho party owes him some gratitude
for his democratic high-water marks. They fell
short, but he did the best he coild, and much
better than Parker, who was quite tho equal
oft Harmon or Woodrow Wilson. Democrats
who are gunning for their incubus in national
politics should not opon fire on Bryan without
re-examining these figures. Here is the point:
Bryan obtains more votes than any other demo
crat, but can't muster enough. Tho democratic
best, tlKWQfore, falls short. Calling the best
an incul Ruggests that the label should be
put on tht v itself, and not on its strongest
candidate."
FROM MARION (KANSAS) RECORD
"That man Bryan William Jennings Bryan,
Is stll a pretty live corpse. Thirteen hundred
democrats, from all over, gathered in Lincoln,
Neb., to do k. n honor. It was his fifty-first
anniversary. A 4'omarkablo man is Bryan, What
other American ever sufferod throe defeats and
still maintained his grip on his party and tho
people? I vorily believe he is stronger with the
people today than ever before, and if he should
get out and hustle for a fourth nomination,
. Harmon and Wilson and all the other aspirants
would have to sit up and take notice. Differ
from him as you may and I do, you have to
admire the man. He is certainly unique. Ho
is the only man who over -got rich, honestly,
running for office. And thoro is too much truth
in his claim that Roosevelt 'stole his clothes'
some of thorn. Of course he has some old cast
off garments like free silver and imperialism
nobody would stoal. They are out of style. But
Teddy did enter Billy's wardrobe and swipe a
lot of his things, and has tho goods in his pos
session right now. No doubt about that. If be-
4i
The Commoner
cause of some temporary aberration tho Ameri
can people should commit the awful blunder of
electing a democrat president in 191 l ao
wish they would make tho offense as light as
possible by electing Bryan."
FROM BAITIMORE SUN, DEMOCRAT
"In refusing tho tempting offer to make his
homo in Memphis and remove The Commoner
to that city Mr. Bryan shows a singular devotion
to tho people of Nebraska. They have been loyal
to him since his first entrance into, public life;
ho has been identified with the state from the
time he began the practice of tho law. Lincoln-'
is his home; there ho took tho wife of his
youth, there his children have been born and
reared, and he has formed such strong local
attachments that it would be hard for him to
move to any other place. Texans have besought
film to come and make his homo among them,
offering him their support for United States
senator; Oklahoma has invited him; Tennessee
offers any sum that is necessary, even up to
$2,000,000, to bring his publishing establish
ment to Memphis and become a citizen of that
enterprising city. But Mr. Bryan, while ap
preciating the spirit that prompted the invita
tions, has refused them all.
"Mr. Bryan's hold on the affections of thous
ands is not difficult to explain. However much '
one may disagree with him as to certain policies
he has advocated, his severest critic must con
cede that he has always advocated what seemed
to him right. The cartoon which Mr. Bryan
likes so well, that showing Roosevelt's 'policies,'
as plumes plucked from the Nebraskan, was the
work of Mr. McKee Barclay, the Sun artist, and
was printed in the Sun. The original hangs in
Mr. Bryan's home. Another drawing in the Sun,
'Chickens Come Home to Roost,' depicted the
large number of policies Mr. Bryan has advo
cated in the past which are now being accepted
by the progressives of both parties.
"For a number of reforms that have been
instituted and will be adopted Mr. Bryan paved
the way. The fearlessness with which he gave
frank utterance to what he believed at times re
sulted in arraying strong interests against him,
but he is never so valiant as ,when fighting
against great odds and defending his principles
against all comers. Though he may fail of his
ambition to attain tho presidency, Mr. Bryan
has succeded in winning the respect of his
opponents and tho warm admiration of thous
ands of those who supported him in three cam
paigns and who are still devoted to him. On
his last visit to Baltimore Mr. Bryan was greeted
by a vast crowd that testified to the f olowing he
has in Maryland. Though seventeen years ago
he was bitterly assailed as a 'radical,' many of
the policies he then advocated are now ranked
as merely 'progressive' and in a few years to
come will be almost conservative. His sincerity
and devotion to his principles are admitted, and
there is a general disposition among fair-minded
men of all parties to give him due credit for
the reforms he advocated long before Mr.
Roosevelt and the progressive republicans took
them up.
"If Mr. Bryan should attend the democratic
national convention next year which we hope
and believe will be held in Baltimore he -will
receive a warm Maryland welcome. Maryland
is not advocating any one candidate for the
presidency over another, but presents a fair
field with no favor, and hopes to see the best
man win. For the man upon whom all ele
ments of the democratic party can agree is
likely to be tho nominee of the Baltimore con
vention, and also to be the next president of the
United States,"
FROM UNIONTOWN (PENNSYLVANIA)
GENIUS OF LIBERTY
"A great battle, therefore, is on, and that
struggle will determine whether the democratic
party will remain democratic or become pluto
cratic. If the interests can by misrepresenta
tion or in any other way foist upon the demo
cratic party a candidate that meets their ap
proval then the democratic party will become
plutocratic it will bow to the rule of the dollar
and with that dollar hope to buy the man. It
s the duty of the democratic masses to follow
loyally tho lead of the champions of the people's
rights that victory may be on the side of the
people and not of the plutocrats; that democ
racy may triumph over plutocracy; that man
may be above the dollar. In this struggle Mr
Bryan is the great commander on the side of
the people, so against him first and always the
heaviest guns of tho people's enemies will be
trained because they fear him most. But he will
i f
VOLUME 11, NUMBER; If
not be the only one, they will oppose. .. Champ
Clark Ollie James, Senators Owen and Gore,
Governors Marshall" and Shafroth, Woodrow
Wilson, Joseph W. Folk, Governor Foss, of
Massachusetts, and a host of others, will .come
in for their full share of misrepresentation and
abuse. Whom the interests fear most they abuse
most and their opposition to any man should be
sufficient stimulus .for the people to favor him.
Find whom Wall Street and special privilege
want and then select some other man. By follow
ing that advice victory will be on the side of the
people, but "remember eternal vigilance in this
case is the price of liberty."
FROM BOISE (IDAHO) CAPITOL-NEWS
"A stronger contrast in real, lasting ability
of two men could scarcely be found in national
life than that between Theodore Roosevelt and
William Jennings Bryan.
"Bryan became a national figure before Roose
velt did, but he has suffered eclipse after eclipse
by defeat which ordinarily means the perma
nent and absolute retirement of most men.
'''Roosevelt, after he became a national figure,
"rose rapidly to the highest position in the na
tion and to the highest position in tho hearts
and confidences of the people. His career was
meteoric in swiftness and in brilliance.
"Bryan has had to contend against greater
odds than ever Iptizen contended with for na
tional attention and national popularity.
"In the first instance he was opposed by the
combined money power of the world in which
opposition Roosevelt was one of the most active
agencies so far as his then modest opportuni
ties afforded him opportunity.
"Roosevelt succeeded where Bryan had failed,
yet Bryan is a success where Roosevelt is a
failure. '
"Roosevelt was elevated to -the position of
power which Bryan has vainly sought, yet
Bryan possesses a power which Roosevelt never
felt.
"Roosevelt, though twice president of the'
United States, though attaining a place in the
hearts of the people scarcely secondary at one
time to that occupied by the Father of his coun
try or by Lincoln, has lost his position, much of
his power and influence and popular sentiment
would not tolerate longer such close companion
reference to Washington and Lincoln in such a
connection.
"Bryan has grown every year as the country
and the people have come to know him, while
Roosevelt is losing ground, never more rapidly
than now.
"Bryan is the most powerful single political
agent in the government today, while Roosevelt's
influence is second to that of very many men who
might be mentioned.
"With every opportunity at hand Roosevelt
has lost; confidence in hfm is shaken; belief in
his good judgment no longer exists as formerly,
and his utterances are heaTd with increasing
question by all men of all parties.
"Bryan hampered by defeat has grown 'in the
confidence of the people; his words are listened
to by thousands who never before suspected
they would ever see the day when they would
seek to hear his views, and now his judgment
on matters of public policy is questioned only
with caution except among the few still blinded
bythe bitter prejudice of a few years ago.
Democracy can never become a conservative
party, but strange as It may seem, Bryan is one
of the conservative men of the nation far more
conservative in" all matters than Roosevelt, the
man who condemned him for his lack ok con
servatism. A
"There are reasons to believe that Bryan, may
again be made the standard bearer of his party
in the next campaign; not because Bryan seeks
it or deBires it, but because there will come a
demand for it, and because he will be found by
his partisan followers the most satisfactory man
to name for the candidacy;- because ho will bo
a democratic conservative candidate.
'Roosevelt, as a republican possibility, was
never so. far removed from consideration .as
? if .ndica;tions can be read aright. Taft,
jjanoiiette-almost any other republican would
be accepted in preference.
J'1?18!1? y ?e attitude of two prominent
men in this nation in their relation to the people.
One represents that of a man who, given -every
SSPStu?i17. and gainIng every Pint as been
EK i Ve Up t0 what the PePle mad llIra
The other represents a man from whom has
been taken the opportunity to do. or to show
what heJs, discredited by defeat. and maligned
by enemies, yet who in spite of it all, is today
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