The Commoner.
HAY 10, 1912
IV"
For and Against The Commoner Editor
Baltimore Sun: "Even the presidential
office would not add to the stature of Mr.
Bryan," wrote Mayor Gaynor, of New York, on
the occasion of the Nebraskan's birthday anni
versary, March 19, last. "He is the greatest
teacher this country has."
Henry Clay said he would "rather be right
than president," and Mr. Bryan has had the
satisfaction of knowing that millions who voted
against him for president now acknowledge that
he was right in many policies for which he was
condemned sixteen years ago. It was Mr.
Bryan's eloquence that caught the attention of
the country, but he has held it by his firm ad
herence to principle, his continual advocacy of
what he believes to be right. He has lived to
see numerous reforms he urged adopted by both
parties and. enacted into law; and ho is just
now reaching his prime with the reasonable
hope of many more years of usefulness before
him.
Mr. Bryan has been heard probably by more
persons than any other living American. Ho
has been in the public eye for nearly twenty
years and has spoken in every state and city in
the union; but thousands still hear him gladly.
In fact, he has the whole American people for
his audience.
Caldwell (Idaho) News J The activitv of tho
j opponents of William J. Bryan to discredit him
in the eyes of the people by continually holding
up to ridicule the noint that he has renoatedlv
Lbeen a candidate for the presidency and might
again accept me canaiaacy it tue people should
insist that he do so, is as amusing as it is despic
able. There can be no other motive in the in
sinuations against Bryan on account of his re
peated candidacy except an endeavor to preju
dice the people against him.
Fortunately he js too big in every characteris
tic that constitutes a man and a statesman to
be overcome by the scurrilous insinuations that
it. are heaped against him by his opponents.
Los Angeles Democrat: That William J.
Bryan is more popular today than ever before
is evident by ' the attention he is receiving in
all parts of the country. That he is still the
beloved leader of 95 per cent of the democrats
of this state is an indisputable fact. Whenever
the name of Bryan is mentioned, either in the
Wilson or Clark meetings in this city, a tre
mendous ovation always follows. And this is
tho more noticeable "since he has not held a
public office in twenty years. Notwithstanding he
has been defeated for the presidency three times
his followers have not decreased in numbers but
on the contrary have increased.
Kansas City Times: The older Mr. William
J. Bryan becomes and his birthday recently
marks him still a comparatively young man
the more he stamps himself upon the country
as a remarkable personage. An accident might
give a man temporary prominence. But for one
to hold the conspicuous place Mr. Bryan has
held is not accidental.
San Francisco Star: The courageous, stub
born, unyielding fight of William J. Bryan
against the agents and jockeys of privilege and
corruption in the democratic party endears him
to the hearts of all true democrats.
Ho is still the fearless and the peerless leader
of the real democracy of this country.
The rank and file of the party look to him
and trust him as they look to and trust no
other man. They are not interested in the
nominal success of the party under monopoly
leadership; their interest is wholly centered in
the triumph of the principles for which the
party is supposed to stand and of which Bryan
is the greatest living exponent.
New Philadelphia (Ohio) Times: The seeds
of progressive ideas sown by Mr. Bryan fifteen
years ago have taken root and their influence
is today a potent factor in both the democratic
and republican parties. It must be understood
that William J. Bryan is the pioneer progres
sive of this nation and is recognized as a world
leader of progressive ideas. He has stood in
the front rank with his face turned toward the
enemies of representative government fearlessly
and bravely fighting for the interests of the
common people. Of all the great statesmen and
leaders among living men today, Bryan towers
above them all. We wish to take this oppor
tunity to say, Bryan and Bryanism are not dead.
Bristol (Tenn.) Herald and Courior: Tho
enemies of William J. Bryan in the democratic
party are hard to please. No matter what ho
may do or say, or what attitude ho may assume
during a political campaign or botweon cam
paigns, his enemies pick a flaw, or find a fault,
or onter an objection. The Nebraskan can hot
even deliver a lecture on tho "Prince of Peace"
or "The Price of a Soul" without displeasing
some of the newspapers and politicians.
Just now Mr. Bryan is being attacked becauso
he does not unqualifiedly indorse and signify
his determination to support some one of tho
aspirants for the democratic presidential nomi
nation. Ho has let it be known that ho does not
favor Mr. Underwood. His opposition to Gover
nor Harmon is well known. Ho has said that
either Wilson or Clark, whom he recognizes as
progressives, would be satisfactory to him, but
his enemies see a sinister significance in tho
fact that he has not indicated which of these
men he prefers .and will support for the nomi
nation that he has not, in fact, come out bold
ly and unreservedly for one of them. In other
words, Mr. Bryan's enemies are dreaming ter
rible dreams and seeing horrible visions of him
as the next democratic candidate for president.
BRYAN AS A PATH BLAZER
Editorial in St. Louis Globe-Democrat: Tho
decision by the house democrats to pass a bill
revising the iron and steel schedule before they
give any attention to tho president's recommen
dation for an overhauling of the wool duties is
called an "acceptance of Mr. Bryan's challenge."
It is really an acknowledgement that tho Ne
braskan is still tho leader of their party. Two
other measures, both of which have been urged
by Mr. Bryan, are on the house democratic pro
gramme in advance of the bill which the repub
lican members of the ways and means com
mittee are framing to carry out the suggestions
by the tariff board and by Mr. Taft on the wool
schedule. They will push measures transform
ing the chemical and sugar sections of the tariff.
It is known that Mr. Bryan urged this very
course during tho extra session of 1911. Strong
opposition to this plan was shown by many of
the democrats at first, but they have come over
to thd Nebraskan's side on this matter of detail,
which shows that he is the most vital force in
the democratic party of tho country today.
Everybody remembers 'the attack which
Bryan made upon Underwood last summer for
putting wool ahead of iron and steel in the pop
gun revision programme. Ho accused Under
wood, who resides in the iron and steel district
of Alabama, of being influenced by locality in
terests which were hostile to the true demo
cratic free-trade theory. Underwood made an
angry response, which seemed to please him
self, for the moment. Nevertheless, the Ala
bama man was placed in the list of democrats
who are "in tho pay of Wall street," and thus
he lost all his chances for getting the support
of the old legitimists who compose the inner
circle of Bryan's friends. Underwood now is
as obnoxious to Bryan as is Harmon, or as
Parker was in 1904. The man who received a
presidential nomination three times by tho
democrats seems to be still the biggest person
age in their party. In the round-up of demo
cratic chieftains of the country which opened
at Fargo, N. D., tomorrow, Bryan holds the
place of honor. Gpvernor Harmon is also to
be there, unless at tho last moment, he backs
down in -the face of the threatened attack by
the Nebraskan on what he styles tho demo
cratic "reactionaries." It is expected that
Bryan will do some plain talking at Fargo on
the course which the democratic house must
pursue in the present session in order to give
their party an opportunity to make an aggres
sive canvass. Governor Wilson is not to bo
there, and, of course, Chairman Underwood will
find it to his interest to be absent, as he was at
the Jackson day gathering last week at Wash
ington. The Nebraskan has a high opinion of
the democratic rank and file of the house of
representatives, but he has no regard at all for
their leader. More than once he has said this.
Nevertheless, Mr. Bryan compels that leader,
Underwood, to carry out the Bryan programme
of a complete reshaping of the iron and steel
schedule, so far as the house can do this. Pre
sumably ho is aware that no iron and steel bill
framed on democratic lines can elude the presi
dent's veto, but ho does not care for this detail.
He is endeavoring to turn the local sentiment of
tho Birmingham region against ita roprosonta
tivo, or mlsropresentatlve, in congross, and in
cidentally to forco tho tariff to tho front in hla
party campaign. Ho committod his party to
sllvorlsm and tho 60-ccnt dollar in 1896, and
ho did this with a thoroughness which provontod
tho party from getting nway from that Issue for
eight years, or until Candidato Parker, in 1904,
sent his "gold tologram" to tho St. Louis con
vention. Mr. Bryan foretold tho fato of Judgo
Parkor at that timo, and ho did it with such
fidelity that he was immediately reinstated into
tho leadership of tho party, a position which
ho has held over since. Tho democrat who has
polled 6,500,000 of tho popular voto in 1908,
after having been beaten twico previously, and
who compelled tho republicans to got out their
full strength in order to retain powor, Is a per
sonage of largo consequence to his party. Prob
ably he will not bo nominatod In 1912. Ho says
ho is not seeking tho nomination, and not ox
pecting it, and very likely ho Is correct in thla
assertion. But ho will bo a commanding per
sonage in tho convention. Tho man who wins
his enmity will have a poor chance to gain tho
candidacy. Or, if ho gains it, it will bo as use
less to him as it was to Parkor eight years ago.
It was Bryan who first suggCBtod tho investi
gation of tho so-called money trust, tho ship
ping combine and tho International Harvester
amalgamation, which the houso democrats arq
about to carry out. That "dead hand at tho
throat of tho democratic party," which somo of
the antl-Bryanito papers wero denouncing a
few inonths ago, Is there still, and the grip
seems to be as strong as it was in 189 C, 1900
and 1908.
OHIO AND THE SPECIAL INTERESTS
Editorial In Cincinnati Enquirer :..Ohio demo
crats have had no federal administration by
their party for nearly 20 years.
They revolted in 1896 against special Interest
influence at Washington, and wero then desertod
by those whoso attachment to thoso interests
was more powerful than their desire to repre
sent or stand by tho Interests of the masses of
tho people.
Thoso who left tho democratic party then bo
as to be loyal to the interests of their clients,
to be faithful to tho men they represent, and
by their leaving aided in defeat of tho demo
cratic party, surely should bo satisfied with their
work then, and not again seok to servo their
clients, .the special interests, onco more by be
traying tho democratic party.
They defeated it in 1896 and they have at
tempted to capture it in 1912, to servo tho samo
interests that they served in 1896.
While republicans have revolted this year, as
.against the same influences as did tho demo
crats in 1890, whilo republican candidates for
tho presidency are appealing to their voters to
believe they are not close friends of these un
popular Interests, making excited denials of ap
proval of their methods, their practices and
their projects, a few servitors of those samo
interests would have the democrats of Ohio de
clare for the nomination of the ex-attorney-general
who considered the anti-trust law a
dead letter.
It was the money and the work of these samo
special interests that prevented a democratic
victory in 1896, and they kept the democratic
party from a victory in 1904 through the cash
they furnished to tho republican campaign
manager at that timo.
The democrats of Ohio can have no alliance
with those agencies who twice betray e1 them
and aided tho republican forces, cr& now only
come with soft words and false gnwaousness to
seek control of tho democracy, because every
republican candidate repudiates them, and tho
republican party is. casting them out as Jonahs
from their sinking ship
Tho republican party, after three yeare of
successive defeat, is appreciating the force o
public opinion, realizing that It either hat
unload these influences or perish.
It is no time for the democratic party to placo
any of these Jonahs upon the deck of its vessel.
These men have kept the democratic party
out of federal power for 20 years, and It Will
reward none of them or any of their agents
with a nomination for the presidency.
If Ohio democrats desire a democratic ad
ministration, they must send men opposed to
reactionaries first, last and all tho time.
The democrats of Ohio have no antagonism
to business affairs legally conducted; such aro
entitled to caro and protection. Business of
that class has nothing to fear from a progres
sive democratic administration.
