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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 19, 1912)
vfrr-mmx e?r Wfe r w ' v: 4 1 t V k "1? &l 1 10 The Commoner. VOLUME 12', NUMBER 28 THE SACRIFICE HIT j- Minneapolis Journal. Mr. Bryan at Baltimore CALHOUN ON BRYAN Sylva, N. 0., July 4. To the Edi tor of the State Journal: I have' just road with much Interest and ap proval your editorial of July 1, "What Bryan Is Doing." Written, as It was, two days before the end of tho memorable contest at Baltimore, It depicts the situation and delineates tho purposes of Bryan as if it had been written by a friendly pen after tho conclusion of the event. Bryan has accomplished the great object at which he aimed. He has freed the democracy from tho incubus of cor ruptible conservatism, without load ing it with the impetus of wild radi calism. That he is the great living American has long been conceded. To this estimate he has added tho triumph of being tho most successful. Ho has taught his cpuntrymon that the right will prevail in tho ultimate and everywhere, and reestablished tho verity of the trite old saying that honesty Is the best policy. During tho twenty" years that Bryan has been before the national public it has been generally accepted that his policies, beliefs and methods have been superlatively tho beBt, but practical men have been slow to put faith in their actual application to politics for either individuals or masses. Today it is demonstrated that truth will rise again, and men will hereafter look with confidence for its resurrection after any tem porary reverse. During all of these twenty years Bryan has made the same fight he brought to a glorious conclusion at Baltimore, and that without foar or faltering. Many times beaten, he has renewed the struggle with faith and courage and those qualities will be called for many times in tho future. The struggle between good and evil will go on, with Quotations and reverses. It can not be settled in a single vic tory, no matter how apparently de cisive, but no man since He came out of Nazareth has done so much for the uplift as Bryan has accomplished 'aj: Baltimore. i It ia as yet doubtful whether Bryan's party will accept with their whole souls the results of that memorable, conflict. But whether they do or not, there will be millions of men who will, who can rise su perior to the petty limitations of weak humanity, and who will join- in the nation-wide movement for the oeuerment of politics and all the re lations of life. The detail incidents of the contost in the convention have all concluded happily, harmoniously and symmetrically, beginning pre cedently with tho weak and wicked blunderingB of Taft, continuing with tho rash and foolish and baseless blusterings of Roosevelt, and includ ing the skillful threading of the mazes of democratic stupidity, cu pidity and ignorance. The future student of history will point to his disciples that the three successive de feats of Bryan in his pursuit of a laudable and lojety ambition were the very influences that refined and drilled and qualified him for his final victory. But by no other process could he have risen to the standard of patri otic devotion, the precision of abso lute Impartiality, the complete ab sence of personal interest, the com prehension of the Issues at stake all of 'Wliich and more were necessary to enable him to control, guide and direct the masses behind' him. Great and glorious as was tho triumph at Baltimore, the hardest fight Is yet to come and the outcome is by no ineans settled. Election day In No vember will dawn with an outlook no more certain, no clearer, than the crucial day of the fight at Baltimore. The world, the flesh and the devil will be arrayed on one side, with the spirit of liberty and progress on tho other. J. D, CALHOUN. i A HIGH PLANE Omaha Chancellor: When beforo in, American political conventions have we seen such a magnificent spectacle as Bryan presented at Baltimore? His resolution reading out of tho democratic party the tools of Morgan, two of whom, Ryan and Belmont, he named, was an act of courage too rarely seen, on such oc casions. His denunciation of Murphy the Tammany boss, was of tho same order. When it is considered that party politics, as usually conducted, de mand a large "barrel of coin," and that it is such men as these who are always tho ones to "raise the coin," always, however, with a string at tached, Bryan's determination to purge the democratic party of such contaminating influences becomes commendable in the highest sense. For let no one forget that when such men as the Morganites, as these men are, and all the others who have debauched both the leading political parties of this country, raise money to carry on campaigns, they do not do. it from any worthy motive. Their donations are always given with the understanding either that no ad verse legislation touching their vari ous grafts shall be enacted or that -there shall be some form of special fayors enacted for them. It is when we consider that fact that the courage of Mr. Bryan be comes so highly commendable. It is not necessary for political party ma chines to raise the enormous cam paign funds which they so often do, and when they do raise them, the major portion of them is used for nothing but to debauch all who handle it. And it is in consideration of this fact that Bryan was -justified in making his fight against Clark. No man can be tied up as Clark has been with such creatures as Hearst and the Tammany crowd, and still remain true to the people's interests. Clark's acts of omission were as grave as were the acts of commission by others. It is Bryan's high plane of truth and honor in political matters that makes his po sition unique and difficult of compre hension to his critics. THE VALEDICTORY Kathryn Howard in the Baltimore Star: The only enthusiasm in that last session was in the interest given William Jennings Bryan when ho rose to give what he termed his valedictory." The biggest man in the convention, he did not lose force on this last day, when the party had selected a president, and the rumor that he was to speak roused the lackadaisical audience to a state of keen interest. It doesn't matter how weary people have been during the lSnf 0Urs of thIs session, the fact tnat Mr. Bryan was to speak always acted as a tonic upon the most tired system. MR. BRYAN AS SEXTON Lincoln (Neb.) Trade Review:! From burying Mr. Bryan on the open ing day of the democratic national" convention, to his making them eat out of his hand at the close of th convention and disfranchising Tam many was the record of the -demo-? ' Mm. Jt ' TI "t'fWV'fr-.wtf&'-s.iinfri.im Lai &ttoffiWiWP$tolkk