" S57, rvf"'jjiii3H0,nir jyr
MAY, 1920
tion of our veteran Democratic warrior, Hon. W.
H Thompson, as member ot the national com
mittee. He has always been loyal to the party
and tireless in laboring for, it. Ho represents
all that is highest and best in our party and will
bo a credit to the state in its national councils."
Comment of the Press
A CRUSHING DEFEAT
The crushing character of the defeat admin
istered by the Democrats of Nebraska to Sena
tor Hitclicock and his section of the state organ
ization was not fully apparent until the news
camo from Washington that ho had resigned all
pretensions to the senate leadbrship and had
withdrawn from the race with tjnderwood for
that honor. A discredited statesman fall3 as
hard as a discredited politician. Tho senator
staked everything on tho result in Nebraska. He
picked up the challenge of Bryan and hurled
back a steel gauntlet of his own. Ho even
taunted Bryan with lacking the courage to en
ter the primary as a presidential' candidate in
opposition. But five of the sixteen delegates to
the national convention are of his brood. His
chief lieutenant lost to tho chief lieutenant of
the Bryan forces the position. of national com
mitteeman. Bryan will be the Nebraska mem
ber of the committee on resolutions, and bo on
tho ground to oppose the insertion of a light
wines and beer plank in the na.tional platform.
Light wines and beer went down with Hitchcock
and ho is left as a candidate with a delegation
hostile to him and instructed to vote, in the
main, against the only issue he put forward to
justify his candidacy. The fight has been taken
out of the wet democracy of the state, and ap
parently the senator has been similarly affected.
When the situation is reviewed it will be found
that the mental state thus depicted is entirely
justified by the conditions. Lincoln, Neb.,
Evening State Journal.
BRYAN'S GREAT VICTORY
Bryan won' in the Nebraska primaries last
week and will sit-in the San Francisco convention
as a delegate-at-large from that state. Defeated
for delegate four years ago by Senator Hitchcock,
who attempted again this year to keep Mr, Bryan
at home, tho Commoner has not only won a
great personal victory, but his election has
dampened the spirits of the entire wet camp
throughout the country. Hitchcock stood for beer
and wine. Bryan stood for the Eighteenth amend
ment and the Volstead enforcement law. Bryan
overcame the political machine built up in Ne
braska by Senator Hitchcock and has regained
his old-time power in Nebraska politics.
B7an's victory in Nebraska is a victory for
the dry cause throughout the country and a bit
ter disappointment to the beer and wine inter
ests. Bryan would have been a tremendous
Power at the San Francisco convention had he
been defeated last week. He will now be a
greater factor than ever. The brewers will not
nave everything their own way in the Democratic
national convention, and neither will the candi
dates of the Edwards and Cox type. American
BRYAN WINS IN NEBRASKA
f, Evejy loyal heart will be cheered by tho news
inat William Jennings Bryan has won a place
n tne delegation from Nebraska to the Demo
ns At National convention this irrespective of
any disagreement with Mr. Bryan as to his views
qUestions of public policy. At the time this
eouorial is written, not half of the precincts of
weDraska have reported, but those most opposed
I L '- Were amone tne ones reported. , The
Bur d the coun1y accepts his victory as a's-
thJrere was arrayed against him the power of
uo iquor trafflc Qf thQ nation which was wlu.
5?o i ,g0 tbe limit in the Gffort t0 defeat him.
Sw i i to fight the democratic administration
hi t ii not at a11 creditable to the president or
in 1 oi o0wers- Graitude for what Mr. Bryan did
iRtr . i and 1916 should have paused the admin
fight t0 keep its hands off th0 Nebraska
hnmhUS opposed Mr. Bryan went before his
o constituency and told them frankly that
cnti PI)P8ed to Mr. Hitchcock, the Demo-
dflnVi iBenator fron Nebraska, for the presi-
aual nominationand thaho wpujd work for
rhe Commoner
'WILLIAM WELL BE THERE
-Columbus, Ohio, Dispatch.
the nomination of someone who had stood truo
in tho battles for prohibition and woman suf
frage. This was particularly displeasing to
those old-time Democratic leaders who, accus
tomed to a liquor, coalition, can see no prospect
of victory for a clean Democratic party opposed
to the saloon.
But Mr. Bryan won. Ho won against the
great newspapers of Nebraska, which fought
him; he won against the administration; he won
against the Hitchcock machine; ho won against
all the sinister forces which can be marshalled
in any great state against a man who stands
for decency and right.
The nation has a right to rejoice. Republi
cans, Democrats Prohibitionists and Indepen
dents may well feel heartened that the voice of
William J. Bryan, as an accredited delegate, will
be heard in the Democratic convention when the
question of the policy of that party is up for con
sideration. While it is in order to congratulate Mr. Bry
an, it is equally in order to congratulate the
country. National Enquirer, Indianapolis.
"HELL'S A-POPPIN'
Lady and gentlemen voters of Nebraska, you
have started this beloved country of ouis on
the way to the eternal demnition bow-wows
as fast as if it were waddling along on a lot
of greased skids.
And you, lady and gentlemen voters of Ne
braska, have also placed our dear state in the
van of the rest of the country in the slippery,
swift slide to destruction!
You did it Tuesday, folks!
You certainly messed things up!
We have testimony from those in high posi
tion to that effect. We produce first the senti
ments of Senator Hitchock.
Mr Hitchcock prefaces his remarks by point
ing out the heresy committed by. W. J. Bryan
in that "he has succeeded apparently in ac
complishing his own election and the election
of several, if not most, of the candidates on his
filate " and "he has possibly succeeded also in
accomplishing the defeat of National Committee-
maWhatUwm,'follow? Let Mr. Hitchcock's own
W0'Tnetre1wm;be hell-a-poppin" at San Fran
cisco with Mr. Bryan, the chief fireman and
? wllkor Tnere is abroa(1 In
ueUlanS a feeling or restlessness, discontent and
tuo ia."u . May a kind heaven
S raorcy on our beloved" but distracted coun-
tryi'f'vou Nobrasta'roters are not yet convinced
;rr.rtJ:r.ot0cr.0nVe,rauHote from a second
editorial: dancer of breaking down.
-The primary a8SauIl8 o
,. , ii nrimary system is bearing its
the purity of the primary w ( j prljnarjr
Soesrnotrme that the people should rule, it
raecaaVtyou J'oters see that, g
ansa &spe . so b,fad' io
9
you blame tho sonator for having this powlml.
tic vision:
"Wo soo in state and nation a condition of con
rusion, inemoiency and irresponsibility that Is a
growing monnco to tho froo institutions and to
tho national welfare"
Horo is a plcturo, forsooth, that ought to
cause shivery foelingB to run up and down tho
spino of Nebraska's cltlzonry!
And you, naughty voters, Mr. Hitchcock Is not
alone In his discouragement regarding you.
Nelson B. Updike, who has alroady attained
tho reputation of bolng Nebraska's richest man
and who now aspires to bo Nebraska's Republi
can loader, is sadly disappointed that you failed
so miserably in mooting his woll-flnancod advlco
to express a preference for General Pershing for
president.
Mr. Updike confesses that Republicans aro for
Senator Johnson "becauso a majority of tho vot
ers wanted him," and naivoly discourses on tho
"anomalies of tho primary system."
But ho mournfully concludes that thoro isn't
any uso in trying to explain tho curious disin
clination of tho populaco to accept tho Porshlng
boom and leaves It to futuro historians to un
ravel this queer quirk In us, for ho says:
"Anaylsls and antiquarians may find satisfaction
In dissecting tho vote."
And Mr. Updiko turns his oyes away from tho
picture of destruction which Is perhaps' aa
vivid in his oyes as in Senator Hitchcock's and
with an editorial sigh he gently invites us to
await the doom with these words:
"Let us turn our attention for tho moment
from statecraft to tho homely but osschtlhl joys
of domestic life." -
Fellow citizens, you surely miist havo started
"holl-a-poppln'," to use Senator Hitchcock's ex
pressive words.
But cheer up! All may not bo lost; ;Thos
self-appointed guardians of ours may. yot show
us tho way to avoid tho cataclysm. Omabtt
Neb., News.
BRYAN GOING AS DELEGATE
By the election of William Jehnlrtgri 'Bryan aa
delegate-at-largo from Nebraska to tho; Demo
cratic national convention tho position dJT tho
temperance forces in that convention was
strengthened beyond power to calculate and tho,
last hope of tho wets to get a moist plank in
tho party platform seems to havo dijirfp'tfcared.
With Mr. Bryan will go one of his strongest
supporters as another delegateial-largc, thufl
giving the Bryan men two of the four dclogatcs-
at-large.
Tho issue was fought out in a clear-cut man
ner. For weeks tho wets had been makinfe'their
claims that they would eliminate Mr; -Bryan.
Senator Hitchcock had declared for llghtTwJnes
and beers. Had the Nebraska primary rejected,
Mr. Bryan it would havo given the wettf not only
an advantage in tho matter Of delegates1 but
strong support throughout the country for their
contention that tho Democratic platform must
declare for light wines and beers. Tioy wouljl
have used -the results as propaganda to show that
there is a strong reaction against prohibition.
Of course, the flght is not wholly over. There
will be wet delegates in both national conven
tions, but the position, of the wets has beefa un-'
dermiped by the Nebraska result to such an ex
tent that it has practically fallen to pieces.
American Issue (Pennsylvania Edition).
MR. BRYAN'S TRIUMPH IN NEBRASKA
The esteemed New York World which has
cultivated a unique and thorough dislike for Mr,
Bryan since ho became so successful an opponent
of the saloon and the liquor trafflc, affects to
see In tho results of tho Nebrasaka election for
national convention delegates, a "defeat" for
Mr. Bryan, presumably he was not elected un
animously. As a matter of fact, that ho was elected at
all was a distinct triumph for Mr. Bryan. A
relentless and bitter flght was made against
him. Everything that CQuld be done within rea
son, and some quite outside of reason, was done
to prevent his -going as a delegate to tho Demo
cratic National Convention. That was tho ono
thing quite distinctly, not wanted by certain of
the less Democratic elements of the Democratic
party. To prevent Mr. Bryan being a delegate,
would not only be to Impair his influence, but
it would also remove the most formidable pos
sible opponent at tbe convention of those certain
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