WLmr *
Conservative.
In 1890 , Bryan
PRINCIPLES AI10VK . i
PERSONALITY.1U UelM > 1y eVOrV
public utterance ,
prior to the meeting of the democratic
national convention , proclaimed that the
preliminary fight for the election of
delegates should bo made upon issues
and not upon men , that principle should
be placed above personality. To this
end ho urged the sending of delegates
uuiustructed in regard to candidates but
pledged to the divinely appointed ratio
of 16 to 1. At that time Bland of Mis
souri was the pioneer and recognized
leader of the silver movement. He gave
his name to a silver coinage act in 1878 ,
before Nebraska's infantile phenomenon
for presidential honors had cast a vote.
If instructions had been adopted , Bland
would undoubtedly have had a suffi
cient majority of the delegates to have
insured his nomination. Bryan , who
was little thought of as a candidate ,
aside from a few political friends in his
own state , craftily opposed a contest in
regard to men prior to the convention.
His ambition was to have the delegates
meet , uutramineled as to choice of
candidates , so that the personality , most
gifted in declamation and best trained
to make a favorable "first impression , "
would stand the best chance of securing
the nomination. Thus is Bryan's fight
"for principle" explained. A clever
scheme but sinister.
In 1900 , THE CONSERVATIVE finds the
same man chasing madly about the
country , address-
I'amlerintr to . . . . . ,
1UB Political con
ventions either sil-
ver democratic or populist. Political
principle or party association is imma
terial to him. His one and predomi
nating ambition is to force the adoption
of "ringing resolutions" endorsing the
"peerless leader , " occasionally varying
the monotony of the verbiage by sub
stituting the "matchless orator , " "the
friend of the masses , " or "the great
commoner. " In 1896 he was an ardent
advocate of the popular choice. Today
he is the most enthusiastic devotee of
the machine. He is at the head of the
most unscrupulous and tyrannical in
strument of political control ever known.
He employs the machinery of the party ,
both state and national , as a motive
power in the interests of his own candi
dacy. He calls himself a democrat , but
acts , votes , and works with populists.
When he entered political life in Nebras
ka the state had a democratic chief
executive. Thanks to the indefatigable
efforts of Mr. Bryan in behalf of the
endorsement of populist candidates , by
democratic conventions , we have not
had one since. Today the state
officials of Nebraska are all populists.
When a vacant senatorship was created ,
by reason of the death of Senator Hayward -
ward , Bryan had it in his power to name
a democrat for the vacancy or rather by
his inactivity to enable such an appoint-
, . > , , .
mont to bo made. Ho interfered and
informed the governor that "good faith
demanded the naming of a populist. "
"Good faith" to what ? Certainly not
to democracy. "Good faith" to popu
lism , thereby acknowledging his indebt
edness and allegiance to popocracy. So
scrupulously has he kept faith with
populism that ho is now their unanimous
choice for the presidency. They have
been able to penetrate his democratic
disguise and are convinced that he is
one of thorn. Their contempt for real
democrats is evidenced by the following
which appeared in the Nebraska Inde
pendent , one of the most prominent
populist newspapers in the country :
'If the populists can just fool enough
democrats and republicans into voting
for W. J. Bryan to elect him president
of the United States , they will have
carried out their scheme to perfection. "
Are the democrats going to fall into
the trap the populists have so skillfully
_ _ , . , planned ? Are
To Entrap DemocratH. , , , ,
"enough demo
crats going to be fooled into voting for
W. J. Bryan to elect him president ? "
Will the democratic party of the nation ,
with its cherished traditions and brilliant
array of the most illustrious names in
American history , descend from a past
so dignified and honorable , and endorse
a populist nominee , masquerading as a
democrat , and thus enable populists "to
carry out their scheme to perfection ? "
There is hope that the conservative ,
intelligent , patriotic judgment of the
party may yet assert itself and that a
platform may be adopted and a man
nominated that will mean a reunited
and victorious democracy. As the time
for the national convention approaches ,
the dissatisfaction among democrats
with the candidacy of Bryan becomes
more apparent. Unfortunately this
opposition is confined to the unorganized
element of the voters , while the party
machinery is apparently solid for the
nomination of the cheap money man.
It is to be hoped for the good of the
party and the best interests of the
country that this rational movement ,
among the independent democratic
voters , may grow stronger and finally
triumph over the Bryan machine. Why
should not the democrats now place
principles above men as Bryan urged
them to do four years ago ? If it was
sound and patriotic political philosophy
in 1896 it certainly is in 1900.
The following from well known demo
crats and democratic papers , representing -
_ . . _ , ing all parts of the
Return to Reason. , . , .
country , indicate
a return to reason :
The Nashville American administers
this much deserved rebuke to populistic
pandering : ' The democratic party has
a fine opportunity to defeat Mr. Me-
Kinley this year if it will put radicalism
behind it in its declarations at Kansas
City. It cannot achieve success , how
ever , if it permit the radical elements in
the party to control. It never won a
victory by pandering to populism ,
anarchism , and non-progressiveuess ; it
never will. "
of California
Ex-Representative Maguire
fornia , after being with Bryan through
out his trip on the Pacific Coast , said :
"Tho money question must take a minor
place in the next campaign. It is use-
.ess to make it the main issue. "
Allen W. Thurmau , son of the "Old
Roman , " and General A. J. Warner ,
both ardent silver men and supporters of
Bryan in 1896 , at the recent banquet of
Ohio democratic clubs , warned the party
against the mistake of forcing silver to
the front in this campaign. The Cleve
land Plain Dealer commending the
wisdom of their position said : "Tho
step taken by these silver leaders is a
long one in the direction of consolidat
ing the party in Ohio , and if similar
action is taken in other states the
democratic situation will be materially
improved. "
The Twice-a-Week Times of Virginia
thus comments on the choice between
Bryan and McKiuley : "But , after all ,
it is a choice between McKinleyism and
Haunaism on the one side and Bryanism
on the other. Where is the true patriot
to go when that is the alternative
offered him ? O , that the democrats
would adopt a conservative platform and
nominate a real democrat. MoKinley-
ism and Bryauism would both be swept
off of the face of the earth. "
The Evening Post of Kentucky force
fully states its opinion upon Bryan's
association with Goebelism : "The
sound money men of Kentucky are
independent voters , not ready to sign
away their political rights to Mr. Wat-
terson or to Mr. Bryan. They will not
support any democrat for any office
until the Goebel law is repealed , and
they will not support Mr. Bryan on any
platform , for Mr. Bryan last October
came to Kentucky to defend Goebel and
his conspiracy , and after the election
and Goebel's defeat congratulated him
on the election he was preparing to take
as he took the nomination. For these
reasons we can assure all men interested
that , though Mr. Watterson has returned
in sackcloth and ashes to the Bryan
camp , he carries in his new desertion
only three votes. "
OVEK-PROI > UCTION f
IN UNIVERSITIES. man wh ° S8 death
occurred recently
at Topeka , Kansas , left $250,000 to en
dow a university as soon as her endow
ment was duplicated. It is to be hoped
the duplication will not be forthcoming.
We have , already , an abundance of so-
called universities , struggling to exist.
Their pathetic appeals for financial aid
are becoming altogether too frequent to
be appreciated. Nearly every state has
its representation of semi-endowed col *
