The Saint Paul globe., 1896-08-01

BRYAN AS A BOLTER.

A few people seem to think it a
not believe in the principles that Mr..
w. J. Bryan represents, nor in the
platform on which he stands, should
decline to support or vote for him.
We have before this called attention
to the fact that Mr.. Bryan cannot of
right demand the suffrages of Demo-
Gratis on party grounds, because he
distinctly and repeatedly repudiated
party obligation; and, as far as he him
self is concerned, declared that he
would not vote for the party candi-
date unless the platform pleased him,
and asserted but few months ago that
he was not Democrat. We publish this
morning some letters which have
never before seen the light, we under
stand, and which exhibit, in a still
clearer and more positive shape, Mr..
Bryan's view of the duty that he, as
an individual and member of the party,
owed to Democratic candidates regu-
1arly nominated by a Democratic con-
vention.
The public understands that there
has been an internal struggle in the
Democratic party in the state of Ne
braska for some years past At times
one wing of it has triumphed and at
times another. Sometimes Mr.. Bryan
was with the majority, and sometimes
with the minority Now, it appears
from the letter written by Mr.. Frank
Irvine to Mr. Bryan, in October of 1898,
that this gentleman was regularly
nominated by the party convention;
that he was a straightout Democrat
against whom nothing but his finan-
cial views could be urged, and that he
desired, as a Democrat, in order to
promote his election, to secure the
support of Mr.. Bryan personally, and
Mr.. Bryan's friends He wrote to the
latter the straightforward and manly
letter which we print. He admits that
things did not go Mr.. Bryan's way in
the convention, but says that he cannot
believe that, on that account, Mr.
Bryan should make his personal griev-
ance "cause for desertion of the party
and the defeat of it's ticket" Mr.. r.
vine notes that among his supporters
are both friends and opponents of free
silver coinage, and says that all that
he ocI<c ic n from Ny RTxyo
indicating his good will toward the
ticket The reasonableness of this de-
mand appears in the concluding SEN
tence of the letter: 'You can do this
without in any wise compromising
your position on the currency, and
without any sacrifice Of principles to
which I know you are conscientiousIy
attached"
This is a letter that no man need
be ashamed Of, and which very few
men could receive without being
touched by it, both as individuals and
as members of political party Mr.
Bryan was asked not to allow his cha
grin at having been found in a minor
ity to induce him to help defeat the
candidates of the majority, and this
one candidate for a judicial office in
particular. What does he reply? We
do not think that his letter to Mr.. Ir-
vine, which we also publish, will COM
mend itself highly to his friends to-
day. He expands himself in abuse and
denunciation of the state convention:
convention which, as far as we can
gather, from his own letter, was not
more open to rebuke than that at Chi
cago which made Mr. Bryan its nomi-
nee. His reply to the solicitation of a
friend for help is that this friend ought
to get off the ticket. The gist of his
position. we take it, is found in these
words: IT would make any sacrifice
to be of service to you personally, but
as a nominee of that convention. run
ming on that platform, could not
make an appeal in your behalf with
out giving the lie to all that I have
ever said and done in behalf OF the