The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1896-07-16
WILLIAM y. BRYAN.

f'Ft Vs W 'fo".
WILLIAM >. BRYAN.
Mr.. Bryan, the brilliant young
statesman of Nebraska, is man with |
many admirable qualities. lie is tai
ented, he is sincere, honest, earnest
and aggressive. only in one particu-
ar, ~ FIR as-wf NpcgA does he fail to
measure up to the requisites Tor a
candidate. lie mas not as
much backbone and innexible VIII as
Jackson had. JacksOn's cOufr |
age and iirmness are very necessary
qualities for a President at all times,
and especially SO in such times as
these, when the combined power of the
gold ring and monOpolies, in every
form now ten times stronger and
more dangerous than when Jackson
was Presidency must be faced and
fought to the death. We do not be
lieve that all Of these powers combined
could bay or corrupt Mr.. Bryan with
money; but they would attempt to APP
proach him by indirection, as they did
even Andrew Jackson and Abraham
Lincoln. They would surround him,
if possible, with seeming friends, and
would try to persuade, Halter, deter, or
coerce him. They would corrupt, if
possible, the men in his cabinet, and
other men associated with him as
counsellors and advisers. These are
the methods that Satan and his allies
always use when they have to deal
with an honest man. When a man of
a different stripe is President, they
simply go to headquarters and buy
him.
We fear that if Mr.. Bryan were
elected President, that he would be
under the influence Of the old party
bosses and fOgies, who have them
selves, for more than twenty years,
kept the money question in the back
ground, and fooled the people into
lighting sham battles over the tariff.
These old mossbacks have stihed con-
science SO long to serve party that
they see no wrong in trading and
dickering with the goldbugs and be-
traying the people into the hands OF
their enemies for party spoils and
party success. Here would lie Mr.
Bryan's danger; for these old party
foxes would desire to see him cut of
his moral tail to the same length tt
which theirs has been chopped.
On the other hand Mr.. Bryan woult
have made splendid candidate for {
reform party, for then, if elected, HI
would be surrounded by earnest ant
sincere friends of the people instead
of by men who have for a quarter of
century been into conspiracy witt
the Republican politicians to fool tn
people in order that the gold gambler
might thrive on the fairness of tn
land.
But of all the Democratic candidate
before the convention, probably tn
best man that the party could hav
nominated is Mr.. Bryan. He is no
only still young and independent, nc
having been contaminated and fossil
lied by long association with the oil
mossbacks of the party, but he is TIL
only man among the straightout Dem
ocratic candidates who has ever sal
that he would not vote for a goldbuj
but would leave the party'and DIT
nounce it and join the Peoples Part,
if, in 1896, the platform did not declar
for free silver and financial reform
That evidence of manhood and p.
triotism, that determination to pl
country above party, causes us
warm up no little toward the yOun
statesman, and makes us hope ths
there is much Of the Andrew JacksO
courage and frmness still latent will
In him. Ir is true he ought to ha,
taken this position in 1892, but thel
are many of the best men in the cou1
try who did not then, yet who ha,
since taken that position. Mr.. Brya
may not have known at that time,
others did, that Mr.. Cleveland was
league with the money power.
In this connection, one impOrtaI
phase of the political situation shoul
not be overlooked. Every man in tt
past who has shown independence ar
asserted his manhood by laying dow
the principles that he " ould stand ft
party or no party, in advance of Il
action or permission of his party be
ses. has been marked for slaughter
the Democratic machine. There W
no higher crime or treason in the ey
of the party bosses that any man cou
commit than to do what Mr.. Bry;
has done. Now, why is it that tn
brilliant young man, who ten yea
ago, or even four years ago, if he HI
dared to take the same position the
would have been branded as a trait
and driven from the party in disgraC
is to-day made the nominee of tn
party, amid great enthusiasm, for t
highest office in the Republic? 1t
simple proof of the fact that the O
party bosses are frightened, demon.
lied, and panic stricken. They a
alarmed at the increased intelligen
OF the people, and at the indignant
OF the voters, from. ocean to oces
against their folly and treachery
the last twenty years.
No one knows better than do the
party bosses that not for a single til
since the war has their party put fl
ward platform or named a candids
that stood for at least one of the gre
fundamental principles of Democra.
as laid down by Jefferson and JAG
son, and that now the masses who |