Evening star., 1896-08-04
Mr.. bryan and Patronage.

Mr.. Bryan's statement that he has not
promised places for support in this cam
paign is entirely worthy of credit without
ahy reservations. But it is at the same
time true that, if elected President, he will
be under a greater variety of enbarrass-
ments in dealing with patronage than any
other President ever was.
If Mr.. Bryan were simply the nominee
of the democratic party. running on plat
form of wel-defiped and generally recog-
nized democratic principles. a forecast of
the men who would surround him in Office
and assist In shaping policy would not be
difficult The real democratic leaders are
well known, as are real democratic princi-
pies. II would be an entirely safe assump-
ton In those circumstances that he would
call the strongest men in the party around
him, and that harmony on the large lines
would prevail.
But such will not be the situation in the
event of Mr.. Bryan's election. He cannot
properly be called the democratic nominee.
The democrats simply found him first
They met in advance of the populists and
silverites, and put him upon a platform
framed upon lines so anuring that the
action taken. Mr.. Bryan, therefore, is the
nominee of a coalition-the candidate of the
dfscontented. And if elected, he will owe
his success to that coalition. in the forming
of which the democracy will simply have
taken a part
This is the cause of the uneasiness that
prevails concerning the men likely to sur
round Mr. Bryan In the event of his reach
ing the White House. and accounts for the
stories of bargains and promises, and the
denials of them, now current In the news
papers. That all those. of whatever party.
assisting in his election, will. in the day
when he shall come into his kingdom pre-
sent themselves for some kind of recogni-
ton and reward, may be put down as Ger
tain. The cry of the hour, that all is TOR
the cause and nothing for individuals, will
serve the purposes of cry and no other
Human nature is much the same at all
times, whether engaged in the reform busi-
ness, or in some other business Given an
enormous winning, like that of the power
and patronage and prestige of the Presi-
dency, and the demand for a fair division
of 1t among all who have helped bring it
about is a natural consequence.
Would Mr.. Bryan be able to resist suck
demand? Would he undertake to do so?
And if he were to undertake 1t. and succeed
temporarily, what would the ultimate re-
worst governmental commissions have
grown out of the division of the winnings
of coalitions. There is not a more difficult
job for any man. Some of the ablest and
most experienced men have failed at It.
Men at such times insist on being taken at
their own valuation rather than at that of
the executive, and the bitterest crimina-
tionS and recriminations result.
1t is nothing to the point that Mr. Bryan
Is free at this time from personal promises
to this man or to that. Those who are sup
porting him are known. Gov. Altgeld is a
politician, and is not likely to seek to hide
his light under bushel If Mr. Bryan be-
comes President. He will want to have
finger In the pie. and will manage to insert
at least one. The same is true of others
including even Mrs. Lease, who will stump
the west for the coalition ticket The ques-
ton at issue, therefore, is not as to whether
Mr.. Bryan Is a candidate !s carrying weight
for promises made. but whether as Presi-
dent he would reward those who had helped
TO elect him We may be certain that they
Will expect something on their own per-
sonal account.