The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-09-13
BRYAN AND THE WAR.
THE ATTACK IN THE REAR HAS
FAILED.
me Missouri State Democratic Con-
vention an Utter Rout for the Plot
ters Who Have Attempted to Pull
Down the Peoples Choice, w. j. Bryan.

The endorsement of the Chicago plat
form and Of William ]. Bryan given by
Missouri Democrats under Mr. BANDS
leadership at Springfield is an express
sion OF honest American sentiment
which ought to be intelligible to Mr.
William G. Whitney and Mr.. Richard
Croker, says the St. Louis Journal of
Agriculture. Their plan to assassinate
Mr.. Bryan by striking him from the
rear in Missouri has not succeeded.
The qualities which most endear Mr.
Bryan to the people are courage and
candor. He is not coward in COM
ception, nor sneak in execution. He
goes straightforward whether he is
right or wrong.
This is a quality so valuable that all
other qualities are sure to become
Yalueless without it. And it is by vir-
tue of this quality of manliness that
Mr.. Bryan will defeat the conspiracy
to turn the machinery of the Demo-
cratic party over to the same inter-
ests which now control the Republican
party so completely.
When Mr.. Bryan volunteered for the
Spanish war, many Of his stanchest
friends were surprised and perhaps
panied. The Democratic instincts is to
avoid the military hero and to oppose
the military idea in government. But
it is likely to appear shortly, il it does
not already, that in offering himself to
the Mckinley administration to be shot
at by the Spaniards, Mr.. Bryan was
more farsighted than the rest of us.
He severed thus Gordian knot which
might not have been Embossed other
wise
It is hardly necessary to say that the
whole force of plutocracy is being
used to retire Mr.. Bryan from Demo-
catic leadership Six months ago, i'm
mediately after Cookers return from
exile in Europe and the Tammany vic
tory in New York City, it was believed
that through alliances made by him
with politicians in Missouri and the
southwest, other issues would be sub
stituted for those of the Chicago plat
form. Aware of this design and famll-
lar with the records and methods OF
some of those who were party to 1t,
the Journal has worked with all It's
energies to prevent the issues or the
Chicago platform from being obscured.
With the help of journalists on weekly
papers whose honesty, intelligence ana
incorruptibility are the hope OF the
country, the effort has met with such
success that the men in Missouri who
were in secret league with Croker and
the trusts and national banks which
control him, against the Chicago plat
form, have been compelled to be loud
est in their protestations of devotion
to it, That they mean to betray it at
the first opportunity is certain. In
the meantime they have not yet had
the opportunity, and it is entirely pos
sible. if not probable, that they will
have to go out of the Democratic party
to get it.
Seeing themselves unable to carry
out their plans under conditions then
existing. this element determined to
take advantage of the blowing up OF
the Maine to give the Republican adj
ministration the war power as a means
of forcing a change of issues against
the "agitators and stirrers up of do
nestle discomfort" Such papers as
the St. Louis Republic and the Louis
vile Courier-Journal were the active
agents of this propaganda, and it was
part of the plan to carry it out by
seeming to force the war on the Re-
nublican administration. This was
done with great elaboration and some
skill. It was we'll understood how
ever, by all who were studying the
situation. An attempt was made to foil
If by forcing an issue for the recogni-
tion of the Cuban republic. It was well
known that the sugar trust, which in
tends to put down the Cuban patriots
and their republic, would not allow
war to be declared if the republic were
recognized But under the circum-
stances the best that could be got out
of congress was the declaration that
Tho Cubans 'are, and of right ought to
he free and independent" Consider
ine this a mere glittering generality,
tho Republicans on their part accepted
the war power with eagerness. They
have attempted to use it to create
rival candidates for the Democratic
presidential nomination. The bond
svndicates and trusts, who look on the
practical politicians of both parties as
their spittoon-cleaners, have done their
hest to make a great man of Fitzhugh
lee and have used the Republican adj
For q