Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1898-01-27
William j. Bryan To-day.
[ Washington Post. !

The attempts on the part of the gold
organs to dismiss Hon. William J.
Bryan as "back number" "a dead
ISSUE" and to relegate him to the limbo
of Insignificant and forgotten derelicts,
do not strike us as being particularly
happy. Whether they have been in
spired by honest ignorance of public
sentiment throughout the country or
are mere demonstrations of malice and
deceit, we do not undertake to say.
Perhaps we should accept both ex
plantations with a geographical divi-
sion, attributing the ignorance to the
East and the deceitful purpose to the
West. No newspapers in the United
States have poorer understanding OF
popular opinion than the great IL etro-
politan dailies," because none are so
cock sure of their own omniscience
and of the overshadowing Importance
of the community they represent. ITO
find the true provincial, the hopelessly
narrow view of things one must go to
New York. Compared with that big
bumptous and complacent aggrega-
ton OF prigs, Hogeye, Texas, is q veri
table cosmopoiis. We can easily be
feet candor when they say that Mr..
y
gard their own verdict on q national
Issue as beyond appeal.
But neither conceit nor misrepresen-
tation will avail to dispose of Mr..
Bryan. Every intelligent and COM
prehensive observer of public events
knows chat he is stronger with the
party to day than he was a year ago;
| that he has lost none of the marvellous
personal influence which he exerted
during the campaign of 1896; that the
principles for which he stands are as
ardentiy espoused by the Democratic
| masses as they were when Bryan pro
claimed them with the fire of the en-
| thusiasm and the witchery of his elo
uuence. No one need be deceived by
| the circumstances of the recent cam
paign in New York city. The fact that
| Tammany ignored the Chicago plat
form is of no significance We may
admit that, for the immediate pur.
poses of that particular struggle, and
in order to recover control of munlcl
pal affairs-to rescue Greater New
York, in fact, from the dlspensation OF
an i'm prudent and hypoeritical tyranny
1.-THE Democratic masses consented tC
the Croker Whitney programme. But
that proves nothing. Indeed, we may
say that. even if it involved the per
manent rejection of Mr.. Bryan and the
Chicago declaration by the New York
organization-whic it does not-the
| fact would be of minor consequence
The Democrats of the nation are not
under New Yorkscontrol. The millions
who voted for Mr.. Bryan in 1895 do no!
| look in that direction for guidance anC
leadership. They would not be moved
one hairs breadth from their purpose
| if New York were to threaten them
with absolute secession. They lost
New York in 1895 They can afford to
lose it in 1900. They have no caicula
tions based upon New York as an in
dispensable factor in their scheme
They know that Mr.. Bryan and the
Chicago platform brought out more
votes. year before last, than any Dem
ocratic candidate ever received before
nearly million more than Mr. Cleve
land had il 1e92-aud they are conten
with that record and the brilliant
prospect it opens to them in the future
Let no one Imagine that Mr.. Bryan
| is dead issue. Ii Democratic Con
vention were to assemble to day, hi
would be without q serious competitor
Unless ali political conditions be revo
lutionized meanwhile. he will be ever
stronger two years hence.