The San Francisco call., 1899-12-07
SOMETHING OF AN INCUBUS.

y 1nan Tor many years, and was strenuous up
- holder OF the Chicago platform, yet he has
found it necessary TO remind his constituents that
Democracy bigger than Bryan and that even silver
men may have to choose between being Democrats
and being Bryanites. The Senator's statement is in
line with sentiment that is growing in the South
sentiment that iorebodes strong Southern opposi-
tion TO the denomination of the Nebraska man next
year.
While considerable part OF the antagonism OF the
South to Bryan is due the Democratic imperiasts
OF that section, still there is much OF it that has
better foundation. The Richmond Times, for ex-
ample, said recently: I'VE cannot believe Just yet
that the solid South as a whole intends to much
longer permit itself to be chained to free silverism
and Popusm. With all the evidences OF prosperity
that surround us, how longer cling to this
dead body? Is it time that We were severing the
partisan chains that bind TO it? Men OF the South
prosperity is upon us; it is all around us We have
only TO reach out hands and pluck its fruit the
game is on and we cannot afford not to be in T.
Shall we longer suffer ourselves TO be chained to
dead body that would hold to despair and poverty?
For humanitys sake break the chain and let's reap
the benefits before US"
In the meantime the silver leaders insist that
Democracy shall accept Bryan and the silver plank
or lose all the votes which they and the Popusts
can swing. AT the conference in Chicago it was de-
cided to arrange, il possible for so-caled Silver
Republican convention and Populist convention to
meet at the time and place with the Democratic
National Convention, to more readily effect
fusion. Such programme means, OF course an i'm
mense Bryanite mob to howl around the Democratic
convention and to stampede it if the conservative
delegates should show enough strength to seriously
endanger Bryan's chances OF nomination
While this preparation for pulling and hauling is
being made by Southern imperialists and Northern
silver men Bryan himself has mapped out a pro-
gramme OF activity for the winter which promises TO
add much to the gayetes OF the season. He has de-
termined to stump New England from one end to
the other and to organize Democratic clubs of the
silver stripe all over that section
The New Englanders as a rule are not averse to
anything which promises TO act as counter irritant
to the billiards OF their winters or TO warm I'D the
atmosphere but still they are not cheerful over the
outlook They do not like to see a man waste his
time, even II he be one whose time is worth little
and the more thrifty among them have been advising
the orator to turn his energies to more promising
field They remind him that even if he should con-
vert hundred voters at every speech and make
speech every night he would not cut down the Re-
publican maJorites OF that section even if he worked
until far into the spring 1t would take 500 nights
at that rate to get rid OF the Republican majority in
Massachusetts alone and before that many nights
have passed the Presidential election will have come
and gone and been forgotten.
Taking the whole situation into view. about all
that can be said is that Bryan an incubus and is
likely to remain so. He has Just about brains enough
to keep his hold on the neck of Democracy. and
democracy has not brains enough to throw him off
His New England campaign will keep him in the ewes
OF the pubic until the time to elect delegates
to the national convention, and for the rest he trusts
to the manipulation of the silver leaders and the
natural capacity OF Democrats for laundering