The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-12-01
A MOVEMENT OF CERTAIN POLL
TICIANS.

There is a movement among a GER
tain set of politicians in Washington
and elsewhere to set aside Colonel w.
j. Bryan as the democratic nominee for
the presidency, and instead nominate
Hon. John w. Daniel, of Virginia. Gold
correspondents and gold newspapers
are moving in this hostile movement
against Colonel Bryan, whom they
lave bitterly antagonized for years.
The Messenger is not an advocate or
organ of candidates. 1t is loyal to the
party, has never kicked, and supports
the candidates when nominated in due
form. 1t has not insisted hat Bryan
must be nominated in 1900, but all the
reliable and potent signs look that way.
Tammany haS just declared for him
and will rally to his standard if he is
again nominated. He is clearly the
choice of perhaps so per cent of those
who worked for him and voted for him
in 1896. They gave him $500, 900 votes,
more tina Cleveland ever received al
though twice chosen president, and
three times nominated therefor.
The enemies of Bryan are most dill
gently at work trying to work up a
hostile sentiment against him. To &C
complish this they nav selected an
eloquent and able Virginian, heretofore
very strong for silver, as the most
available nominee for the democracy.
Certain gold papers assisted perhaps by
a few papers formerly supporting Bry-
an, are spreading the reports, real or
fabricated, of great growing interest
for John w. Daniel. 1t is reported tha,
many democrats in Washington favor
it, and says a gold tOoter, all anti
Bryanists favor him." 1t is urged that
Major Daniels name would nave the
effect of bringing in line the solid
SOUTH, and so on each day adding to
the assertions and bo~astings.
F.. The fact that expansion organs and
gold advocates are ready to drop
Bryan and take Daniel might arouse
suspicion among an~ti-imperialists and
5~imetallists. They will have to know
just where the Virginian stand in a
time that is every way critical, big
with fate. Is he for conquests, eX-
pansion and empire? That will have to
be settled. Is he true to his colors as a
democrat, and the many able speeches
he delivered in the congress and on the
busting against a single gold standard
and in favor of a bimetallic currency?
Upon these issues it will depend if
he should be nominated, whether he
would receive the vote of a single state.
If he runs upon a platform Of gold and
imperialism he annot carry Virginia,
or stand the ghost of a chance in North
Carolina, Georgia, Texas, etc. The
eloquent senator will have to be very
emphatic and very explicit if he hopes
to be nominated by the great democratic
party, and supported by it if nominated.
He will never unite the south on a
gold standard and imperialism. A man
to think it would be blind and stupid
and a marplot. The Messenger has
greatly admired Senator Daniel and
has often essayed to celebrate becom-
ingly his fine abilities and noble T
tory. We have written in the interest
of truth, fair dealing and harmony. If
Major Daniel should be the nominee
of n party, with no trickery n ras-
cality involved, the Messenger would
support him with all of it's zeal and per-
tinacity and with whatever of ability
1t could command. He must be the
nominee of the democratic party and
not a colony or a band of conspirators.
He must stand upon the platform
adopted by the democracy in conven-
ton assembled, and by an open, fair,
square vote of the same. An attempt
to capture the convention by improper
methods, and to force a platform re-
pugnant to genuine democracy will
ruin and destroy, instead of intensity
ing the zeal, ~harmonizing the discor-
dant elements, and infusing hope and
confidence in the great democratic
heart. Those who sincerely wish to see