The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-11-10
LOST opp;,KTUNI1Y.

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ALOST OPPORTUNITY.
That the future of the Demo cratic par
ty OF the United States Should I've q mat
ter Of great interest and concern to Its
members is natural and desirable, yet
we do not see what move can be prudent
II and advantaseousiy made just now.
IN the first place, the public wishes to
hear from Mr.. Bryan. 1t is our belief
that most Democrats would be relieved
if he would abandon his president al as
pirations once for ali. now and forever,
and hopo is entertained by many that ne
will rome out ard say that he does so.
Certainly. such action upon his part
would simplify matters very much. and
if his own State has gone against him.
it ought to be less difficult than it would
otherwise be for him to decide upon that
course--Richmond Dispatch.
Mr. Bryan has been heard from and
he gives no token that he Is going to
retire. He says that he will not accept
tie position of Senator in Congress, but
adds that he will take an active part in
politics the rest Of his life. This may or
may not mean that Mr.. Bryan will again
be candidate for the Democratic nomi-
nation It does mean, however, that he
will not retire under fire, and so far as
tina. goes We cannot blame him. TIE fact
is Mr. Bryan lost his opportunity to re-
tire, gracefully and with colors flying,
when the Democratic convention met last
summer at Kansas City. He was AT that
time in high feather with the Democrats
at large, and the delegates were for the
most part pledged to vote for him. But
1t developed very soon after the con-
yention met that Br Bryan's candidacy
was most embarra sSing TO the party.
The delegates saw that il would be sui
c;daI to so before the country again with
number, and strenuous efforts were made
to retire il, but Mr.. Bryan would not hear
TO such a thing. He insisted that there
should be I general reaifirnation Of the
Chicago platform Of 1886 and that there
should be q distinct and definite rea1flrma-
ton in terms of the silver plank OF that
platform The delegates SO resented this
that 1t is the firm belief OF some who
were present that had the delegates not
been pledged to Mr.. Bryans candidacy the
convention would have turned from HIM
to David Bennett Hill
Then and there was .AIr. Bryans oppor-
tunity TO retire. He should have come out
in dignitied card and said to the dele
gates that he saw that he was em5ar-
RAISING his party. that he believed in
free coinage and could not conscienuously
run on a platform which ignored 1t; but
he saw manifest disposition on the part
of the convention to get rid Of the sill
YER issue and he would not embaIrass the
party which had heaped It's honors upon
him. He might have gone further ana
said that as the paramount issue was
Imperialism and that as he deemed it
a matter OF supreme Importance for the
Republican party TO be defeated III that
crisis, ne was for putting up the man who
would most surely harmonize the con-
ficting clements in tue party and lead II
to victory. He might have put himself
on record then as being more thoroughly
devoted to the cause Of Democracy than
to his own ambit on, and if ne had pur-
sued that course he would have been hon
oTe1 for all time to como as deVout
patriot who loved his country and his
party better than he loved himself It
was a glorious opportunity and II Mr.
Bryan had only taken advantage of 1t he
would have endeared himself to Democ-
racy and to the whole people. and sooner
or later he would have been elected to
tha Presidency.
But he ether could not or would not
see iha, this was tho time for disappear
Ing. He insisted on forcing free silver
and Popuiism ana his own personality
upon n s party. and while he declared that
Imperialism was the paramount Issue and
that all other questions were to be subor-
dinated to this. served notice on all Dem
ocrats that in order to save their country
from imperialism they must swallow free
silver and the other Populistic nostrusns
which, ne had prepared for them. In vain
did Mr.. BiSanstell the people on his stump