The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1900-07-12
Rather Be Right.
Would William ]. Bryan, than Pres
ident, and Being Right he will
be President,

No finer example of American
character has ever been seen than
that which Mr.. Bryan afforded dur
ing the trying period of the Kansas
City convention Immediately pre-
ceding his nomination.. The dele
gates had gone to Kansas City, most
OF them, instructed to cast their
votes for the nomination of the Ne
braskan for the presidency. Upon
this point there never was any dis
agreement. But among the dele
gates were those representing many
shades of opinion upon the perennial
question of policy. Representative
came from regions widely removed
both by distance and by the char
acter of the irrespective constituent
cies. There were men from the far
east familiar by daily contact with
the imperious power of the pluto
cracy as exemplified in every walk
of life. There were Democrats of
the "old school" from the far south
devoted by heredity to ancient tra-
ditions. There was the large and
ever enthusiastic delegation from
that great empire, the Mississippi
valley. There were men from Ore
gon and California, from the silver
states of the Rocky mountains and
from that region somewhat vaguely
described as "the middle west"
There were extremists, so.called Ia
term perhaps too often applied to
men devoted to principle), and there
were trimmers who may be devoted
to principle, but are also devoted to
uccess-success at any price.
1t is no part of the policy Of the
Democracy to repIess individual
opinion. All these delegates at Kan
sas City had their say and the result
was tremendous and exceedingly
distracting pressure upon the cam
didate as he sat in his home at Lin
coin. Letters and kilograms poured
in upon him of every tone and tenor.
He was urged to "stand fast" by
some and by others to make "sacri-
fees" for this and that. The chief
bone of contention appeared to be
the silver plank. because there were
those who believed that if Mr.. Bryan
would abate even in some small de-
gree his devotion to the principles
conveyed in the Chicago platform
four years ago, his chances for elec-
tion would be enh anced.
1t is useless to deny that such ap-
peals would have had their effect
upon many men ordinarily account
ed honest and faithful to their con-
victions. After all, success is a great
prize, perhaps even the greatest
prize, in politics. But those who
besought Mr., Bryan to take the path
of expediency simply betrayed their
ignorance of the man. Success is
great; expediency is great; compro.
mise even may be great at some
1unctures, but to the mind Of the
man who puts craftsmanship above
politics, country above party and
humanity above country, there is
something greater than any or all
of these. Such man was Mr.. jeff.
erson when he braved the anger, the
contempt and the insults of his aris-
tocratic relatives and neighbors in
old Virginia, to stand forth as the
champion of the common people.
And such man, as all now know,
is William Jennings Bryan. To all
appeals that he might set aside II
only for moment the smallest de-
gree of his devotion to any part OF
the Chicago platform, he had but
one reply: II am not anxious
enough for the nomination to pur-
chase it by sacrificing that which I
believe to be right"
Those who best knew Mr.. Bryan
We're not at all surprised that he
should take this stand. Indeed, they
would have been surprised at any
other. The measure OF Mr.. Bryan's
personal strength is the full con-
viction of his friends that he would
gladly go down to defeat rather than
abandon his convictions. II he
were not such man he could not
have such friends, nor 30 many of
them. Because he is such a man
his friends are the people and their
friendship is unfinching to the
death.
And now among those even who
doubted the wisdom of this infiex-
rbie policy there are very few who
do not recognize that In this man
fully standing by his guns Mr.. Bryan
was also realizing the highest policy
II you please, the best politics. Bis
mark used TO say that his greatest