The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1900-12-19
BRYAN ON REORGANIZATION
Party Boilers not the Ones to
Say What Shall be Done.

Party Boilers not the ones 10
Say What Shall be Done.
William Jennings Bryan, writing to
the New York Journal from Lin
coin of the proposed reorganization
of the Democratic party, said:
This talk of recognizing the party
does not, as a rule, come from those
who supported the ticket. The threat
of reorganization will not amount to
much so long as it is confined to the
men who show their love of Democracy
by voting the Republican ticket.
"a man who calls himself Demo
crat and then urges his opposition to
silver as reason for defending trusts,
large army and an imperial policy in the
late campaign will hardly be accepted
as Democratic leader so long as the
party deserves the Democratic name.
1t is generous of those selfstyled Dem
ocrats to offer to withdraw from the
Republican party long enough to in
oculate the Democratic party with the
virus of plutocracy, but the offer will
not be accepted by those who are we'd
ded to Democratic principles and to
Democratic policies. Whenever it be-
comes necessary to reorganiZe the
Democratic party-a necessity not yet
apparent-it will be reorganized from
the bottom, so that the voters can have
a voice in the work of reorganization.
The suggestion that party can be re-
organized and controlled from the out
side smacks too much of Imperialism.
1t is an attempt to apply the colonial
idea to party management, and vio-
lates the Democratic doctrine that
party organization, like a government,
derives it's just powers from the con-
sent of the governed.
Defeat does not make it necessary
for us to abandon anything for which
we have fought. Imperialism was de-
clared to be
THE PARAMOUNT ISSUE
of the late campaign; must we now In
dorse imperialism because the Repub-
licans have won? We also opposed
large standing army and pointed out
the dangers of militarism; must we
now favor large standing army be-
cause the Republicans have won ?
The trust question was prominent
issue in the campaign, and we de-
nounced private monopoly as indie
fensible and intolerable; must we
abandon our fight against the trusts
because the Republicans have won?
We denounced the Dingley tariff law;
must we now advocate high tariff
because the Republicans have won
We declared in favor of the election OF
United States Senators by the people;
must we now abandon this form be-
cause the Republicans have won
"We opposed government by inJunc-
ton. Must we now favor government
by injunction because the Republicans
have won We declared ourselves in
favor of the greenback, as against the
bank note Must we now favor the
retirement of the greenbacks because
the Republicans have won? 1t would
be just as reasonable to insist that the
Democratic party should accept the
Republican position on these ques-
tons as to say that it must accept the
Republican position on the gold ques-
ton. Every man who talks about re-
organizing the party mentions the tar
iff question as an issue, and yet the
tariff question was in the platform
when the Democratic party was de
feated in 1880, in 1888, 1896 and in 1900.
"The Democratic party was defeated
on the tariff question in 1888, but it
went into the campaign of 1892 with
still stronger
TARIFF REFORM PLANK.
1.-THE Republican party was defeated
in 1892 on the tariff question, but it
reiterated it's position in 1896. If it is
said that we can gain the support of
the gold standard advocates by aban-
doning the party's position on the
money question, reply that the great
financiers who stand behind the gold
standard also stand behind the trusts,
a large army and an imperial policy.
If they can coerce the people into sup
porting the gold standard, banks of
issue and perpetual debt, they can
coerce them into submission to private
militarism and colonialism.
The Democratic party must be consist
ent; it cannot make peace with the
money power on one issue and fight it
on other issues. Some party must
the interests and hopes of
those whom Lincoln described as the
plain people; and, speaking for myself,
/ would rather see the Democratic ;
party defend the rights of the masses ;
and be in the minority than to see it
secure power by becoming the plant
tool of predatory wealth here aud the
exponent of imperialistic doctrines
abroad"