The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-07-11

upon its axis or slides down the eclip-
tic. and Bryan being only So when in
that astounding speech before the Chi
cago convention he not only snatcheu
the presidential nomination from the
renowned veterans of his party. bus
also wrote his name on the Scanty Hss
of really great orators.
Jefferson was defeated IL 1896. elect
ed in 1900. reelected in 1904 and lett
the government in the hands of his po-
litical friends for half century. Bry-
an was defeated in 1896. and, history
repeatinc itself. he will be elected in
1900. reelected in 1904 and will trans
NIT the government to a long line of
successors of his political faith-ouS
political faith-the peoples political
faith-a conSummation devoutly to be
wished.
Candidate and platforms.
A great controversy is raging among
certain sapient editors as to which has
the more farreaching influence in car
rying a presidential election. the candi-
date or the platform. Nobody can tell,
because nobody knows and because it
is sometimes one. sometimes the other
and sometimes neither. For instance,
in 1910 neither candidate nor platform
had much to do with the result. There
had been panic. and in a delirium the
people sang General William Henry
Harrison into the White House with a
lot of doggerel which has created as
tonishment and merriment ever since.
In 1914 the platform, or. more properly
speaking, letter written by Henry
Clay, gave the victory to James h.
Polk. In 1913 General Taylor's mill
tary prestige and a split in the Demo
cratic party crowned the hero Of Buena
Vista with the greatest civic honors.
Nobody paid any attention to the plat
form. Nobody knew what Taylor's
opinions were on political questions.
Indeed he did not know himself, but
he had walloped the Mexicans in
most astounding manner, he was nick
named ..Old Rough and Ready"
fetching sobriquet, and sly Martin Van
Buren, out of revenge deftly inserted
his poisoned dagger under the fifth rib
of the ponderous General Cass. In
1852 the platform was the chief thing
which enabled Brigadier Franklin
Pierce to snatch the coveted prize
from Lieutenant General Winfield
Scott, the hero of Lundy'S Lane. Churu-
busco and a score of stricken fields.
In 1860 the platforms were everything,
the candidates nothing except as expo
nents of the platform. In 1854 the re-
suit came of the malice of Roscoe
Conkling and the ALTERATION Of Parson
Burchard. Jackson was elected in 1873
by reason of his matchlesS achieve
ment at New Orleans and reelected in
1892 because he stood for the rights OF
the plain people,. as Lincoln denomi-
mated them: the common people, as
Bryan loves to call them. In neither
case did he need any platform save his
own record. and doubt whether any
body paid the least attention to the
platform The cry was "Hurrah TOR
JACKSON and it was irresistible. In
at least half the cases presidents have
been elected by Wis Things
are all right. let them alone.
One curious result Of Martin Van Bu-
ren'S capec in 1913 was that the name
of Van Buren, county in Missouri was
changed to CaSS and that of Kinder
hook to Benton AIisSourians take pol
iticS seriously and never fail 70 punish
infdelity to the party. y man in Mis-
souri, could no more duplicate the re-
cent SomersaultS Of Hon. Joseph {.
Sibley Of Pennsylvania than he could
fly. Attempting that role Missourian
would have to begin at the foot of the
class and spell up for 20 years.
In the present instance Bryan needs
no platform. lie is i platform in him
self. Everybody knows what he stands
for and for that very reason will elect
him with q whoop. In electing him
they know precisely what they are get
ting. They are not buying 4 pig in a
poke They also know he will do what
he says. FOR while the average citizen
may not be able to talk the jargon Of
physiognomy he judges men by their
flesh marks, and no man ever gaZed
into Bryan's handsome face and beheld
his high bridge nose. his magnificent
eyes and his square underjaw without
knowing that he possesses incorrupti-
bic honesty. leonine courage and un-
conQuerable resolve. Hence they trust
him; hence he needs no platform.
An to Traitors.
Old King David once exclaimed in his
wrath, "LAll men are liars.' If he were
on earth again and should read divers
and sundry Republican newspapers, he
could with perfect truth and in high
good humor say, Many men are liars" !"
These pestiferous organ grinders and
slanderers for revenue only declare
day after day by the lie direct or the
lie oblique that all who are opposing
the McHanna policy Of imperialism are
traitors Such men aS Bryan HOar