Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1900-11-22

adhered himself together, h-lL "a
0 elect a republican president in
SO and again this year, and he, as
me of the anti Bryan democrats,
will meet and try to measure up to
he ''stature Of Jefferson, Jackson
md Tilden.'
Well, they have broad field Of
endeavor. There were about
seven million democrats who voted
for Bryan on Tuesday, Nov. &.
These men must all be recognized
and it is a big undertaking, but
there have been greater ones:
There is record in sacred history
Of an attempt to build a tower that
would reach to heaven.
And the object Of all this hos
tility is the overthrow Of William
Jennings Bryan. But his position
as democracy's leader is secure.
So long as he lives anything for
office" will never be the slogan of
democratic campaign, and SO long
as he lives the democracy of this
nation will continue to be directed
by the magic power of his match
less genius. He may not again
carry the standard through presi
Dental contest, but as jefferson
continued the sage Of democracy
until the day of his death, so will
the seven million democrats of the
present and those Of the future
look to the great Bryan for wis
dom, for counsel and for guild
ance. They who think to the
contrary do not understand Alright
the character of Bryan. The word
"expediency" has never had a
place in his political vocabulary
and it never will have. Because
he preferred to be honest rather
than polite he has been defeated
many times but from each defeat
he has issued stronger than before
and with a name unsullied. He
was defeated for senator from
Nebraska by John M. Thurston
because he preferred defeat to dis
honest victory. He opposed
democratic president when that
president had betrayed his party
and the people. Cleveland refused
to let him name the postmaster for
his home city of Lincoln because,
as congressman, he was loyal to
the democratic party. A state
convention, made up Of Cleveland
, appointees, denied him a place
on the resolutions committee but
could not stifle his voice, and one
Of Bryan's greatest speeches was
> made on that occasion. He told
, them they were convention 81
postmasters sent there for a pur.
pose rather than a convention ol
democrats representing the senti'
ments of the state. He told them
they were playing in the basement
of politics and that he would 60 tt
the people of Nebi aska for vindi-
2 cation. And these words are
\ ringing in the ears Of j. Sterling
e Morton to this day. He went
back to the people and two years
later he controlled the Nebraska
q democratic convention and he has
controlled every one since.
Now he is defeated again-de-
feated but not vanqnished-and
it is because he chose to be right
rather than dishonest There
were several elements which com.
bined to cost the democracy the
presidency in this election but
, Bryan was not one of them. The
pronounced antipathy of the east
for free silver was the most promi
nent, the proposition to Withdraw
from the Philippine Islands wal
another. If these issues are ex
cluded from the next Democrat,
e national platform it will be becaus'
the logic of events has settled then
in the meantime and not becaus
. the party hopes to win by al
Q attitude OF compromise witt
: error.
10 lay no claim to the gift @
: prophecy but 1T is safe to predic
, that William Jennings Bryan will
+ four years hence, be the nomine
>, of the democratic party for presi
u dent. He stands pre-eminent a
o the apostle of honest manhood an
y of the highest order of America
citizenship. He is today, in tn
~ hour of his defeat, the idol {
IN every democratic home in til
~ republic and the star of his grea
ness is still in the ascendancy
~ it's brilliance undimmed and i
course undertaking.
Although great man, NJ
Bryan is not big enough to reje'
a nomination for the highest offit
~