The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1901-07-18
A STUNNED LEADER.
New York Tribune.

supporters may have suspected tia
this years Democratic state conven
vendon in Ohio wouli succeed in
measure in assembling It's love for tha
peerless leader" who ;hv party A. larg,
had followed 20 two successive and ur-
examplei reverses. They should no
aossioly have been prs9lrai hlwsver
Tor the exuberance and enthusiasm With
which the Democratic delegates gather
ed at Columbus kicked downstairs the
uRlueky candidate Of 1895 and 1900
Nothing WAS eft undone apparently by
the Ohio managers % emphasize thar
disgust with the tollies written at Col
onel Bryan's dic,aJIon into the Chicago
..,,,,, .o, tEansas City platforms ;9',,,s ;;,,s,
(which hey had been forced to sub
scribe 10 with unc,uous submission at
home, while the spell Of the Nebraskaa's
leadership remained unbroken. In the
resolutions adopted last Wednesday a;
Columbus all reference 20 the national
platforms OF 1896 and 1900 Is stu iiously
avoided. and the especial doctrines ex-
plotted as paramount" by Colonel Bry-
al are ooolly brushed aside without, a
syllable ~ iniorsement. More than
that. but six votes could be mustered
in he convention in support OF a dec
laration Of confidence in Colonel Bry-
ans leadership. AMI when a l,hograoh
Of that matches commoner" was
sough, to be sandwicheI among the f.
hg.es Of dead Democra;ic her &c. Ike
Allen and Thurman, i: was ignomln.-
ous'v torn down ami tramp!si upon by
del=glta5 and spectators.
The vehemence 1s the Ohio reaction
against Bryan and Organism cannon b.
questioned; though. Ike all reactions.
it problbly i=vel5pel an intensity and
explosivsa=ss quite unforeseen by he
managers VINO cleared the way for !.
In a sense the conventions reouke was
a natural answer TO the foolish chal-
leng=s which Colonel Bryan has recent
w flung at the elements within The
party which insisted upon It's gradual
reorganization. As is we'll known,
The Commoner" not long ago publish
ed an extraordinary edict Of excom-
municatlon against all Democrats who
harbor lIb.ral ideas Of party policy or
party management Addressing his fol-
lowers, Colonel Bryan laid down this
superlatvely narrow and extrlvagan;
rule:
D. not allow a man to be placed Up .
on any committee, precinct, county,
state or national, unless he Is a believer |
in the Kansas City platform. II a man
opposed 10 the Kansas City platform is
sent as delegate TO any convention |
he should be bound by instructions and |
should have associated with him a suf-
hc!ent majority who are sound on the !
platform. If a man objects to ins,ruc-
tons leave him at home.
Against such an III judged piece Of
prescription it is inevitable that party
interests, as well as party spirit, should
and 1t is not strange to find
The Mclean and the johnson wings Of
The Ohio Democracy rivaling each
Jther in eagsrness 70 resent and discreI-
+, such a petty and selfish exhibition If
national leadership.
Whether uhe brutal snub administered
% Colonel Bryan at Columbus Is the
,eginning Of a genuine counter revolu-
ion in Democratic politics, it is per
laps too early to determine. The exig
lcles Of the state canvass, which IN
.blad the conservatives to keep Bryan
md Bryanlsm out Of the platform, als1
the admission to that instru-
nent Of the planks drawn by Mayor
rom L. johnson nd his followers
hanks which breathe a spirit Of rad!-
alism quite az extreme as that which
he hootei Nebraska leader carried in
o his two excited and passionate ma
lonal campaigns. Between a Bryan
zed or a Johnsoulzed Democracy there