Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-08-16
STILL A FIGHT AHEAD.
Che Columbia. Convention Did Not
Settle Everything to the
Parts's satisfaction.

The democratic convention of Ohio
WAS controlled by the Mclean ele-
ment and those leaders who bolted
the ticket in 1896 and gave but per-
functory support to Mr.. Bryan in
1900. To placate the fusion element
of the party and to aid the candidacy
of Col. kilbourne for governor, the
railroad taxation planks demanded by
the friends of Tom johnson were in
Guided in the platform, but any men
ton of the leadership of Mr.. Bryan
or the national platforms of 1896 and
1900 was studiously avoided This
objectionable rudeness and incon-
ceivable folly of ignoring the nation
al platform and candidate, who in
two of the greatest campaigns in the
history of the party had polled more
votes than were ever before record
ed, has led to the calling of another
convention at Columbus on July 81.
The Mclean ring have long domi-
mated the democratic party in Ohio,
and the more complete their rule the
worse the condition the party has at
tanned until the last election for gov
ernor, when Mclean himself was a
candidate, he was disastrously de-
feated, but still controlled the party
machinery. McLean's interest in
Ohio politics has always been of
personal nature, and if he was not
a candidate the assistance he rem
dered was lukewarm, to say the least,
and yet by his control of the party
machinery it has been impossible to
clear the organization of this Old
Man of the Sea.
The republican and trust-controlled
newspapers pretend to take great
satisfaction at the action of the con-
vention. They call it defeat of
Mr.. Bryan Of this Mr.. Bryan says:
'sMr. Bryan is not candidate for
any office, and a mention Of him might
have been construed by some as an
Endorsement of him for office. The
vote should have been upon the naked
proposition to indorse the platform
of last year, and then no one could
have excused his abandonment of
| democratic principles by pleading his
dislike for Mr.. Bryan"
Referring to the platform. he con-
| tinues: 1.-THE convention not only
| failed, but refused to indorSe the
| Kansas City platform, and, from the
manner in which the gold element
has rejoiced over this feature of the
| convention, one would SUPPOSE that
the main object of the convention
| was not to write a new platform.
| but to repudiate the one upon which
| the last national campaign was
fought.
| The gold papers assume that the
convention refused to adopt the Kan
sas City platform because it con-
tanned a silver plank. If so, it would
| have been more courageous to have
declared openly for the gold stand
ard. If the gold standard is good, it
ought to have been indorsed-if bad
| it ought to have been denounced. To
| ignore the subject entirely was mex
cusable-
The money question is not yet out
of politics. Every session of congress
will have to deal with it. Republic
ans declare that it is dead, but they
keep working at it.
| Mr.. Bryan comments on parts of
the platform, especially those refer
ring to state and municipal affairs.
He indorses the nominees of the con-
| vention and urges their support. Re
ferring to the senatorial fight and the
reported candidacy of John r. Nc
Lean, he says: Ibid the leaders ignore
| the money question in order to please
those who bolted? Or does Mr.. Nc
Lean want to be left free to affiliate
with the republicans on financial
| questions in case of his election?"
| He concludes as follows: eff any
| of the Ohio democrats feel aggrieved
because the recognizing element
| of the party triumphed at the con-
vention, let them not visit their dis
| appointment upon the state ticket,
but rather see to the nomination OF
senators and representative who will
| select a trustworthy senator. Let
them see to it also that the state
platform is made at the primaries
next time rather than at the conven-
| tion."