Evening star., 1901-04-03
HOSTILE TO BRYAN
Effect Of the Mayoralty Election in
st. Louis.
CONSERVATIVE ELEMENT STRONGER
Nebraska Leader at a Disadvantage
as Editor.
TWO EARLY CANDIDATES

! The election of Wells to be mayor of st.
Louis is looked upon as a direct slap at
| w. ]. Bryan. Wells firmly refused to sup
port Bryan as the democratic candidate
for President. and Bryans paper. the Com
| moner. protested against Wells as a demo-
| cratic candidate for mayor, describing him
| as a republican. The election of Wells,
| notwithstanding his being repudiated and
! opposed by Bryan, Is regarded as the mani
! festation oil sentiment in St. Louis. If not
| in the whole state of Missouri hostile to
| Bryan.
| This is not the first indication of q ~eac-
| tionary tendency in that state. and, per-
| haps, very generally through the south
| and southwest. The anti-Bryan sentiment
| in st. Louis is not a new thing, but that
! it should be strong enough to nominate and
| elect a candidate in the face of the active
opposition Of the Bryan people is accepted
as clear indication that the opposition to
Bryan is not declining in strength.
The enthusiastic demonstration over Hill
of New York at the Kansas City conven-
tion was very largely contributed to by
local sentiment, and 1t is regarded as evil
elected to avail themselves Of this to be-
gin the work of getting control of the
party organization in the state.
Group of Doubtful States.
Missouri is regarded as good missionary
ground for work of this sort, as It is rap
idly drifting toward the group Of doubtful
states, and on account Of the development
Of business enterprises is becoming con-
servative in sentiment
1t is regarded as not at all improbable
that the election Of Wells will greatly
strengthen the conservative element Of the
democracy in Missouri, while the opposi-
tion of Bryan to the successful candidate
Will arouse antagonisms toward the Ne
braska leader which did not before exist.
| the consequence being that the influential
state of Missouri may be represented at
| the next democratic national convention
by men who will not test the availability
of a presidential candidate by the question
| Of whether he belongs to the school Of pol
| tiles which dominated the party In 1895
| and 1900.
The successful movement to break away
| from Bryan influences in ST. Louis will, 1t
| In other quarters The present democratic
| organization must be overturned in order
| to place the conservative harmony element
| in control four years from now, and the
means by which this Will be accomplished
| If at all, will be obtained through getting
control Of local organizations at municipal
| elections. and each success in this drec-
tion Is likely to contribute to further sue
cesSes.
! A few conspicuous demonstrations that
Bryan can be defied without great disaster
resulting to the party are likely to give
| energy to the movement, and beginning
thus early those who want to "har1nonize''
| the party feel that there will be abundant
| opportunity within the next three years to
| put themselves in shape for final strug-
gle in 1904.
Looking to 1904.
The general acceptance of the idea that
Bryan will not again be candidate and
the expectation by nearly all classes OF
TO hot fha
play no part in the next presidential cam
| paign is counted on to be to the advantage
of those who insist upon having the fac
| ignored in the selection of candidates and
| the conduct of campaigns in the future.
| 1t Is felt, too. that the problem will be
| simplified by multiplicity Of candidates
| and those who hope to become candidates
| before the 1904 convention. 1t Is very
| adroitly suggested by the politician who
| hopes for Bryan's elimination that the is
| sues Of the next presidential campaign are
| to be developed in the future, and that,
from present indications. they are likely to
| be such as to unite the whole party, the
| old, disturbing issues being laid aside, for
| the time, at least, and that it would be
| but poor politics to jeopardiZe success for
| new issues by keeping fresh the memories
| of disagreements as to those dead and past
The opponents of Bryan think they have
| him at disadvantage in his capacity of
| editor. AS defeated candidate, retired to
! private life. he would not be called upon to
| give public expression to every political
| emotion he might feel, while, as editor
| giving expression to his thoughts every
week on every topic that presents itself
| he is likely not only to arouse antagonisms
| but to be in the attitude of keeping alive
| matters Of controversy of which the public
| may for the time be weary.
| Contentious too small for him to become
| involved in as a distinguished party lead
| er he must feel impeiled to discuss as ed
itor, and he is SO situated that he cannot
! separate the party leader from the editor.
What the editor must do may be resented
| as meddlesome in the leader, whom the
public will hold responsible for the editor
| without discrimination as to the two func-
| tions.
| Two Probable Candidates.
The election of Carter Harrison for a
| third term as mayor Of Chicago is well
understood to be preliminary to his enter
| ing as a candidate for the democratic
presidential nomination In 1904. Neither
he nor Tom Johnson. who is expected to
appear as candidate. are devoted to the
cause which Bryan represents in the way
| that is Bryan himself.
| The tendency of their candidacy will be
| to Obliterate differences existing in the
| last campaigns in SO much as the interests
| Of the individual candidates may be served
| by the obliteration, and 1t is calculated that
a well organized harmony" element OF
| such numerical strength as can be secured
by hard work from this time forward. to-
| gether with the Indifference to past con-
| tentions which will arise from the striv-
| ings of several candidates, will place the
national convention In a state of confusion
| which will make it Indifferent to the prin-
| ciples for which Bryan is contending and
| reduce the contest to a free for ALL" with
declaration of principles drawn for win
! ming purposes
| The element of the party represented
perhaps. most conspicuously by Hill and
| German, find good deal of encouragement
for their designs in the situation as it is
now developing.
Training School Incorporated.
Articles of incOrporatiou of the NationaI