The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1901-08-16
STILL A FIGHT AHEAD.
The Columbus Convention Did Not
settle Everything to the
Party's Subtraction

ne UtUHOtTdIiC convention oil ONO
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 Tes johnson were in
cluded 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 We're ever before record
sd, has led to the calling of another
convention at Columbus on July 81.
The Mclean ring have long domi-
Sated 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. McEean's interest in
Ohio politics has always been of
personal nature. and if he was not
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 il defeat of
Mr.. Bryan. OF this Mr.. Bryan says:
Mr.. Bryan is not a candidate for
any office. and 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: 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 10 write a new PLATFORM
but 10 repHdiate 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 il con-
tanned a silver plank. II so, it would
have been more courageous 10 have
declared openly for the gold stand
ard. II the gold standard is good. ID
ought to have been indorsed-if bad
it ought 10 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 il. Republic
ans declare that II 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: Did the leaders ignore
the money question in order 10 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: IF any
OF the Ohio democrats feel aggrieved
because the reorganizing 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 representatives. who viii |
select a trustworthy senator. Let |
them see to il also that the state |
platform is made at the primaries
next time rather than at the conven-
ton"