The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1901-08-02

moral courage and meet a positive
declaration by its adversary in silence
or by evasion ? If the democratic party
is for the gold standard and against
the free coinage of silver ought it not
to say so squarely and emphatically
Mr.. Bryan has the supreme courage
of his convictions and will stand up
msnfully for his currency policy. 1t
were idle to believe that he will agree
to cowardly evasion or straddle in
the platform. Could it reasonable be
expected that he will swallow his con-
victions and support Mr.. Hill or Mr..
Cleveland on gold standard platform ?
1t seems to us that such ticket and
such a platform while it might make
some inroads into the ranks of the re-
publican party it would lose two votes
for every one that it would gain.
1t seems to us that very serious
problem confronts the democratic
party and to solve it satisfactorily will
require the genius of craftsmanship
of higher order than any ever yet
displayed by a political party in this
country and we hope it will be equal
to the emergency.
We want to see it successful and
want it to impress the. fact upon the
country that it deserves success.
Speaking of the perplexities that
confront the democracy, or will con-
front it, Savoyard, the former WASH
ington correspondent of the Louisville
Courier-Journal, now of the Louis
vile Post, says:
"What do the municipalities want?
Is it sound money? That is become
a republican cardinal. Is it expan.
sion? That is another republican
cardinal Is it anti-expansion? That
is Bryan cardinal Is it free trade?
That fat was thrown into the fire in
1898 by some of the very gang that is
now recognizing Bryan to the rear.n
Speaking of the Ohio democracy
SavOyard says:
"The coal oil democracy of Ohio
hated Thurman for his principles.
They hate Bryan for his failure. Mr..
Bryan would be all right if he were
loaded-if he were only primed-with
office. Had they been there they would
have sprung a new platform on RObt.
Bruce after his second defeat. They
would have perambulated from Forth
to Pentland, pretending to hunt for
another Samuel J. Tilden. These
gentry would have superseded Wash
ington with Gates. Bryan is all wrong
in his principles, but is loyal to them.
The only thing he is afraid of is low
aim. He never shot low but once
that time he lent himself to that Goe-
bel crowd, but 1t is written, "He who
will be Captain of none but honest
men will have small hire to pay.n
Joaquin Miller said that Ben Butler.
bad as he was, was the best thing i'm
Massachusetts,. And Bryan, diggin'
as he is set, is better than the men
who betrayed the democratic party
in 1898, (yes, and Savoyaid may have
included those who betrayed it in
1896 and 1900. ED. BANNER,) and
that is the gang who is after him.
The Atlanta Constitution is their tar
if reformer; Arthur p. Gorruan is
their political purist; the Cincinnati
Enquirer is their authority on tariff
reform. The first is a protectionist;
the second is democratic edition of
Boss Quay; the third not only believes
in the free coinage of silver, but goes
in for the free Eprinting of green
backs.n
That's the outlook. Those are the
difficulties and perplexities that the
democratic party must confront and
overcome in 1904. To do so will re-
quire the genius of diplomacy and the
genius of craftsmanship, and even
these gifts applied with their keenest
subtlety and, skill will feel better if
helped out by some astounding piece
of good luck.