The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-10
Cleveland and Bryan.

Nashville Banner.
 A short article written by MT. Cleveland of Democracy" has thrown the Hon. Wn Jennings Bryan into another of those con. niption fits with which he is always seized when the former President appears be- fore the public. The Cleveland letter was inoffensive and contained nothing which should necessarily aggrieve any man who professes to be Democrat It was CD. timistic as to Democratic prospects. pro- yided the issues which confront the pub lie are "brayely and uneompromislngly dealt with by the Democratic party" The only suggestion of any personal ref1ec- ton might as easily be resented by Da- | vid B. Hill as by Mr. Bryan. In the course of the letter Mir. Cleveland said 'ItNseems to me that the Democratic situation Is such IS to awaken the satis- faction and hope of every thorough and consistent Democrat. Our party has cer- tainly regained it's old-time fighting con- promises old-tine success and prestige. 1 think, however. while we can safely as- sume that we are not immediately threat ened with repetition of undemocratic heresy, there are palpable dangers to be avoided If the rejuvenation of Democracy is not to be obstructed The movement toward this rejuvenation tends to com plete abandonment of our late yielding to the temptations of expediency. as against firm adherence to Democratic doctrines"
 The endeavor to temportze with heresy while holding to the true faith must he, down between two chairs" This may be said to apply clearly to the plank pro- posing government ownership of anthra- cite mines that Hill put into the New York platform. MT. Cleveland concluded as follows:
 T see only hope and confidence in the future of the Democracy; but this hope and confidence is based entirely on the belief that the party will be true to it, self and true to its profession of devotion
 But the Cleveland letter has nettled the editor of The Conamoner, and is the text of a long article abusive of the ex-Presi- dent. In this article MT. Bryan takes oc- made a number of times before and which will not bear analysis. Referring to MT. Cleveland's article, MT. Bryan says:
 He speaks of the 'old-time success of could to defeat the party in 1896. but he had the mortificatlon-from which he has never recovered-of seeing the ticket poll about a million more votes when he op- posed it than it did when he was the can ddate four years before with united party behind him.
 It was Horace Walpole, we believe, who remarked that there are three kind of lies progressing in their degree of turpitude in the order named, 'lies. damn lies and E of misleading statement to Mr. Bryan, It may be said that he deals in statistics, partial statistics. He tells half truth. which some one else has said Is worse than no truth at all.
 The statistics show that the Cleveland vote in 1892 was 5,552,35E and the Bryan vote of 1896 was 6,509, 052. These figures on their face make 1t appear that MT. Bryans statement is correct, but the whole truth Is that MT. Cleveland re- ceived only the Democratic vote in 1892, and four years later MT. Bryan received the combined Democratic and Populist votes. The vote cast for Weaver fin 1S99 was 1.041, 467. which, added to the Cleve- land vote of the same year. would make 6,5aJ,s20. Thus It will be seen that MT. Cleveland received really more Demo- cratic votes in 1892 than MT. Bryan did in lS96. notwithstanding the fact that the total vote in 1892 was only 11,770174, against Is. .961, ,556 four years later
 Mir, Cleveland in 1892 received 2T7 cleo toral votes. and Mir. Bryan in 1896 re- ceived 176 electoral votes. Mir. Cleveland in three successive Presidential elections received q majority of the popular vote Ca record paralleled only by Andrew Jack son's). and MT. Bryan both times that he was candidate was showed under by nearly million votes.
 These facts considered it behooves Mir Bryan not to invite a contrast between MT Cleveland's record as a candidate and his own. The cheat in the contrast as he makes 1t Is easy to detect. and it is sur prising that he should continue to repeat