The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-11
CAN WE MAKE IT PrAINr

CAN WE MAKE IT PEAINf The Advertiser comes out squarely and with "a sound Democrat on a sound plat | form" than to win with such a man as Heai st or Harrison. because both are | satri ated with Bryanis n That paper | says 1t had rather win with honor on platform of its making or go "down in | glory" The Advertiser is peculiar pa- | per. It had one dose of going down in glory when it supported Palmer ana gotten its fill of that variety of glory. | The Times is the kind of a Democrat that will follow the platform and the leader. it matters not what or who he is VIII 1 The Advertiser go that far?-Selma l Times. The Times has heard, we presume, of the man who swore that the horse was
 sixteen feet high and stuck to it. Our
 Selma contemporary seems in the same condition about The Advertiser. Because we have continuously deprecated the idea of again abandoning what we consider sound Democracy and because we insist entIy argue for a sound man on a sound platform for the next race. The Times
 sticks to it that The Advertiser intends 10 DOlt III 1SVf.
 Well, if it will do The Times any good. we tell 1t now. without any heAtation or mental reservation, that The Advertiser will support the Democratic nominee for President in 1904, whoever he may be and on whatever platform he may be placed. But this declaration is not an admission that we are willing to see any sort or man nominated, or any sort of platform constructed.
 We believe that 1t would be better for the Party to nominate man of the Olney stamp. for example, on platform like that of 1892. and be defeated, than 10 | nominate a man of the Bryan stamp, on | the 1900 platform, and be defeated.
 l Why do we say this? Because we look on success as absolutely impossible with
 A repetition of the last experience. The | country is not going to elect such man I on such a platform, and 1t is the veriest iunacy to expect it or try to bring 1t about. Is 1t not the part of wisdom, or patriotism, as well as of sound -Democ- racy. to go back to old and tried princi- | N~
 repeat a mistake with a certainty of de- feat? That is the position we take. and
 it is the correct one. We shall insist. un- | til all efforts are hopeless, that the con-
 vention shall nominate good man on a platform ignoring the Populistic doctrines
 of 1896 and 1900. and let us have fight on principle. If we cannot win that way,
 we can't win at all, and a defeat would
 be no discredit If the convention sees proper to repeat what we consider the
 errors of the last two campaigns. we | shall regret it's action, bow to its decision
 and support the ticket.
 And now a word or two about bolting,
 which has become such a common ex- pression in some quarters. With some | experience in the past. with some knowl- edge of the present and with some pre- science as to the future, we give 1t as our profound conviction that the National lCenyeution of 1904 will be controlled by i,the sound-money element of the Democ- racy, and that it will formulate plat form and nominate a candidate in accord ance with those views In that case we shall not feel at all surprised If we see | the backs of Mir. Bryan and some of his | followers as they retire from a conven- | ton which they cannot control. l That this would be unfortunate. and | that it would weaken the Party is doubt 4lesgsstrde. If without sacrificing what we consider genuine Democracy. ticket | x.fa hn tah \ will be satisfactory to MT. Bryan, it will | be we'll. but how is that possible? If we
 can understand plain English. his utter I ances are an assurance that he will be
 satisfied with nothing short of a re-enact-
 ment of the platform, in all its essen-
 tial features. of 1900. He takes no pains
 to hide his determination to continue his
 fight, and if he attends the convention. we confidently expect him to insist on a fl silver plank along with some of the
 It seems to us that no one can doubt that this will be his position and that he will
 not abide the action of the convention,
 if 1t ignores or repudiates his claims.
 And so, to sum up, we want the con-
 vention to adopt what We call sound Democratic platform and nominate a bet
 ter Democrat than Bryan, Hearst, Harri- son or any of their way of thinking. That i way means a chance of success, and the other means a certain defeat. And if there is any bolting. The Advertiser and It's sort of Democrats will not be among the bolters. We are going to leave that for the other fellows to do next time, and
 wish them much joy of the job.
 Have we made our position so plain
 that The Times will not again misunder-
 stand 1t, or put us in a wrong attitude? r~s-
 The Norfolk Landmark is optimistic