Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-06-03
FROM WASHINGTON
specIal corresponaenos Of .Ae counlrr.
Washington, June 2.

Will there be harmony in the
ranks of the Democratic party
next yeari viii the party be able
to get together and once more pre-
sent an united front to the COM
mon enemyl Those are the aues-
uons now uppermost in the minds
of all patriotic Democrats in the
country. This is the political
nerve center of the country. To
this city come all sorts and kinds
OF Democrats as to a Mecca and
when they get here it is as natural
for them to talk politics as it is for
water TO run down hill. | have
used the personal pronoun very
little in this correspondence. NV
opinion as an individual Democrat
amounts to very little, but for the
purpose of this correspondence |
have talked to almost every Dem
ocrat who has visited this city since
the adjournment of Congress and
L have done so because | want TO
present to the readers of this cor
respondence the true condition of
the party gathered from an intelli-
gent consensus of opinion obtained
from the leaders of the party in the
Congress and out of it, and | want
to give my readers the result of my
research in that direction.
want To say right now that
there is going To be harmony in
the party next year and that ali
factions are going into the battle
in serried ranks, with visor down
and lance at rest, all fighting as
never before and for common
cause.
All this scrapping and crimina-
ton and recrimination between the
so-called Bryan and Cleveland fac
tons of the party at this time is
mere byplay, ut least so far as the
Cleveland faction is concerned.
The element of the party which
left the regular organization in
1896 wants 10 get back and intends
to get back. This talk of attempt
ing to renominate Grover Cleveland
is ali balderdash and tommyrot.
That element is simply fostering
that kind of talk in order TO try
out the regular organization Dem
ocrats and endeavor to show them
the strength and power they pos
seSs in the East, what their defec-
ton has cost the party in the past
and how much they can be worth
To it in the future. They. are not
trying to ride the party or to die
tate TO 1t or reorganize il.
They only want recognition. /
have warrant for these statements.
They came from the highest posi-
BILE authority. They came from
one of the leaders of the faction
that refused to support the ticket
in 1896. l have the same author
ity for the statement that the So
called Cleveland faction of the
party is going To give the ticket
the warmest and heartiest support
next year and that that support
will be given 4 candidate who is
entirely satisfactory to the Bryan
or regular element of the party.
All they ask is reasonable plat
form and they will support the
nominee with earneStneSs and en-
thusiasm.
They will do this for the one,
single and overpowering reason
that they want to defeat Roosevelt
for election. They know that this
cannot be done with any man who
is not acceptable to the regular
Democrats who Loyalty supported
the ticket in 1896 and 1900, and
they want to win. In order to do
this they are willing to follow
instead of attempting to lead, but
they do not want to be kicked in
the face as they enter the Demo
cratic door and it were folly for
the regular Democracy TO continue
to bait them. They are afraid of
Roosevelt, they do not want Roose-
welt at any cost and they do not
intend to have Roosevelt. They
will not ask for anything that the
so-called Bryan wing of the party,
or, if you please, the regular Dem
ocracy, cannot grant gladly. i
think they would prefer an east
ern man who is acceptable to Mr..
Bryan and the regular Democracy,
and / think this will be conceded
them. If so, then they will sup
port the ticket as Loyalty as any
good democrat did in the years Of
lSQ6 ar 1000 and will elect him