The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-20


attend the meeting here July A.
XXX
The information from Mr.. Poer is espe-
cially interesting in that it throws a new
light on the league and confirms to large
degree statements the Journal has pub
iished from time TO time as to the part Mr..
Bryan and his followers played in the last
campaign in Indiana. circular. couched in
Mr.. Bryan's well known language. calling
on his followers in Indiana to do their ut
most to defeat the ''reorganizers" who had
gained control of the party organization in
this State and nominated ticket OF their
own kind, was printed in the Journal a
short time after the election. Thousands of
copies of this circular were sent into In
diana during the campaign and the only
interpretation that could be placed upon
| ~ was that Mr.. Bryan wanted his followers
| elmer 10 stay away from the polls, or TO
vote the Republican ticket wherever the
| Democralc candidates did not represent
| their particular brand of Democracy The
result OF the election showed that Mr..
| Bryan's advice was followed by a large
number OF Indiana Democrats
| NOW since 1t is known that the movement
| toward the organization of the Jefferson
League was started last fall, the whole
scheme OF the Bryanites becomes apparent.
| Inc party organization had been wrested
| from them. That was not to their liking,
| or course, and they determined, first to see
that the reorganizers" should be given
reDuke at the polls that would be q severe
setback, and, second. to form an organi-
zation under the guse of a campaign club
on large scale that would be the means
OF tnelr gaining control of the party ma
Gnlnery before another campaign on.
| The last election was not an especially i'm
| portant one and Mr. Bryan and his follow
| ers were willing that the party should go
down In defeat If it would be a source
OF dement, TO them in the coming campaign,
wnlcn is national one, and one in which
MT; bryan Is deeply interested. 1t is alto
gether reasonable to conclude that the
| whole scheme originated in the fertile brain
| or the man from Nebraska and that Edgar
l.; Names ct al, are the tools through
Wnich he hopes to accomplish his purpose.
nor is IL difficult to see why Mr. Bryan is
| so deeply interested i'm securing control
OF ms party In this State. Indiana has for
years been regarded as one of the pivotal
states In national election, and hence
has always been an important factor in the
national conventions Of both parties. The
orgaized next January. IL Mr. Bryan,
through the agency of the Jefferson
League, can gain control Of the machinery
at that time, he can use his success in
nary work in other States and can go into
the Democratic national convention next
summer with sufficient strength behind him
to insure his nomination for President OF
at least to enable him to dictate the Domi-
nee and the platform If he cannot accom-
plish his purpose in the next campaign he
will doubtless pursue the same policy he
followed in the last-urge his supporters 10
bring about the defeat Of the Democratic
ticket. Mr.. Bryan is comparatively youn
and can bide his time. Ultimately he win
control the party again. or he will encom-
pass its defeat from year to year. Rule or
ruin seems to be his motto.
In pursuing this policy Mr.. Bryan is go
ing about over the country making speeches
in which he assails the ''reorganizers'' in
general and Grover Cleveland in particu-
lar in unmeasured terms. He recognizes
that his greatest danger lies in the Cleve-
land movement, and he makes no pretense
of fighting under cover. His speech at
Greenfield a few weeks ago was a denun-
citation of the conservative element in the
Democratic party and he singled out Cleve-
land for a personal attack. Saturday he
uncorked the Walls of his wrath in Chi |
cagO and Cleveland was again the butt of |
a typical TRADE. He said that Democracy |
under Cleveland had been worse than the |
Republican party had ever been, and that |
the record of his administration has been |
a milestone about the party's neck ever |
since. Continuing he said:
THE odium which Mr. ClevelandS sec |
ond administration brought upon the party |
which elected him did more to defeat the |
party than any one plank OF the Chicago |
platform o. even than all the planks that |
were most severely criticised. But for the |
Reputation of the administration IL would |
have been impossible to make any cam
paign at all and even the reputation, thor |
ough and complete it was could not |
completely disinfect the PARTY.
THE greatest menace that the party has |
to meet to-day is, not the probability, but |
the possibility of the partys return to the |
position il occupied from 1892 TO 1896 This |
danger is not imminent as the corpora
tion-controlled papers make it appear. but
in 50 far as it at all threatens, it paralyzes
the energies OF the party and nulllhes It's
promises.
Mr. Bryan is coming back to Indiana next
month On Aug. IL he is scheduled to make
an address at louisville. the home of Edgar
l.. Names, his right bower in The Jefferson
League game. 1t is probable that the meet
ing will be made the occasion for a big |
rally in the interests of the new organza-
tion and of course Mr.. Bryan will have
more entertaining things to say about the |
'reorganiZers'' and will have his hammer
out for Cleveland. The speeches that Mr.. |
BRYAN is making now have additional sig
nificance when II is recalled that MIR. Cleve-
land has accepted an invitation to deliver
an address in Chicago early in the fall
when it is expected that he will have some
thing to say about national politics. Mr.
Bryan is evidently leaving no stone I'M
turned to make Mr. Cleveland's path i'll the
West rough and ugly one to travel.
Representative Poer begged off from dis
cussing Shelby county politics, but he did
speak derisively of John j. Wingates re-
cent prediction that the Republicans will i
carry the county next year.
Mr.. Wingate was only Joking" he said.
shelby county has always been Demo-
cratic, and always will be. If we were as
sure of the State as we are of our county,
we'd be in fine shape"
When he was asked IL the Jefferson |
League might not bring about disastrous |
split in Shelby county Democracy he re-
piled:
Shelby county Democrats are not of the
kind that split. They may have honest diff
ferences of opinions as to platforms and
candidates before the campaign really
opens, but when the ticket is named and the
platform adopted, they turn in and work to-
gether for the party's success"
This statement sounds well, but then Mr..
Peer would have to talk that way even if
he didn't believe all that he said, for he has
been a candidate and will probably be a
candidate again next year. One term in the
will hardly satisfy him, and,
while he said yesterday that he had not de-
cided whether he would stand for renomina-
ton, It's an odds-on bet that he will.
Shelby county Democrats, as a matter of
fact are in fair way TO a worse split than
those of any other sect on of the State for
i'm addition to the differences between the
Bryanites and the old-line Democrats there
hat bcr 4