The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-29
THE COMING OF THE PEERLESS ONE.

expect they would be paid.
THE COMING OF THE PEERLESS ONE.
William ]. Bryan will sail from Liver
pool tomorrow, and reach New York prob
ably next Tuesday or Wednesday. His
dates for Evansville and this city have
been postponed a week. and he will prob
ably be able to keep them. These will be
his first political speeches after his re-
turn from Europe and will be awaited
with some interest as indicating his atti-
tude and intentions regarding the so-called
reorganization of the Democratic party.
Mr.. Bryan has declared positively that he
will not be a candidate for President next
year, and he will probably adhere to that
decision. 1t would be asking too much of
any party TO nominate a twice-defeated
candidate for a third time consecutively,
and perhaps Mr.. Bryan himself is willing
to skip one quadrennial election in the
hope that his luck may turn.
But because Mr.. Bryan does not desire
to be candidate next year it does not fol-
low that he intends to withdraw from poll
ship. Notwithstanding his two defeats, he
still has a large following in both the
Democratic and the Populist parties, and
considerable power for mischief Next to
being a candidate himself, which of course
he would be if he thought there was any
chance of his success, he would probably
like to name the candidate, or that failing,
he will try and prevent the nomination of
any Democrat of the Cleveland school, or
who was anti-Bryan in the last two cam
paigns. This would partially restore his
damaged prestige which is sadly in need Of
a tonic, and would pave the way for his
own nomination in 1905 If he could pre-
vent the nomination of a Cleveland Demo-
crat next year he would probably have the
party completely Organized again in 1905,
perhaps not on the silver question, but on
some other political heresy which he would
adopt in the meantime and succeed W max
ing paramount issue.
The reorganization Of the Democratic
party on anti-Bryan lines has seemed TO
make considerable Roadway during the
last year or so, but that may be because
it has met with little opposition. Mr.. Bryan
has not yet shown his hand and nobody
can tell what cards he may be holding in
reserve. His stiffness makes it hard to
know where to find him, and his unscrup-
ulousness gives him an advantage over
those who play fair. A man who, as law
yer, can dictate will TO q mere political
| int haot,aa thing m tho g
family a large part of the testator's for
| tune, and making himself executor of the
will, and then write a letter to the widow
to be signed by the testator telling what he
had done, which letter was not to be
| opened until the will was opened-a man
who can do this and who yields a sort of
| hypnotic influence over a large and un-
! reasoning following is a dangerous power in
politics and a hard man to fight against.
Mr.. Bryan will make his coming appear
ance in Indiana under the auspices of
the jefferson League, which was organ
lied in this city last summer, and which
| its officers now claim embraces a majority
of the counties in the State. The kind of
harmony which the League is dissemin-
ating and which Mr.. Bryan will probably
inculcate may be inferred from a recent
| published statement\by the president of the
League. After characterizing the present
"self-styled leaders" of the party in this
State as incompetent and dishonest, he
said:
The Democratic party in Indiana has
an overplus of politicians and dearth
| of statesmen. These politicians have been
/ practicing the shell game on the Demo
| cratic masses to such an extent that the
| intelligent rank and file of the party has
| become apathetic nauseated and disguised
The intelligent thinking masses OF
| the Democratic party in Indiana are de-
| manding that the next national convention
of the party write a Democratic platform
| They are demanding a platform in perfect
| accord with Democratic principles; they
are demanding a platform which contains
| no evasion nor compromise they are de-
| handing platform which can not be mis-
| Construct they are demanding a platform
which covers their important political is
| sue; they are demanding that the Demo
| cratic national convention of 1904 does not
repudiate single plank which is contained
| in the platforms of 1896 and 1900
With such a text this, and in the
spirit of brotherly love which it breathes
! Mr.. Bryan ought to be able to make q
speech that will drive the entering wedge
in the harmonious Democracy pretty wei
home. Meanwhile the Journal. speaking fol
Republicans. welcomes him in advance Il
the State, and hopes the Jefferson Leagues
will give him a reception that will rouse
his eloouence and stir his gall