The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-04
BACKWARD AND FOR
 WARD,

vention must adopt the Kansas City plat form. Whenever he looks at that plat form, he reminds us of old Codrington's lines:
 Thou hast no faults, or I no faults can
 spy;
 Thou art all beauty, or all blindness I. When we think of MT. Bryan as leader of Democracy, while he adheres to his present beliefs, we are led to think of the remark of the Savior: If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch," for he seems to be utterly blind to the lessons of the past, the conditions of the present or the indications for the future, and if the Democratic Party again suffers itself led by him nothing else can be expected than that both will tumble into the yawning chasm of predestined defeat.
 Looking backward we can understand why there was unrest and dissatisfac- ton in 1896. Various causes, for which no one man or party was responsible combined to make Democrats dissatisfied with the conditions then existing. The times were ripe for experimental politics and large porton of the Party was ready to turn to something new. Then Mir. Bryan came forward with his pyro- technical eloquence and proclaimed the universal panacea of free coinage as a remedy for existing evils and an assur- ance of future prosperity. It Is not strange that he had large following, for Democrats were ready for a change and he was just the kind of man to blind them with the glamour of his white metal goddess.
 hands of steady and sturdy old Demo- crats refused to be stampeded, or that they should have put out a sound money ticket in order to defeat what they right cial heresy that the present generation had seen. Whether the course they pur- sued was the best thing to do is a ques- tion which need not now be discussed. that free coinage was dangerous de- fusion and that its success would be a natural misfortune.
 But no such excuses can be given for the action of the Party in 1900. All the predictions of disaster made by MT. Bry- an as certain to follow the adoption of the gold standard had been falsified. There was not 8 shadow of reason for again allowing him to dictate policy and become it's exponent. Many Demo- crats who had followed him with hon esty and sincerity in 1896 had become convinced of their error and were against a repetition of 1t. As the summary in The World article shows. free silver got into the platform by the narrowest pos sible margin. The best and broadest minded men of the convention were against it. The best Democratic senti- ment of, the country saw its fallacy. It's adoption by the convention was not cred itable to that body. Having adopted his theory ,the logical thing to do was to nominate MT. Bryan. He was nominated partly because he was tnH proper man to lead in such a contest anu partly be- cause 1t was seen that if he and his plat form were not adopted, he would lead a revolt which would destroy what little hope of success the Party had.
 All this is of the past. It is history, written so plainly that even fool may read and understand 1t. Can anybody even ina zine a party so blind that 1t will for a third time repeat its disastrous er- TOTS? There was little excuse for the repetition of 1sO0 what possible argument can be used for another attempt to do the impossible? Two defeats of a kind and for like reasons should be sufficient to satisfy the most enthusiastic advocate of a weak cause. Another battle on the same line would pass the limit of poliu- cal idiocy.
 And yet that is just what MT. Bryan would have the Party do. If he means anything, and if his language expresses what he means, he wo i'd force the Party to again take up the lost threads of a weak argument and try to inject new life into 1t. It is plain that he Is either un- able to see the weakness of his position, or he had rather wreck the Party than acknowledge that he has been mistaken. Persistence In wrong is more agreeable to him than acknowledgement of error. He would rather lead the Party into an open grave than admit that he is fallible.
 Thank God, the Democratic Party is nc Prometheus to be bound to the fallacy of free silver for the eagles to feed on. Il may be, like Samson. shorn of its strength, but 1t is not yet blinded en- tirely, nor will it again pull down the temple of Democracy to perish in the ruins. There are enough left of the old guard to save 1t from self-destruction There are enough Democrats who were once misled, but who are now politically rational, to keep the Party from another act of hari-kari. They will control the Party next time. The Kansas City Dem ocrats may attend the National Conven- | tion." as Bryan theatrically announces but they will not control it. It will adopt sound Democratic platform and nomi- nate a man in harmony with It. What MT. Bryan will do remains to be seen. He is making it plain that he will not support a ticket which is not in accord with his financial views. In the book of Revelations we read of a