Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-09-21
The MeIIowing of Mr.. Bryan.

his party candidate in that contest, was
rot to be trusted. and need not look for
future favors.
The men who thus incurred Mr.. Bry-
ans displeasure constituted a very
large section of the Democratic party.
They were actuated by principle, pre-
ferring to adhere to the old-time tenets
of their party rather than follow new
leaders into the camp of Populism and
Socialism. They stood where they had
eiwavs stood, and when their party
dlifted away from its old mornings
and left them stranded, most of them
acted with the Republican party which
had met their faith with an unequivo-
cal declaration in favor of a dollar
worth one hundred cents in gold. Some
Palmer and Buckner the ticket of the
sound money Democrats, although they
appreciated the fact that to do this was
to render their votes ineffective in
crushing out the movement for an in
nated currency which was led by Mr..
Bryan. This was their offence. They
stood by their convictions. Mr.. Bryan
was not broad enough, however, to give
them credit for sincerity in adherence
to principle. He denounced them all
rs political traitors and renegades
Full of this spirit OF bitterness to-
wards them he went into the cam
paign of 1900. He was willing that the
men who had not supported him should
come III to the party fold; but
they must do so humbly con-
tritely, and upon their knees. They
must foreswear their old time convic-
tions and accept those of William Jen-
nings Bryan. They must, in short,
stultfy themselves or be politically
damned.
The result was that just what wiser
men than Mr.. Bryan had anticipated,
came to pass. All of the Democrats who
had acted with the Republicans in 1896
remained with them and most of those
no voted for Palmer and Buckner
Joined them. Mr.. Bryan's Cancellation
was not the kind that conciliated. He
ClunS tenaciously to issues that the
people had repudiated and again led his
party to overwhelming defeat.
From that hour his wrath against
tee party traitors has been a mania
with him. He has applied to their de-
nunciation all the resources of an eX-
tensive vocabulary. This was Mr..
Bryan up to the opening of the cam
paign in Ohio. The Democrats of that
state had nominated as their candle
date for United States Senator, John H.
Clark who opposed Mr.. Bryan for the
P csidency and voted against him. For
a time it was reported that as a result
Of Mr.. Clark's candidacy Mr.. Bryan
would refuse to participate in the Ohio
campaign. but this proved to be incor-
rect. Mr.. Bryan concluded to keep his
engagements, and even to forgive the
recalcitrant Mr.. Clark-which he did in
the following language: His one
difference is on one phase of the money
Guestion-namely, metallic moncy-and
on this question | believe he was in
time the quantity of money has been
established, and the arguments in ia
been vindicated."
1t might naturally have been inferred
from this utterance, that Mr. Clarke
had Tecanted on his sound money
views, or at least modified them to some
extent: but on the same day that Mr.
Bryan made the foregoing declaration
Mr.. Clarke said in an address to the
Democracy of five free-silver counties
four of which had voted in the recent
state convention not to indorse his
candidacy:
THE reason given why ] would find
hostility among the Democrats of this
part of the state was that | did not sup
port Mr.. Bryan in 1896. This is true.
did not support him in that year. Re
luctantly, after the fullest study of the
question that ] could give it, / con-
Guided that it would not be for the best
interests of my country to adopt the
policy of the free and unlimited coinage
of silver at the ratio of IS to l. e
Gentlemen, this is my record. l have
nothing for which to apologize and no.
thing to conceal. If you desire re-
preventative in the United States senate
who is without opinions of his own and
who is without sufficient independence
to stand upon his conclusions when he
has reached them, you should not sup
port me in this canvass. for l am not
that kind of a man.
Hitherto Mr.. Bryan has been fairly
consistent in his political career; but
this surrender will be apt to make even
his friends forget that such is the fact
7, ;c an ahiec+ and lInoualified reced -