The Springfield herald., 1904-09-30
NOTHING TO TAKE BACK.
How Will Bryan Explain His Hos
tility to Parkerf

tiIity to P.rker7
William Jennings Bryan has been OFF,
cially engaged by the Democratic Ma
tional Committee to make speeches in
New York, Indiana and other places.
The former candidate for the presidency
has something of n reputation as an
agile political contortionist. but he will
have the time of his life explaining his
record during the present campaign. Mr..
Bryan has been on good many sides Of
n good many different questions, and yet
he lives to tell the tale. But just how
he proposes to advocate the election Of
Parker is mystery.
Bryan was opposed to Parker before
the convention met at st. Louis. He was
opposed to Parker every day during the
sessions of that inharmonious gathering.
When Parker sent his telegram supple
nenting the Democratic platform Mr..
Bryan rose from bed of sickness to de-
nounce the nominee as a traitor and a
dictator, and his dramatic appearance on
extraordinary episodes OF an extraordi-
nary convention. Bryan lashed Parker
and he dared the convention to send n
telegram to the nominee demanding his
honest opinion on other well-known Dem
ocratic principles.
Later on Mr.. Bryan, in his own paper.
the Commoner, while the events in the
convention were fresh before him. openly
charged that Judge Parker was party
to corrupt attempt to deceive the con-
vention and that his nomination had been
secured by improper means. 1t was then
that the former candidate for the presi-
dency put himself on record by saying in
the Commoner of July 13, less than a
week after the nomination: Il have moth
ing to take back"
1t seems n curious thing to find n man
who has nothing to take back" appear
ing on the stump favoring the election Of
Alton b. Parker for the presidency. If
Mr.. Bryan has nothing to take back"
he should in common honesty when he
appears on the stump in Indiana and
elsewhere, repeat to his audiences exactly
what he said in the Commoner of July
Is, which was printed exactly one week
after the Democratic convention was
called to order and only four days after
Judge Parker was nominated for the
presidency and had sent his telegram
repudiating the Democratic platform.
In this issue of the Commoner Mr.
Bryan said:
"lt was plain and deliberate attempt
to deceive the party. The New York
platform was vague and purposely so.
because the advocates OF Judge Parker
were trying to secure votes from among
the people who would have opposed his
views had they known them. The nom
ination was secured, therefore, by crook
ed and indefensible methods"
AS nm exhibition of political gymnas-
tics Bryan's campaign speech for Par
ker ought to be worth going miles to
hear. II, as he says, he has nothing
to take back" how will he explain mat
ters to the people? What did he mean
when he said in the Commoner: Tee
nomination OF Judge Parker virtually
nullifies the antitrust plank?" Was it
true on July 13 that Parker's nomination
had been secured '.by crooked means?
If it was true then is it not true now?
Mr.. Bryan in the Commoner said: 81
shall not appeal for votes for the ticket
on false grounds" How can he appear
on the stump, therefore, and seriously
ask the workingmen of the country to
vote for the Democratic nominee after
the Commoner had declared that 1.-THE
labor plank as prepared by Judge Par
ker's friends on the subcommittee was
a straddling, meaningless plank?'
Was Mr.. Bryan lying when he said in
his paper, "A Democratic victory will
mean very little, il any, progress so long
as the party is under control of the Wall
street elcment?"
If the party was under the control OF
the Wall street element when Mr.. Bryan
wrote that editorial, is it not just as
much under the same control while he is
OH the stump?
Perhaps Mr.. Bryan can explain away
these things. Perhaps he can answer
these questions.
Perhaps not.