Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1904-07-22
"GOOD.BYE, DEMOCRATIC PARTY"

An old reformer who never surrendered
principle for party's sake writes us as follows:
"For months we have been looking forward
to the great Democratic convention recently
held in St. Louis, earnestly wishing that the
result of its declarations world give the people
at least a ray of hope along reform lines. But
when it adjourned, it was as dark as midnight
civilian ]. Bryan was the most prominent
figure in that convention. He is man of
splendid mental ability, and possesses, so tar as
we know, spotless character. He is the ed
itor of The Commoner, one of the country S
ablest political papers. 1t is read in thousands
of homes ant. is regarded bv many as sort OF
political bible.
"No man has had warmer place in the
hearts of the common people than William
Jennings Bryan. They looked upon him as
their Moses to lead them out of the wilderness
of corruption and sin into which it has drifted
under Republican rule He made magnlt'
cent fight in that convention-one that aroused
the enthusiasm of his millions of friends, and
ev II commanded the respect OF his enemies
FL. succeeded in securing the adoption OF
pia form favoring many important reforms, but
The Que great and, we think, vital question,
involving reform in our monetary SYSTEM upon
which depends the welfare OF the farmers and
laboring classes generally, and for which he
had contended for the past ten years, was en-
tirely omitted. gold-standard plank had
been adopted by the Subcommittee, but was
afterward rejected by the full committee.
'Mr. Bryan had proposition before the
committee for an income tax. This was bitter
" opposed by the Eastern delegates. AT last,
it was agreed, by way of compromise and in
the interest of harmony that both the money
on, S, ion and the income tax be dropped. Then
The platform as whole was adopted, and upon
it vie placed Parker and Davis, both Eastern
nnl,, without any sympathy tor Western ideas
or Interests. Both are willing servants of the
no.ty power, monopolies and trusts, and, lest
ihe omission of gold-standard plank should
uH- these forces, Mr.. Parker wired Mr..
Shrehan, one of his managers, that our coun-
,ry is irrevocably committed to the single gold
Standard and, if elected, he should govern
himself accordingly.
CUP 10 this moment, Mr.. Bryan had stood
like IA mighty giant, fighting for the best inter-
ests of the masses. He knew that "a Demo
cratic victory would mean but very little, If
any, p1ogress on economic questions He
knew that the nomination of Judge Parker
'vir.ually rulli6es the antitrust plank He
knew that Judge Parkers nomination was Sc
cured by crooked and indefensible methods.
''Iu the face of these facts, in the face of
h1; grand record and in the face of his utter
auccs during the past year, this at once became
the supreme moment of his life. All of his
friends had faith in him. They we've proud of
him. They believed he would be equal to the
occasion. But, at the very moment when most
wa, expected, HE FAILED THEM. He meekly
said, Il WILL SUPPORT THE TICKET.
'No man ever tell politically, in so short a
time from such an exalted position to such
low depths.
'Sheehan, Hill, Belmont, Parker and Davis
are pets of Wall street and the trusts, and Mr..
Bryan is now associated with them politically.
'sMr. Bryan tells us that as soon as ele ction
is over, he will renew the fight Tor reform along
ecomic lines; but he must remember that a
wise general never goes into the enemy's camp
TO recruit soldiers to fight his battles.
"We are sorry to part company, politically,
with Mr.. BRYAN, but he has left us, and we re-
fuse to follow him into the Wall street camp. "