The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-06-12
BRYAN ON PARTY LOYALTY.


Curious Admission by HIN ON HIS He-
ply to a Question.
From the Baltimore News (Ind.)
Mr.. William ]. Bryan in the current
issue IF the Commoner, publtsnes the
reply he sent to a letter recently re-
ceived from a citizen of western
State. asking him tn state whether ne
ticket mo matter what platform was
adopted and no matte who was nomi-
mated" Mr.. Bryan does not evade the
question, and he answers i In proper
Graf presumes.'' says she editor of the
ommoner, that the his convention will
write a platform and nominate tfcket
that he can conscientiously support, y
is not a conclusive presumption, ana l
do not believe that any one ought to be
asked OF expected to say that no mat.
ter what convention does he VIII sup
port the ticket" Mr.. Bryan follows
this up by pointing out that 1t is only
by individuals reserving certain de-
gree of freedom to reject their own
party's action that any Significance Is
given to political campaigns. But af-
ter this general remark comes a par
ticular observation, which is of curious
interest, as to the relative position of
the two wings of the Democratic par
ty..v,,, ,,,, ao,,,a. sav. Tho .,,,o.
chosen leader of the regular <Democra-
cy, that the Eastern Democrats new
err pledge themselves to support the
ticket, and there is no reason why
western Democrats should hold at u
lower value their duty to give to their
country their best conscience and
their best judgment at the time when
action Is required. Because Eastern
Democrats refuse to make promises
and assert their right to independent
action after the convention. their opin-
ions are now being consulted. while
it is not thought necessary to consult
the opinions of those who clIerously
he annGidarnd
but that they can be counted upon to
hurrah for anything in the platform
and to change their own opinions
whenever the Eeastern Democrats de-
eide that the time has come - change"
Here is something that Cleveland
Democrats, and anti Bryan Democrats
generally. who are going to the st.
Louis convention a. delegates will do
well 70 paste In their hats 1t contains
more than one point that is extremely
pertinent in connection with the past
and the future of the party. In the
first place, It suddenly elevates the
Democrats who bolted Bryan from
their familiar position as traitors
a position which no ono has done more
than Mr.. Bryan to place them into
the lofty rank OF citizens who give 70
their country their best conscience and
their best judg ment ut the time when
action is required"
1t is safe to say that if this view Of
che anti-Bryan bolt had been put for
ward from the beginning very few Of
the Southern and Western Democrats
especially the Southern Democrats
would have dashed themselves into that
Cleveland which we have heard so
much about. But still more interest
Ing point is to be noted as a conse-
quence of this deliveranee of Mr.. Bryan
When he complains that the Democrats
who constitute the bulk of his follow
ing have no influence in rarity councils
because they 'vociferously announce
. A.
rah for anything in the platform what
becomes of the claim that has so long
been dinned into our ears that six mil
lion Democrats <decILred for Bryan
while only a handful were against him
What has always been plain to I'M
partial observers in regard to the ma
ture of the support of Bryan and his
cause suddenly becomes clear to Mr..
Bryan himself when that support is
slipping away. The great bulk of the
vote for Mr.. Bryan. like the great bulk
of the vote for the regular candidate
Of any party is composed Of those who
thin, and II is preposterous to count the
fact of their having voted the party
ticket as proof that they deliberately
preferred either the candidate or the
platform to some alternative, in either
case, which had been rejected by the
party convention.
Mr.. Bryan now stamps his follow
ing-when he finds 1t ready to accept
the decision of the opposite wing-as
peculiarly ready to follow the party
flag wherever 1t may lead or whoev-
admission for him to make, and it Is
certainly one that he had no idea he
was making. He is indignant at the
readiness which the bulk of his own
people are showing to accept whatever
the party may decide on; and he fol-
gets that these are the same people
whose vote for himself and his plat
form be has regarded as proof conclu..
sive of the overwhelming strength of
the free-silver doctrine and its cham
pion among the people of the country.
Henceforth, that particular claim can
be contradicted out of Mr.. Brayans
own mouth.