The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-07-09
SATURDAY. JULY .. 1904.
Parker the Candidate.


All the extraordinary things that
the Democratic party might have
done at St Louis barely equal the ex-
traordinary thing that it did do
nominate Judge Alton B. Parker, of
New York, representative Of the safe
and sane" Democracy, on a platform
dictated by William Jennings Bryan,
OF Nebraska, representative of the ir-
rational element that rode the party
to overwhelming defeat in two sue
cessive campaigns.
Candid Republicans admit, private
ly If not publicly, that their party
made a fizzle of it's platform. What
they feared from St Louis was
Straightforward declaration Of sound
principles, which in combination
with a candidate of recognized con-
eervatism might sweep the country
with a Democratic victory, in spite
of the personal popularity Of Theo-
dore Roosevelt
When they witnessed the impress
sive defeat of Mr.. Bryan by a vote
Of two to one before the convention,
they dared hope no longer that the
Democratic party would repeat its
blunders of 1896 and 1900. With the
fact fairly assured that Judge Parker
would be named as the candidate of
the party, Republicans who were not
carried beyond reason by the vivid
ness Of their own imaginatiOns look
ed forward TO an anxious campaign
and a cl 1se election.
That the safe and sane" Democ-
racy would be so timid and foolish a
Democracy as to permit its large ma
jority in the convention TO count for
nothing in the framing of the plat
form was condition not even the
rabid Republican. with a large sense
of the Democratic capacity for max
ing mistakes, dreamed of counting
on. After reading the speech of the
temporary chairman, John Sharp
Williams. it was not considered pos
sible that the Democratic party
would refuse to place itself sound
and solid on the money question by
repudiating in some form or other
past financial heresies. 1t was not
believed that any platform could out
straddle the Republican platform nor
excel it in Indebtedness on import
ant points
Yet, the Democracy, under the spell
Of the persuasive Bryan, did all these
things. II compromised with its own
principles for the sake Of policy. As
usually happens in such cases, it has
brought into being a curious hybrid
Of "a platform upon which all Demo-
Gratis can stand. but as both Hill and
Bryan, the two chiefly responsible for
the misfit, admit, which no Democrat
really wants.
The salvation Of the party, as far
as the coming election is concern
ed, now lies with Judge Parker. It
is assumed that he will shortly break
his silence. If he breaks it with a
clear declaration of his convictions
on points, upon which the Democracy
as a whole, according TO its official
utterance, has no convictions, if he
supplies the deficiency in the plat
form by placing himself squarely
where the party should be on the
q icy question, he may yet become
a factor in the campaign.
But If he does not face the situa-
ton bravely, and speak forcibly, if
he compels the Democratic party 20
go into the campaign handicapped by
q non-committal candidate as well as
by a non-committal platform, it is
difficult TO perceive why the Democ-
racy should expect anything except
defeat from the hands Of the Ameri-
can people