Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-02-29
NATIONAL ISSUES
DEMOCRATIC PARTY NOW HAS A
SPLENDID OPPORTUNITY.
Says William Jennings Bryan in an interview in
the Nashville News, The Time Is Ripe to
Drive the Republican Party out Of Power.
Kansas City Platform Should be Reaffrmed.

Mr.. Bryan was interviewed by re-
at the home OF former Mayor James NJ
Head.
cit seems to me that the democratic
party never had better opportunity to
make successf' appeal to the people.
The only thing in the way is the obstruc.
ton offered by the reactionary element,
which is represented by number Of
daily newspapers, owned by corporations
and edited by republicans, which fly the
democratic flag in order to do more
effective injury to the democratic party.
think that great many persons are
alarmed at the plutocratic tendencies OF
the republican party, but it is hard to
convince them that the democratic party
is any better, so long as so-caled demo
cratic newspapers are more servile than
many of the republican newspapers, in
their support of organized wealth; and
so long as Office hunting politicians seem
more anxious about getting chance at
the spoils, than in carrying out any re-
forms. l believe that we would be
stronger if we could get rid of some (and
this applies to newspapers as we'll as
m,n) whose utterances are used to con-
vict the party Of insineerity, and whose
presence in the party profanes the tenn
pie OF democracy.
'There is real and live issue between
corporate wealth on tine one side and
the masses on the other, but no party
can represent the masses so long as it
attempts to 80 shape its policy as to co.,
lect campaign fund from the very syn.
dicates and combinations that should be
attacked.
''During the last three years, the
shrinkage in stocks amounted to over
$4,000, 900, 900, and the exposure of the
methods OF the trusts has opened the
eyes Of great many people to the truth
OF the indictment brought against the
trusts by the democratic party in 1900.
A greatly many people who would lot
look ahead have learned, by experience,
that the tinanciers who have been using
the treasury as private asset are just
as willing to plumber their stockholders
as they are to extract from the public
generally.
''The time is ripe for revolt, and the
democratic party can, in my opinion,
drive the republican party out Of power,
if it will pitch its campaign upon high
plane and convince the public that il is
in earnest in its efforts to conduct the
government according to the doctrine of
equal rights to all and special privileges
to none.'
The reaffirmation OF the Kansas City
platform is the first step towards this end
for that will be an announcement that
the party is not going backward to tie
position that it occupied during Mr..
Cleveland's last administration, but
that it is going forward to meet the
present issues in the same spirit that it
manifested in 1896 and in 1900. Not
only is such course the right one but it
is the easiest one. An attempt to sur.
render any OF the issues Of the last cam
paign would be followed by prolonged
struggle over new statement OF the
rarty's position on the money question,
and no plank could possibly be written
that would satisfy those who deserted
us, that would not (either expressly or
by implication endorse the republican
position. And, even if the democratic
party conceded. on the money question,
every thing demanded by the Wall street
democrats, it would have the same pee-
pie to fight on the trust question, or on
any other question upon which it took a
stand, because the issues never have
been gold or silver, so much as whether
the fnanciers or the people should con-
troll. That question Is involved in every
issue with which the party has to deal.
"Those who think the large dailies
accurately reflect the real sentiment
ought to remember that the same news.
papers fought the Chicago platform form
1896 to 1900, only to find it Endorsed bv
nearly every state in the Union when
the campaign opened. These socalled
democratic dailies, that are run in the
interest of railroads, gas companies,
street car lines, telephone companies.
school book trusts, or other franchise.
owning corporations, are not safe-guides
nor do they honestly reflect the views Of
the people.
"When the primaries are held and the
rank and file get chance to speak,
there will, think, be very different
showing"
"Does the reaffirmation OF the Kansas
City platform in toto mean that there are