The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-11-10
BRYAN'S VIEWS
ON THE ELECTION
Sane and SAFE Democrats Have
Bumped Into Something.
UDGE PARKER NOT TO BLAME
WHAT THE PARTY MUST DO IN
THE FUTURE.

/ 1 INCOLN. Neb.. Nov 9.-William J.
Bryan today gave out an ex-
tended statement concerning yes
terday's election which is intended TO
serve as his comment upon the result.
, and as an answer 10 reports connect
ing him with a movement looking 10
! the formation of a new party. Air.
/ Bryan SAID he wonld not attempt to
cony all the reports circulated as 20
! his future political action. but would
let his statement serve TO explain his
I position lie says:
The Democratic party has met with
1 an Overwhelming defeat in the national
election. As YET the returns are not
sufficiently complete To permi;
analysis and II is impossible to say
! whether the result is due TO an actual
increase ia the number of Republican
{ voters. or TO a falling of in the Demo
I cratic vote This phase Of the subject
( viii be dealt with next week when the
returns are all i'm The questions for
I consideration at this time are. what
! lesson does the election teach? And
( what of the future? The defeat %
( Judge Parker should not be considered
| a personal one. He did as well as he
/ could under the circumstances; he was
The victim OF mf3vOrablc conditions
( and Of IN 'staken party policy.
Odds Were Against Parker.
He grew in popularity as the cam
I pSiSn proceeded and expressed him
! self more and more strongly upon the
( trust question, but could not overcome
/ the heavy odds against him The So
/ called conservative Democrats charged
I the defeats of 1895 and 1900 TO the
: party's position on the money question
/ and insisted that a victory could be
! gained by dropping the coinage ques-
ton entirely.
! The convention accepted this
! theory. and the platform made no
| reference 70 the money question. but
/ Judge Parker felt that il was his duty
/ IN announce his personal adherence TO
( he gold standard. His gold telegram.
/ as it was called, while embarrassing TO
! the Democrats Of the west and south,
+ wss applauGed by the eastern press.
He had the cordial endorsement of Mr..
/ Cleveland. who declared that the party
I had returned to safety and sanity;
/ he had the support of the Democratic
/ papers which bOlted in 1885, and he als1
/ had the aid of nearly ali Of those who
) were prominent i'm the campaign Of
+ 1896 and 1900. and yet his defeat is
/ apparently greater than the party suf-
/ fered in either OF those years
Where the Fault Lies.
1T is unquestionab!e also that
Judge Parker's defeat was not local
/ but general. the returns from the
/ eastern states being az Disappointing
as the returns from the west. The
+ reorgauizers are in complete control of
( the party.
They planned the campaign and
( carried it on according to their own
7 views, and the verdict against their plan
is unanimous. Surely silver coin can
not be blamed for this defeat for the
I campaign was run on a gold basis.
/ Neither can the defeat be charged to
emphatic condemnation of the trusts,
: for the trusts were not asSailed as
J vigorously this year as they We're four
( years ago. It is evident that the cam
paign did not turn upon the question
Of imperialism, and il is not fair 70
consider the result as a personal vic
tory for the president. for his admins
tratiOn was the subject Of criticism.
3 The result was due to the fact that the
! Democratic party attempted TO BE- con-
/ servative in the presence of conditions
I which demanded radical remedies. X
( sounded a partial retreat when it
should have ordered d charge all along
the line.
Republican Party's Position.
In 1896 the line was drawn for the
fist time during the present generation
( between plutocracy and Democracy.
and the party's stand on the side of
{ Democracy alienated a large number
Of plutOcratic Democrats, who in the
nature Of things can not be expected TO
/ return, and it drew 10 itself a large
number Of earnest advocates OF re-
+ forms is much stronger than attach
ment to any party name. The Repub-
/ lican party occupies the conservative
t position. That ISL defends those who,
I having secured unfair advantage
! through class legislation. insist that
I they shall not be disturbed no matter
how oppressive their exsctions may
! become
The Democratic party can not hope
: 20 compete successfully with the Re
publican party for this support To
/ win the support OF the plutOcratic ele-
{ ment of the country, the party would
/ have to become more plutocratie than
/ the Republican party, and ii could not
I do this without losing several times
/ as many voters as that course would
win. The Depocratic party has
nothing to gain by catering 70 organ
J lied and predatory wealth.
What Democracy Must Do.
at must rot only do without such
! support. but-it can strengthen itself by
I inviting the open and emphatic OppOsi-
4 ton of these elements. The campaign
/ just closed shows that ii is as mex
/ pedient from the standpoint OF policy
/ as it is wrong from the standpoint of
J principle 10 attempt any. cancellation
! Of the industrial and financial despots
who are gradually getting control of all
! the avenues of wealth The Demo-
/ cratic party. if it hopes TO win success,
] must take the side of the plain COM
mon people"
| Mr.. Bryan SAYS that for two years
, he has pointed out The futiiity of any
/ attempt to compromise with wrong or
! to patch up a peace with the great
/ corporations which are now exploit
/ ing the. country, but the sound money
| Democrats We're 80 alarmed by the race
| issue that they listened rather reluct-
| antly. be it said. 10 their credit TO the
! promises of a success held out by those
who had contributed 70 the defeat Of
/ the party In the two preceding cam
! paigns. he continued;
Costly Experiment.
THE experiment has been costly
/ one. and it is not likely TO be repeated
during the present generation. The
! eastern Democrats were also deceived.
They we're led to believe that the mag
mates and monopolists, who eoereed
the voters in 1886 and supplied an
enormous campaign fund in both 1896
and 1900 would help the Democratic
party if our party would only be less
radical. The corporation press aided
[ in this deception, and even the Repub-
lican papers professed an uns slfsh de-
sire TO help build up the Democratic