Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-11-14
WILLIAM J.BRYAN
EXPRESSION OF EMINENT DEMO-
Graf ON THE ELECTION.
What Does the Defeat Teach, and What OF the
Future OF Democracy? Conservatism Can.
not Win When Radical Measures are Re-.
quired. This Has Been Proven.

1.-THE democratic party has met with
all overwhelming defeat in the nationa
election. AS yet the returns are moi
sufficiently complete to permit an .lysis
and it is impossible to say whether the
result is due to an actual increase in the
number OF republican voters or to g
falling off in the democratic vote. This
phase Of the subject will be dealt with
next week, when the returns are all in.
"The questions for consideration al
this time are, what Lesson Does the
Election Teach?' And What of the
Future? The defeat OF Judge Parker
should not be considered personal one.
He did as we'll as he could under the
circumstances; he was the victim OF un.
favorable conditions and of a mistaken
party policy.
HE grew in popularity as the cam.
paign proceeded and expressed himself
more and more strongly upon the trust
question, but could not overcome the
heavy odds against him. The so.called
conservative democrats charged the de-
feat in 1896 sndl900 to the party g position
on the money question, and insisted that
q victory could be gained by dropping
the coinage question entirely.
1.-THE convention accepted this theory,
and the platform made no reference to
the money question, but Judge Parker
felt that it was his duty to announce his
personal adherence to the gold standard.
His gold telegram, as it was called, while
embarrassing to the democrats of the
West aud South, was applauded by the
Eastern press. He had the cordial en-
dorsement of Mr.. Cleveland, who de-
clared that the party had returned to
safety and sanity he had the support
of the democratic papers which boted in
1896, and he also had the aid of nearly
all of those who were prominent in the
campaigns OF 1896 and 1900, and yet his
defeat is apparently greater than the
party suffered in either OF those years.
"The campaign just closed shows that
it is as expedient from the standpoint of
policy as it is wrong from the standpoint
of principle to attempt any cancellation
of the industrial and financial despots
who are gradually getting control OF all
the avenues of wealth. The democratic
,,ort, ;f - bopoo RI x,,;,, c,ooooo ,,,,,ot
take the side of the plain, common PEG.
ple."
Mr.. Bryan says that for two years he
has pointed out the futility of any at.
tempt to compromise with wrong or TO
patch up a peace with the great corpora
tons which are now exploiting the coun.
try, but the Southern democrats were so
alarmed by the race issue that they lis.
tened rather reluctantly. be it said to
their credit, to the promises of a success
held out by those who had contributed
to the defeat Of the party in the two pre-
cedlng campaigns. He continued:
"The experiment has been costly
one, and it is not likely to be repeated
during the present generation. The East.
ern democrats were also deceived. They
were led to believe that the magnatee
and mopolists, who coerced the voters
in 1896, and supplied an enormous cam
paign fund in both 1896 and 1900, would
help the democratic party if our party
would only be less radical. The corpora
ton press aided in this deception, and
even the republican papers protested an
unselfish desire to help build up the
democratic party.
"The democratic party must make its
attack upon the trusts so vehement that
no one will suspect it of receiving secret
aid from them. 1t will be to its advan.
tage if t will begin the next campaign
with an announcement that no trust
contributions will be accepted, and then
prove its sincerity by giving the public
access to its subscription list. In public
enter prises the names of contributors are
generally made public in order to denote
the character and purpose OF the work.
Roosevelt has four years in which to
make good his declaration that no obi
cations were incurred by the acceptance
of trust funds. He will disappoint either
the contributors or the voters. If he
disapponts the contributors, the trust
question may be put in the process o
settlement. If he disappoints the people
they will have chance to settle witt
his party four years hence.
"'Death to every private monopoly
must be the slogan Of the party in this
question; any other position is sur
render. The platforms of 1900 and 1901
declare that private monopoly is in
defensible and intolerable, and this dec