The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-11-11
MIR. BRYAN'S REASONS FOR DE-
FEAT

MIR. BRYAN's REASONS FOR DE-
! FEAT.
| In Mr.. Bryans statement, given to
the public yesterday, setting forth his
reasons why the Democratic party suf-
tered such an overwhelming defeat, he
says: THE result was due TO the fact
that the Democratic party attempted
/ to be conservative in the presence of
conditions which demanded radical rem
edies. 1t sounded a partial retreat
when it should have ordered a charge
all along the line. 1t must not only
do without such support, but it can
strengthen itself by inviting the open
| and emphatic opposition of these ele-
ments. The campaign just closed
shows that it is inexpedient from the
standpoint of policy, as it is wrong
from the standpoint of principle, to
attempt any Cancellation of the indus
trial and financial despots who are
gradually getting control of all of the
avenues of wealth. The Democratic
party, IL it hopes to win success, must
take the side of the plain people"
Could it have taken the side of the
plain people more strongly than it did
in the recent campaign? If so, it would
be interesting to have it pointed out
wherein it could have done so. Mr..
Bryan contents himself with a general
statement. He does not go into par
ticulars. The inference is that If he
Il h. fasI
to make out his case.
There is no doubt that the plain peo-
pie understood the issues as fully as
Mr.. Bryan did. In New York for in
stance, the papers of the largest cir
culation in that city pointed out the
evils of the trusts day after day. 1t
is the understanding that Mr.. Hearst's
paper, The American circulates almost
exclusively among the poorer classes.
1t devoted almost its entire attention
to the trusts. And yet Judge Parker's
plurality in New York city was not
one-third of what it was expected to
be, what he had every reason to be-
lieve it would be.
The result of the election in Massa-
chusetts and Missouri shows beyond a
reasonable doubt that the voters I'M
derstood what they were doing. In the
former state they gave Mr.. Roosevelt
plurality of 6S,276 and yet elected a
Democratic governor by a plurality of
35,710. In the latter state, heretofore
considered Democratic by an over
whelming majority. Mr.. Folk, the Dem
ocratic candidate for Governor, was
elected by a small majority, but the
Republicans have probably won the
electoral vote, the Legislature and sew
eral congressman.
There is no doubt that the people
voted as they wanted to-that they de-
cided with full understanding of the
situation. All sorts of explanations are
being offered for the result of the cleo
ton, but the real one is the one we
gave the day after the election, namely,
the people were satisfied with existing
business and industrial conditions, and
didn't want to risk a change. They
had no fault to find with Judge Par
ker, and the great majority, there is
good reason to believe, approved his
fight against trusts, but the wage
payer and the wage-earner alike were
afraid change In the political COM
plexion of the government would be
followed by business disaster and hard
times. They had no particular reason
for taking this view, but they con-
sidered it safe to let well enough alone.
Neither Mr.. Bryan nor any other DEM
ocrat could have done much, If any,
better than Judge Parker did.
The time may soon come, as Judge
Parker points out in his statement
published yesterday, when the people
will feel the pinch of the trusts so
keenly that they will rise up in their
might against them, but it is evident
that their fear of them is not yet suffi-
GENTLY great to make them take po-
sition of active hostility to them.