The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-28
ARE THE CHARGES rRurp

Of the country:
 Mir Bryan has again taken his pace cratic Party. He is fun of confidence. he is defiant. There will be no hght in the convention by the so-caIied reconstruc. tionisss tic. ss ..,, says sndd MT Bryan rhey will
 He Is right No politician ever gets strong by lying on his. back under t Q bed. That is the present position and should be disputing and destroying t e pfesensions of Mir. Bryan. He Is going up and down the land shouting but the conditions upon which he vin permit the drawn up at St Louis. They cover in ignoble. silence and lose ths light before Their timidity is MT. Bryan,s oppcrtu- nity, Had the pemocratic law been plainly read to him upon the frs. day after his arrival from Europe. had he been distinctly told that the Democracy the principles of Popuiism. he would by this time be singing either very small or else be singing in tune. Meeting with no opposition. with no Democrat da-ing to of the Party fer this eampaien year. he has grown exceeding bold. The song he now sings is the full-throated melody of Bryanism.
 Does the Democracy of the country de- serve what is here said of 1t? If it does, will 1t continue to deserve itf Tn spite of the feeling of humiliation with which the admission is made. We are free to confess that the criticisms od The Times are deserved. There really seems to be no prominent Democrat in any section of the country who dares to come out boldly nd raenu4 fhn arroco uon oF khs. %x.,icn discredited leader of the Party. and to proclaim the duty of Democracy.
 In heavens name why are Democrats afraid of Bryan? Have all of them bees in their bonnets and fear that to offend his self-esteem will kfli their chances7 Is Bryan an angel and Democracy the Balaam's ass which fears to go forward. Any Democrat who refused to bow to him and his fetich may expect his enmitv and his opposition. and there is no use in trying to coneiliate him or to tone down his hatred of old-time Democracy. He has degenerated into politician. pure'y that and nothing more. He lives and thrives by politics and by keeping him. self always before the people. If rele- gated to private life. as he ought to be, he would soon sink into obscurity. Poli- tics Is his stock in trade and notoriety his strongest asset His ambition to l, ad towers above all other considerat ons, and if leadership Is denied him. he proposes to name the leader and the policy of the Party.
 We are continually being told by his timid and overcautious former adherents that we should not criticise or censure him because of the position he has occu- pied. We are told that it is bad policy to condemn his course or his words. but that policy of conciliation towards him is the course that ought to be pursued That is all bosh. He has himself made it impossible for Democrats longer to have patience with him He has boldly and trueulently served notice on all Demo- crats that they must listen to his coun- sel and be guided by his wishes He tells them that no man must be nominated who failed to vote for him in his two campaigns. He tells them that the St. | A<Alia NQAAN SAAbu bIldll d0Opl tD6 ndtlSdsa City platform 'fn its entirety"
 Is there any good sense in longer vast ing time trying to placate or please this sort of man? Is the Democracy to suffer itself bound hand and foot to his char ot to be led captive at his will without dar- ing to raise a voice against such thraIl- dom? Better disband the Party at once and make no further attempt to keep life in it than to be humiliated by accepting his terms and going headlong to defeat For any sensible man must know. even Bryan himself. that to attempt to adopt again the Kansas City platform would make nomination and a campaign wholly useless. It would be defeated be- fore the polls were opened and all the time and expense of such campaign might as well ba saved. He knows that the Party cannot succeed on polio es which are infinitely weaker now than they were four years ago.
 What does Mir. Bryan want anyhow: Does any one believe for 8 moment that he is so blinded by his own supposed im- portance as to think that success is pos- sible on the line he lays down? Is it not becoming plainer every day that his ob- ject is to wreck the Party because 1t tailed to elect him? If he cannot rule it in his own way. he will ruin 1t, if allowed to do so He will go to St. Louis fully determined to force the Party to accept his terms. If 1t refuses. there may be a split or a compromise. Either would be fatal. but better a divided Party than a discredited one. No victory can be won on the lines laid down by him, and he knows it. No compromise with Pepu- lism, Socialism and other discredited isms can be submitted to by the Democ- racy at St. Louis. There must be a Democratic platform. without any rot en blanks in 1t and a candidate who fits 1t without wrinkle or bagging in any part
 But what shall he done with MT. Bryan himself? That ought not to be a difficu. t question to answer. The real Democr ats of the country should come out boldly, unequivocally and promptly and give him to understand that no dictation from him
 will be submitted to. Let him be shown
 that the Party is tired of him as a leader
 and disgusted with his arrogance. Let
 it be made so plain that any fool can
 understand it. that he can neither lead
 nor drive the Democratic Party into a
 La fak