The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-19
rHr onAcLn HATn spoKrN.

the conscience- holder of Democracy. the right guide, left centre and file closer of the Democratic army, is un- happy when he isn't saying something. Just give him the ghost of provocation and, in the words of Nathaniel Lee: Then he will talk-good gods! how he will taik!'
 two-column effort as a reply to the re- cent letter of Judge Reagan. The Judge, as is we'll known, has been and still is an ardent Bryan man. In his letter he compliments that gentleman in way that must have been very gratifying to his vanity, going so far as to declare that If he ''could name the President of the United States it would be William J. Bryan" But the Judge sees no good sense or good pol icy in keeping up the ruinous task of rainbow chasing. He wants to adopt a policy of harmony and Democracy so that there may be a chance to win, and among other things he said:
 With me it is not question of whether we can defeat and punish any faction in the Democratic party; but whether we shall, by uniting all Dem- ocrats secure an election which will restore the constitution. good govern ment and the best interests of the peo- pie of this great republic.
 Judge Reagan should have known Mir. Bryan we'll enough to know that such a policy as he advocates would not be acceptable to the latter. With him 1t is not a question of harmonizinR the party, but of punishing the bolt ers."- It is not whether we shall unite and rescue the government from the hands of the spoilers, but how best to keep "the reorganizers' from taking hold and uniting the Party. He is of that class of men with whom revenge is virtue" as the poet says, and he had rather obtain revenge on those who have refused to worship at his shrine than to have Democracy tri- umphant.
 His letter to Judge Reagan is a mass of platitudes freely mixed with abuse of Parker Cleveland and other good Democrats and among it all he works in the usual style of truth evasion, as when he fiaunts the idea of marshall ing 6.00o,o00 voters under 300, 900 de- serters." Mir. Bryan, like many of his followers. seems utterly unable to get the truth into his head, and to see that those who voted for him were not all as crazy as himself on the question of free silver. They voted for him solely if the truth could be arrived at, we se- riously doubt if a majority of his sup porters in either election were con- verts to his financial theories They voted for him because he was the nom- inee of the Party. not because of his views on the money question:
 That this Is true Is shown by the fact that so many of his former sup porters have abandoned him-if not with disgust. at least with undis- guised impatience. They followed him when they thought duty to the Party demanded that course. but will do so no longer, and they resent both his claims that they believed in him and his present efforts to keep up Party strife. His one-idead weakness is shown in this extract from his letter:
 Instead of a plan of evasion and surrender, which would add disgrace to defeat in case of defeat, and would disappoint the people even if it won. the party should, I think, make an hon est and democratic fight against all the Republican policies. I can not be- lieve that the Democratic party will throw away the great opportunity 1t now has to make successful attack on the strongholds of Republicanism- not by trying to win back by fatal concessions corporation controlled Democrats, but by appealing to the patriotism of the people. We can neither draw honest men to the party nor arouse enthusiasm among our own people by showing greater desire for refuse to declare a definite purpose be- fore the election no one will expect us to do so after the election. If our policies are really wise, the more clear like good seed, will yield abundantly.
 Here we have his usual platitudes about principle-for which he cares nothing-mixed with misrepresentation of sound Democrats and poor1y-con- cealed advocacy of his discredited financial theories. By "corporation- controlled Democrats" he means all who do not. believe in his theories, of course, and he revolts at the idea of these Democrats controlling the poli- cies of the Party. He fully under stands that the triumph of sound De- mocracy means the retiracy of him. self and his doctrines. and such a pros pect can but be galling to one of his ambitious and >revengeful nature.
 That Mir. Bryan still insists on the adoption of his free-coinage doctrine Is plainly apparent in his demand that our Party shall make "an honest and Democratic fight against all the Re publican policies" As the maintenance of the gold standard is now one of the well ll-defined Republican policies. 1t is plain that he wants to continue the fight against it. If he is not lament ably blind or thoroughly sodden with self-importance, he must know that the Democratic Party will not antago- nize the gold standard-not this year at all events Our Party does some foolish things, but 1t will not cut its own throat in such an open and undis- guised method as that.
 The Oracle has spoken and no one is benefited