The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-24
A BRYAN MESSENGER.

/ \
a New York paper on Friday, are true
| it looks as If Mr.. Bryan were plan
ming to make the platform and name
the presidential ticket for the Demo
cratic party this year. According To
the dispatch in question Mr.. Charles
A. Towne. the well known Populist
who was in the United States Senate
/ for a short time and for a brief period
| a candidate for Vice President on a
ticket with Mr.. Bryan. was in AL
bany on Thursday last. and had con-
ference with both Judge Parker and
former Senator Hill. OF course it is
not known what the subject of these
! conferences was. but il is said that
Mr.. Towne admitted that he was a
messenger for Mr.. Bryan. 1t seems
that he Travelled with Mr.. Bryan from
the West as far as Buffalo, and then
went to Albany while Mr.. Bryan went
to New York.
Was 1t the purpose of Mr.. Towne to
find out from Judge Parker whether
or not he would be willing to stand
on a platform which contained a re-
affirmation of the Kensas City plat
form? If so. it would look as If it
were the purpose of Mr.. Bryan to I'M
dertalIe to dominate the national con-
vention. If he found that Judge Par
ker was willing to accept a reaffirma-
ton of the Kansas City platform he
might be willing to support him for
the nomination. If not he would OPP
pose him.
OF course this is only supposition.
Doubtless it will be known within a
short time whether or not the state
ments made in the Albany dispatch
are true. Mr. Towne is a friend of
Judge Parker and of Mr.. Hill, and,
being very intimate with Mr.. Bryan,
no better messenger could have been
found to convey a message from Mr..
Bryan to Judge Parker.
From what is appearing in the pub
lie prints it doesn't appear that Mr..
Bryan has the influence in the DEM
ocratic party which he pretends to
have, not even in the West. One DEM
ocratic paper, the Chicago Chronicle,
SAYS that Mr.. Bryan bolted the DEM
ocratic party and voted for Weaver
for President. and that he would, in
all proba bilty, bolt the party this year
if the action of the National Conven-
ton were not to his liking. In it's
opinion he wasn't a Democrat when
he voted for Weaver, and that he isn't
a Democrat now: in fact. that he has
never been q Democrat.
OF course the Chronicle is inclined
to be severe in dealing with Mr.. Bry-
an. 1t will not convince nine-tenths
of the Democratic party, however, that
he isn't a Democrat, no matter how
strongly It may assert that he isn't
But 1t may be able to convince a ma
iority of the Democratic party that he
isn't as anxious for the success of that
party as he is for the advancement
of his own political fortunes.
If he could force the Democratic par
ty TO yield to his dictation this year
he would be in a position to take the
nomination for President four years
hence.
1t must be admitted that Mr.. Bryan
gave the party fair warning as to his
purpose. A long time ago he urged
Democrats to form political clubs and
get ready to send delegates to the Ma
tional Convention who would reaffirm
the Kansas City platform. If the 9TH
er Democratic leaders want to prevent
him from carrying out his programme
they must get to work. 1t is proba-
BILE that if they were to commence or
ganizing at once they would have very
little difficulty in getting a two-thirds
majority that would reject Mr.. Bry-
ans programme hut If they do moth
ing to counteract the work Mr.. Bryan
and Mr. Hearst are doing it wouldn't
be at all surprising If the latter secured
enough delegates to prevent any action
not wholly satisfactory to Mr.. Bryan.