The daily sentinel., 1904-01-28
BRYAN, HOW FAR SHALL HE GO?


There has been no more ardent ad-
nIirer of Bryan and all his policies in
all this western country than The
| Sentinel.
For what he has done. for what he
has attempted TO do and fer wlat he
hopes to accomplish for the DEM at
given him.
But. admiring him as we do, we
cannot feel that he Is right when he
submits an ultmatum and says that
the party must rise or fall by his die
tum; that if the Democracy departs so
determined in his Judgment is best for
the party, it Will fail to accomplish
anything
With apologies for reciting an old
saving. that the party had Hvei be-
fore Mr.. Bryan's advent into its
counsels and will continue to live
after he offers counsel no more. is a
truism that no man who has folbwed
closely the history of the Democratic
party will controvert.
We cannot give our friendship and
loyalty to an individual or combina-
tin OF individuals who have agreed
among themselves that no success can
come to the party without following
their dictum and their lead.
Since 1896 and 1900 vastly different
conditions have arisen. To our eyes
and to the eyes of the majority of men
Kansas city platforms were practically
fiawless at the time they were offered
as the platforms of the Democratic
party. We believed that no question
was so vital to the interests of the
.ation as the remonetization of silver.
We are willing to confess that we be-
lieved that conditions approaching
close to national bankruptcy threat.
ened should Democracy be defeated.
A condition entirely unauthorized
arose. the quadrupling of the product.
ion of gold on account of the Alaskan
and other discoveries and the none
tary cataclvsm which was anticipated
was not forthcoming.
We still believe that silver must be
made money metal. its relation to
gold being ratio equitable to all.
but we do not believe that all the
interests of the Democracy lie To-Day
in the question of silver's remoneriza-
tion.
Democracy is too great. has had
such mighty history that we cannot
believe Mr.. Bryan. even if he is re-
fused all the planks in the platform
that he believes he is entitled to pro-
pose and have inserted. can afford to
grow spunky and issue def that W i'll
be inimical to the party's interest in
the coming campaign.
William Jennings Bryan is entitled
to and should have large voice in
the make up of the plltform which
shall be sent forth as the partv's
slogan. But to us. Democracy is
higher than our featly to any individ-
ual and we shall expect Mr.. Bryan or
any other leader to abide by the par
tvs dictum as to Its platform. if either
VI al ~ Nhi ioiy bldtioihl pldithe
are included or excluded therefrom.
We want Mr. Bryan to do and feel
rs he might have wished that the
Palmer and Buckner crowd to feel
tor his candidacy and not plav the dog
in the manger policy, as they did.
Other and great questions are to
be solved by this republic in the
coming years, equally with the silver
and other planks. which stood for the
party's policy in ''96'' and again in
800. 80
We want to stand for what are
the questions at issue today and not
these of yesterday. So think we the
majority of Democrats feel, whether
they be of the east or west.