The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-04-06


Bryan's platform in 1908 will have
railroad ownership by the government,
municipal ownership of public utilities
| and other popullstic vagaries. Now do
you suppose for holy minute that
any old populist who shouted for Bry-
an in 1896 and 1900, would turn him
down in 1908 if his platform is practi-
cally populism? A few would, yes.
A few like that mullet head who wrote
The Independent lately that he trav-
eled all over the United States advis-
| ing populists to vote for Roosevelt.
When the fool-killer happens along
tthat mans name Is Dennis.
Populists may deny ana defame Bry-.
an as much as they please, but the
American people, without regard to
| party, recognize him as the ablest
man in public life today and the major
| ity of them believe him sincere. He
showed his long-head by maintaining
his regularity, knowing full well, as
we all did, that Parker would be over
whelmingly beaten.
| am not a hero worshiper. My es-
innate of Bryan is made not SO much
from reading his Commoner or lis
tening to his speeches, but from hav-
ing watched his career for the last
twelve years and more from republi-
can editorials and the editorials of
| independent journalists and magazine
writer's
| The question, it seems to me, for
pcpuhsts in 1903 will be this: Will
we support Mr.. Bryan on platform
| which contains nearly all that we have
i contended for for the past thirteen
i years or shall we flock by ourselves
and little handful OF us vote for
\ Watson or some other one of the
1 Old Guard and thereby make easier
and surer the election Of some such
trusted friend Of the money power as
| Fairbanks, Foraker, ct al. For myself
l shall choose Bryan.
| It was the sage remark of Mr.. Jeffer-
son that we have and can have but
two parties-the aristocratic (the
money power) and the democratic
What folly for the democratic party
thus to be divided? q am speaking of
democratic in the broad sense meant
by Mr.. Jefferson). Mr.. Lincoln, too,
spoke of fooling all the people part of
the time, part of the people all of the
time, but declared it to be impossible
to fool all the people all the time.
| The money power has found it to be
unnecessary to fool them all the time.
1t is only necessary to fool enough of
them to keep them divided.
| Mr.. Bryan declared in speech at
| Wichita, Kan, in 1897, that it is USE
less to wage war on the trusts and let
| the greatest of all trusts, the money
! trust, go unscatched. Mr.. Bryan has
since learned that the railroads own
| the banks and therefore are part of
| the money trust, hence he has come to
advocate government ownership of the
great trunk lines and state ownership
of the short roads that do not cross
the state lines. Mr. Bryan is learn
| ing. 1t takes a smart man to learn.
Some men assume that they already
have all wisdom.
| You will say that am not popu
list. Call me whatever you please.
was reared to believe that all politi-
cal wisdom, all political morality, and
all wise craftsmanship originated in
the republican party and there abode
permanently. My first presidential
vote was for James G. Blaine.
| In the days of Grover the Fat, got
a little political wisdom into my era
mum and when failed to discern the
difference between G. Cleveland de-
mocraey and Tom Reed-John Sherman
republicanism, / decided that was the
place to get off.
I voted for Bryan and Watson in
| 1896, Bryan and Stevenson in 1900 and
/ Watson and Tibles in 1904. / hope to
vote for Bryan and Douglas in 1908.
A populist can NOT be elected in 1908.
A democrat of the Bryan, Folk, Doug
las class CAN be elected. The plat
form will be of Mr.. Bryan's dictation
and it will be essentially populistic.
I shall consider it my duty to support
it am responsible for no one but
myself. / shall vote for Jeffersonian
} democracy as see it.
w. 0. BENNETT, M. d.
i Ell Dorado, Kan.
i Frank D. Comerford, who was ex-
PEELED from the Illinois legislature be-
| oouco bo charOod tho MON, boro xry;+t,