Smyrna times., 1906-09-12
ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT
SCORES BRYAN
Roger Sullivan Says Nebraskan is
After the Money.
QUESTIONS HIS TRUTHFULNESS

New York, Sept. 8.-Roger c. Sulli-
van, member from Illinois of the Dem
ocratic national committee. issued a
lengthy statement, in which he replied
to the recent attacks made upon him
by Mr.. Bryan. The following is an abb
stract of Mr.. Sullivan's remarks:
''In his Jefferson club banquet speech
at Chicago William j. Bryan again saw
fit to make me the excuse for exploit
ing his new ambition to convert the
Democratic party in the United States
into an autocracy, with himself on the
dictators throne. l regret that he has
done so, as / would regret any incident
or circumstance tending toward discord
in the Democratic party.
"If portions of Mr.. Bryan's speech
mean anything, they mean that he
would rather have his own way than
have Democrats elected to congress or
any other office. He has invited all llli-
nois Democrats who agree with him in
his opposition to me to bolt their ticket.
If there are any Democrats in Illinois
who are disposed to act on this Bryan
esque advice most of them, unfortu-
nately, will be found in congressional
districts which are close, but in which,
with united effort. we have a good
chance to elect Democratic congress-
men. If these districts send Republi-
cans to the next national house of rep
resentatives, the Democratic party OF
Illinois will have Mr.. Bryan to thank.
As a Democrat l regret that Mr.. Bry-
ans rule-or-Iuin disposition has led
him to make such misuse of his in
fluence.
But in so far as Mr.. Bryan's ban
quet speech applies to me personally, to
my character, to my business, to my
associates, to my Democracy and to my
political acts, welcome the issues, and
on that issue l challenge Mr.. Bryan
to the proof of his truthfulness, his
honesty and his sincerity-that sim
cerity which, he boasts, is his political
asset
''Mr. Bryan says: My political asset
is the confidence the people have in
my sincerity Mr.. Bryan has twice led
the Democratic party to defeat, the Sec
ond a worse defeat than the first. Ii
he is proud of that evidence of the
peoples confidence in his sincerity hs
is welcome to it. But his boast of sin
cerity merits further consideration. HI
insinuates that | make money out O
politics, and that his sincerity there
fore compels him to oppose my partici
patton in Democratic affairs. The plair
inference is that Mr.. Bryan thinks i
wrong to make money out of politics
This boast Of his puts the stamp of in
sincerity all over him. If Mr.. Bryan
thinks it wrong to make money out o
politics, ne should quit making money
Mr. Bryan has not one dollar that h
ever made out OF anything but politics
He tried to be a lawyer; he was fail
ure at it. He tried to be a newspape
editor; he was a failure at that.
He is now a man of property. A
fortunes so, he is rich man. He mad
every dollar of his fortune out of poll
tics as a stepping stone to the lectuT
platform Mr.. Bryan discovered man
years ago that he could make his polit
cal prominence pay. He is shrewd at
vertiser and in his way a clever bus
ness man. He has discovered that S
long as he is a candidate for presider
and a possible nominee, gifted with th
ability to weave flowing sentences int
we'll rounded periods, the public wi
come to hear him at so much hea
He is in politics because it helps IL
gate receipts. Like the actresses WI
have discarded the stolen damon
dodge for the greater publicity of
divorce suit. Mr.. Bryan will quit rul
ming for president and will quit pol
tics just as soon as he discovers TIL
some other form of advertising WI
bring more dollars to the box Off
when he is announced to appear on Il
stage.
ITO test Mr. Bryan's boasted ST
cerity little, l challenge him to thi
IL / hold my position on the Dem
cratic national committee by fraud.
ought to resign. If Mr.. Bryan h
falsely accused me of profiting by frau
then he ought to quit running for pre-
ident; because no man is fit to be
candidate for that high office who 20
out in public and lies about any mel
Der of his party. Therefore. l propo
that Mr.. Bryan put the issue as |
tween us up to the men who sat
delegates in the Springfield convent
of two years ago. Those delegates &
still living in Illinois; they can all
found. Mr. Bryan said that a major
of them were opposed to me for /
tional committeeman; he has said Il
he had at st. Louis letters from mt
than half those delegates, in VIII
they repudiated the action of the CT
vention which resulted in my becomi
national committeeman. Let us ?
those delegates. Let us have this =
made under the direction of the ch
justice of the supreme court of |
nois. If the majority of those de
gates will support Mr. Bryan's pres
contention and will say that / '
elected to the national committee
fraud, then / will resign from the