Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-10-23
esyan Raps Sullivan,

GTdh RapS sullivan
Our Republican friends are infinite
ly distressed over the quarrel between
Bryan and Roger Sullivan of Illinois.
The Republican papers can scarcely
give space to legitimate Republican
political news because of the space
they use UP in feeling sorry for the
Democrats. But we trust no Democrat
is allowing himself to be bamboozled
by all this howl from the Republicans.
Why, to read their papers, you would
get the idea that they were the orig
inal Bryan men and that they were
heart broken because Bryan has got
into tilt with one Roger Sullivan,
who is something of discredited pol
itician in Chicago.
They tell us in fearful voice and
with sobs Of distress that Bryan can
never be elected president now.
That he had a good chance, but that
now the jig is up. All is over but the
shouting they tell you, and they act
as If they expected a Democrat to be-
lieve it. We trust no Democrat is
giving himself any uneasiness over the
Bryan-Sullivan scrap. That is mat
ter that does not concern Iowa Demo
Gratis at all, and if Bryan's boom is so
weak that it will not stand the test
better than that, now is the time to
find it out.
They tell, and some weakened
Democrats agree with them, that Bry.
tn IF q
and that he has injured all chances
of Democratic success by his attitude
towards Sullivan and that all corpora
lions will now fight us. In the first
place, If the corporations are so
touchy that they will fight us unless
we stand for Sullivan, the sooner we
know it the better, and, in the second
place, Bryan did not imply all corpor.
atoms when he said corporations
should keep out of politics. Nobody
knows this better than Bryan's critics
There is no use in us trying to fool
ourselves. Bryan could not have
done anything that would not have
been criticised bitterly. 1t is the only
weapon they have left. The people
are with him and the only hope the
Republicans have is to discredit him
If he had refused to notice Sullivan
the Republicans would have yelled
"Cowardy cat, cowardy cat" and II
he had mildly repudiated Sullivan
they would have said he was trucking
to a bad element in the party.
It must not be assumed that Bryan
has no political sagacity. If anybody
imagines for moment that because
Bryan is a decent man and goes to
church and leads a clean life that he
is a tyro in politics, why, that person
has another guess coming. He is no
SLOUGH when it comes to political wis
dom. That is what kept him In the
forefront during the Parker campaign.
If he had been poor politician he
would have wrapped his blanket about
him and quietly sneaked off the reser.
walton and would have focked by him.
self till after the election. Bryan did
not do that, but got into the thick OF
the fight, and is today the leader OF
the party, Roger Sullivan or no Roger
CSAAASSA
himself into the idea that it will in.
lure Bryan. The Republicans are toe
much worried over it to make 1t ap.
pear there is real danger. If Bryan
were really walking into danger they
would be like Lincoln was with the
coon that he was trying to get rid Of
It was gnawing at its rope and by
stander called his attention to it, ant
said.
Lincoln, your coon is about tt
gnaw off its rope and get away" and
Lincoln replied: "Sh, sh, be real quiet
and maybe he will get away withou'
my noticing It," If Bryan were really
rushing into danger you wouldn't hea1
q whimper out of the Republican news
papers.
| Did you really expect the Repub
Ecans to approve what Bryan did?
Il