New-York tribune., 1906-07-20
THE BRYAN MERGED.

This is pre-eminently the era of cOnsOlida-
tiOns. We have seen so many overnight ANAL
carnations of opposing interests and so many
mergers of discOrdant elements that we have
acquired an almost limtlesS faith in the efficacy
of the G plUribuS WnuBl process. That faith was
hardly shaken, therefore when week or two
ago a uniication was announced which pushed
all other recent unifcatiOns into the shadow.
BY some mysterious tour de force, we were in
formed. the ffty-seven extant varieties of
Democracy had been fused and welded into one
variety. Every Democrat in the United States
had become a Bryan Democrat Without pre-
mOnition or ceremony distinguished statesman
seeking relaxation in foreign travel had been
suddenly drafted as a Cncinnatus and asked to
name the terms on which he would accept the
leadership of a devoted and reunited party. BY
all the f1fty-seven factions and sub-factions ne
was to be recognized as the single and final
arbiter. He was TO become the sole centre OF
Democratic desire and the sole pillar Of Demo
cratic hope.
From the beginning the success Of the merger
seemed assured With a common impulse Dem
Ocratic leaders East West and South proclaimed
their eagerness TO serve the new chieftain. and
friends new and old prepared to celebrate bis
return to the United States and to pave the way
for his denomination for the Presidency in 1908.
The dissensiOns of the past were ignored and
eX-radicalS and eX-conSerVatlVeS joined IN plan-
ming to welcome home the party's only available
candidate its sole surviving asset from the
shipwreck of 1904. Governor Folk OF Missouri,
Senator Joseph W Bailey. Of Texas, and Rep
resentative John Sharp Williams, of Mississippi,
all of them constructive aspirants for national
leadership, publicly renOunced their ambitions
in favor of Mr.. Bryan. Colonel Watterson
buried his trenchant editorial hatchet and de-
clared that he forgave and would take chances
on being forgiven. Ex-senator Villas, eX-Secre-
tary David R. Francis and other representatives
of the "safe and sane Democracy" scrambled for
seats on the Bryan band wagon, and the safe
and sane" newspapers. which had for years
vehementIy assailed the Nebraska statesman
as a dangerous radical in politics, veered around
and began to laud him a potential cOnserva-
tive Other consultations and fotations have
been heralded as the inspirations of genius.
But none ever approached in ingenuOusness and
simplicity this project of unifying the Democratic
vote for Mr. Bryan by tagging him fore as a
radical conservative and aft as a conservative
radical.
We are panied to learn from our neighbor
"The World" that, promising as was the pros
pect of Democratic unificatiOn a week ago. Mr..
Bryan's recent London interview has sadly
dulled the Jeffersonian rainbow. "a week ago."
said our neighbor yesterday, "the Democrats OF
''the country were looking forward with enthu-
.siasm to a new order of things. Mr..
Bryan was accepted as the leader Of the party
land the inevitable nominee for President IN
1905" Now there is "dismay in Democratic
circles" and Mr.. Bryan is practically turning
the Presidency over to the Republicans again"
by not reading the Book Of Proverbs and learn
ing therefrom that the first duty of Democratic
candidate for President is silence and still more
silence. 1t is little difficult to reconcile "The
Worlds" admission that Mr.. Bryan is the ac-
cepted leader of the Democratic party with its
criticism of him for exercising his functions OF
leadership If Mr.. Bryan's Democracy is to-day
the only standard Of Democracy, it is advis-
able to have that standard understood by friends
as we'll as enemies If the Democratic party
has been Organized Mr.. Bryan is its proper and
authorized spokesman. If it has not been Bryan
lied we have only witnessed another futile ex-
pertinent at tying contraries together and har-
monizing differences which are logically irrec-
Oncilable.