Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-12-05
A DEMOCRATIC OPPORTUNITY.


setting sin. Endowed with all the
virtues of craftsmanship and poll
tics, 1t must needs go out and gather
in all the vagaries Bryan got from
Loman Trumbull. In New York
the other day it went out and pick
ed up William Il. Hearst and all
his impossibilities. What it will
do in 1908 God only knows. 1t
went down in defeat with Bryan
twice: it went down in defeat with
Hearst once. One glorious thing
about 1t is that it can stand punish
ment enough to kill a dozen parties
founded in error.
And it is full of fight, right now,
and pretty particularly dangerous.
too. fit should have few grains
of common sense in 1908. there is
no telling what might happen. At
present it looks as though Bryan
would be the nominee in 1905. If
he Is he will be beaten. There
Is nothing more certain than that.
and the worst of it will be that
numerous Southern States will re-
volt. Brilliant orator and whirl-
wind cOmpaigner that he is. Mr..
Bryan Is not a wise counselor.
His mind is tempestuous rattle.
than deep. No such man has ever
been elected President, and he is
the only one of the kind, unless
John c. Fremont be an exception.
who has ever been nominated for
President by great party.
Butsuppose the democratic party
should have lucid interval and
seek a real candidate where he is to
be found-at the South. There
are plenty of them-Daniel, Till
man, Bacon, Williams, Bailey,
Culberson. That is what the Dem
ocratic party will do if it should
come to its senses. Either of these
would get more electoral votes at
the South than Bryan or Hearst
possibly could, and as many at the
North as either could. Let the
South fling her banner on the outer
wall, choose favorite son, to 90 to
the convention and demand his
nomination, and until the South
does that, it Is not very likely that
we will get Democratic President.
Ben Tillman is bluff, blunt. hon
est, intensely Southern, and in
tensely American. He can get
more votes in Wisconsin, Illinois,
Iowa, Indiana, and Minnesota. than
Bryan or Hearst and | make no
doubt that against the man the Re-
pubhcans are likely to nominate
he can get a batch of electoral votes
out OF the squad. And why notl
Hlsonly faults he speaks the truth.
Can you find other in himl Ihave
tried and failed. VIII some gentle
man put me on the track of one9
There he is standing up before the
American people, his heart on his
sleeve, and all can see that he
would not fiatter Neptune for his
trident nor Jove for his power to
He, too, would carry a
big stick and a deck of cards.
Not as able a man as Bailey.
perhaps; not as cultured a man as
certainly; not as self
poised as Culberson, manifestly:
he has more of the human in him
than any of them. If every voter
of the United States knew Ben
Tillman by hand grasp, had rubbed
up against him, felt his splendid
personality, realized his wonder
ful individuality, he would be the
next President of the United States
IS sure as the American people put
character above place.
The Democratic party is invinci-
Die when it is united and impotent
when it is divided. 1t has been
demonstrated that Mr.. Bryan can
not unite it. 1t was shown that
Judge Parker could not unite it.
1t is clear Mr.. Hearst cannot unite
{.
Any man at the North who would
vote for any one of these three
would vote for Ben Tillman-that
S To say, unless Mr.. Hearst should
'un as an Independence League
candidate, as he probably will.
And if he does he will poll as many
Republicans votes as he will Dem
,cratic.
Certain it is, the country is tired.
The times are out OF joint. For
he republican party the returns are
LminonS The 1.lncfinrn man nat a