The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1906-11-01
NOVEMBER /, 1906

liable champion of popular rights and
more powerful adversary of special
privilege and monopoly than ever be-
fore. And SO the mighty journalists
had all their work to do over again
in writing him down
| There was great sorrow manifest
ed in the camps of corporatlons-nof
anger, but genuine sorrow. 1t was
such a pity that Bryan, who was just
within reach of the presidency, had in
single speech, made break which
had absolutely destroyed all chance
of preferment.
I'm great headlines it was announced
that the democrats of the south were
so incensed at his declaration on the
subject of government ownership OF
railroads that they were anxiously
awaiting the opportunity to repudiate
him. And so, when the democratic
state convention of Georgia met few
days after the New York speech,
Bryan was repudiated by resolution,
adopted unanimously, declaring for
Bryan for president.
But the Independent journalist was
| by no means discouraged. Crowding
the telegraph report of the Georgia
convention down into an obscure cor
ner of his newspaper. or crowding it
out altogether, he proceeded with
much fine writing, to prove that Bryan
was no longer an appreciate quantity
in American politics and that the
southern democracy was especially
bitter toward him. One morning,
about week after the Georgia con-
vention, l read several articles of this
| kind and then, turning to another part
of the same paper-in an Out-of-
| the-way place. found an abbreviated
account of the Alabama state conyen-
ton held on the previous day. there
learned that early in the proceedings
Congressman Clayton had introduced
resolution condemning government
ownership of railroads, which resolu-
ton was summarily voted down by a
vote of three or four to one, after
which the convention proceeded to re-
pudiate Bryan by the enthusiastic
adoption of resolution by unani
nous vote, declaring that Bryan was
the first and only choice of the Ala
bama democracy for president.
and then came the California state
convention, and then Bryan's trium-
phal tour of the south-the work of
reputation proceeding right along in
such way as to make it reasonably
plain that the only name before the
next national convention for the presi-
dency will be that of the great Ne
braskan.
$50 it seems quite apparent that
while cautious politicians were start
led and alarmed the masses of the
people were neither stampeded nor in
the slightest degree frightened at Mr..
Bryan's declarations on the subject
of government ownership of railroads.
And why should they be? His declar-
alton was to the effect that up to this
time the railroad corporations had
, been powerful enough to resist sue
, cessfully all efforts on the part of the
government to regulate and control
them in their dealings with the pub
lic-that with that power in their
, hands it was doubtful if they could be
regulated and controlled by legislation
and that, il it so turned out, there
f was only one effective remedy for the
? people and that is government owner
I. ship.
! ITO put it in another form: If it be
S came a question as to whether the
! great trunk lines, built as competing
: lines, should be owned by the Stand
4 ard Oil crowd or that group of finan
= cial pirates known as The System
d or whether the government shoulc