Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-10-03
Bryan Rsp. Sullivan.

Bryan RaE5 suIlivan.
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
who is something of a 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 good chance. but that
now the Jig is up. All is over but the
shouting they tell you, and they act
aa If they expected Democrat to be-
lieve it. We trust no Democrat is
giving himself any uneasiness over the
Bryan-Sullivan scrap. That is a mat
ter that does not concern Iowa Demo-
Gratis at all, and If Bryan's boom is so
weak that 1t will not stand the test
better than that. now is the time to
find it out.
They tell, and some weak-kneed
Democrats agree with them, that Bry.
an ought to have kept out of that fight
and that he has injured all chances
of Democratic success by his attitude
towards Sullivan and that all corpora
tions 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 1t the better, and. in the second
place, Bryan did not imply ali-corpor
ations 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 if
he had mildly repudiated Sullivan
they would have said he was trucking
to bad element in the party.
1t must not be assumed that Bryan
has no political sagacity. If anybody
imagines for a moment that because
Bryan is decent man and goes to
church and leads clean life that he
is 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 a poor politician he
would have wrapped his blanket about
him and quietly sneaked off the reser-
walton and would have flocked 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
Sullivan. And let no Democrat delude
himself into the idea that it will in
jure Bryan. The Republicans are too
much worried over 1t 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.
1t was gnawing at its rope and by
stander called his attention to it, and
said:
Lincoln. your coon is about to
gnaw off its rope and get away" and
Lincoln replied: Ssh, sh, be real quiet
and maybe he will get away without
my noticing it." If Bryan were really
rushing into danger you wouldn't hear
a whimpcr out of the Republican news.
papers.
Did you really expect the Repub-
licans to approve what Bryan did?
A dispatch to the Sioux City Jour
nal says that Jasper county Is in re-
volt. There was an old settlers meet.
ing at Mingo and Porter spoke there.
The reception he got convinced every.
body that there is a fight on among
the Republicans and the county Is
headed for the Democratic camp. Let
'em fight.
The Register-Leader says Dolliver
is safe. Haven't we come upon Won
drous times when Republican newspa-
pers have to reassure themselves
thus? "Dolliver is safe," says the
Register-Leadcr. but most Iowa Repub.
licans object to that paper as the um.
pire.
Bryan spoke in Fort Dodge a few
moments as his special stopped there
for water. Will any of the Republic
ans use this against Bryan. that his
train stopped for water? Will they
say Bryan is not good Democrat for
wanting water at all?
ninety-five Of the members of the low
er house of the legislature and thirty
four out of the thirty-five members of
the senate. And the Democrats didn't
more than about half try, either.
We see by the Republican newspa-
pers that the Bryanites are sore at
Hearst. 1t is amazing what a capacity
for scraps the Democratic party has
developed. if you read only Republic.
an newspapers.