Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-12-26
ECCE HOMO.
lam Jennings BRYAN.

y
bottle and pulling out our rubber
comforter for soft gums, we give
you your brilliant and powerful
leader, Mr.. Hughes. He is Mr..
William Jennings Bryan.
I'VE are frank to say his name
is neither associated with success
nor unity of purpose and action in
the party. He is not just now in
the ideal position to become a sue
cessful leader of party disrupted
by internal discussions; but he is
far and beyond any other sugges-
ton, the man who best can rally
the faint-hearted to asturdy; swing
ing charge against party intrench-
ed in power.
The present writer has not al
ways been enthusiastic about Mr..
Bryan: he regrets his advocacy of
governmental ownership of rail
ways; but Mr.. Bryan is man of
principle, a politician Of conviction
and a gentleman of unsullied in
tegrity. His courage, his capacity,
his brilliancy and magnetism must
hearten the party that has followed
him twice before. and the realiza-
ton that many of Mr.. Bryan's ideas
have been adopted by the President
himself should recruit to his stand
ard new support.
A few days later, the News-Item
said this:
Mr.. Bryan, the other day,
printed in his "Commoner" certain
political principles of the President
and certain political teachings of
his own. They were very similar.
Trust busting, income tax, reduc-
ing swollen fortunes enlist the
energies of both these powerful
personalities. But Mr.. Bryan can
not draw the people to him by
merely proving that he was the
first prophet of these political rem
edies; he must forever emphasize
his own sturdy and consistent ad-
vocacy Of tariff reform, his own
courageous and clear explanation
of the iniquities of the paternalistic
law of favOritism, in the contra
distinction ID Mr.. Roosevelt's timid
trucking to party unity in the utter
omission in his many messages of
any expression upon the tariff"
We had an idea that the name of
the able Nebraskan was upon the
lips of our esteemed neighbor, but,
to prevent its Inference, we re-
minded our friend of the defeat
sustained by Mr.. Bryan when he
was the undoubted nominee of the
great mass of Democrats of the
country.
We will not combat the state
ment that Mr.. Bryan is brilliant
and powerful leader.
We think Mr.. Bryan is one of
the greatest men this country has
ever produced.
But we do not think Mr.. Bryan
can rally enough of the Democ-
racy to his standard to be elected
President.
As to Mr.. Bryan support inVir-
ginia, we have every reason to be-
lieve that it would be lukewarm
among the leaders" By the
leaders" we mean Thomas For
tune Ryan, of New York and Vir-
ginia, and another Thomas, who is
probably better known as the
Junior Senator" Mr.. Ryan
(who retains a vote in Virginia, we
believe), and that other Thomas,
the shrewd and willy (who is said
to represent" Virginia in 1.-THE
greatest deliberative body of the
wOrld'O, have never been very
enthusiastic over Mr.. Bryan. At
present they, and their friends, by
fair means and foul, control the
leverage of the Virginia Demo
crazy. They hold ShyIock's lien
upon the Democratic party of Vir-
ginia, and you can bet your last
dollar against a suspender button
that the pound of flesh will be
demanded land received when the
proper time comes.
OF course, Virginia will go Dem
Ocratic, no matter who the candi-
date may be. We only point ia
the above to show about what will
happen in this State, and what will
probably happen in the North.
where the Democracy must secure
some votes in order to win. The
Ryans, Belmonts, Martins, Parkers.
and others of the same conviction.
will use every atom Of their power
to defeat Mr.. Bryan; and we believe
they can succeed.
But to concede that Mr.. Bryan
can be nominated, we ask, Can he
be elected
he is brilliant; he is positive; he