The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-09-11
is showed into the ballot box-and then
go home and kick yourself.
ROOSEVELT AND BRYAN

Roosevelt" says Bryan, "has not
one atom of popularity that he does
not owe to the fact that he differs
from the party which he leads, and if
he can become as popular as he is by
occasionally doing something demo-
cratic, what would be the popularity
of president who always is demo-
cratic?"
| In this sentence Mr. Bryan either
innocently misreads the causes of
President Roosevelt's popularity or
purposely misstates them. 1t is not
presidents popularity or unpopularity
hinge upon differences with his party
President Cleveland was popular with
the country because he differed with
his party about the advisability of
putting down riot and stopping the
free coinage of silver. Events showed
that Mr.. Cleveland was right on both
those propositions, but neither was in /
line with the democracy of William
Jennings Bryan He was for free
coinage of silver once and it took him
ten years to cure himself He is still
for the free riot without let or him
drance from the courts, and it may
take him ten years to get cured of
that. If we apply his sentence to
President Cleveland we might be
tempted to ask, if he, Cleveland, gained
such popularity by occasionally doing |
something republican, what would have
been his popularity if he always had
been republican.
The above is on the assumption
that Mr.. Bryan really believes the
president is popular because he has |
recommended to congress some things |
which were mentioned in democratic |
platforms. But Mr. Bryan probably |
knows as well as anyone else that |
the presidents popularity rests upon
wise patriotism which appeals alike
to men of all parties. It has been
shown to be not merely a wind patri-
otism, but one which achieves re-
suits. His instrumentality in bringing
to a close a destructive war was ap-
plauded by the whole world. 1t was
not a republican or democratic, but an
American act His insistence upon the
settlement of the transportation ques-
ton was neither republican nor DEM
Ocratic, but again move for the peo-
pie, and some of Mr.. Bryan's nettled
attitude toward the president may be
due to the fact that Mr.. Roosevelt
has put the railroad question in such
a shape that Mr.. Bryan's plea for gov
eminent ownership falls on dull ears
The president has shown himself
broad enough to take hold of some
questions and settle them whether he
did it by republican Or democratic
votes, or both. The public shows an
appreciation of him by the apparent
fact that he is almost universally
popular and that his name is one to
conjure with in either a republican
or democratic meeting.
Mr.. Bryan came home with very
much the same kind of an opportunity.
Had he maintained the high standard
which had somehow been attributed to
him he might have stood alongside
of Roosevelt, but Mr. Bryan was
scarcely off the ship which brought
him home before he degenerated into
capricious partizan, satisfied with
nothing and grasping after anything
to establish himself as an original and
powerful leader.
There is a difference between Bryan
and Roosevelt. Mr.. Bryan knows what
it is, and every time he thinks about
1t he goes out and makes a speech
which shows pretty clearly that the
difference is one in favor of Mr.. Roose-
welt,