The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-08-09
WANTS TO Be PARTY AuTOCRAT.

Mr.. VIM. J. Bryan's head seems to
have been II led by the batteries of
which he has recently been the sub
ject, and he is undertaking to play the
role Of party autocrat Acting as if
this were his rightful prerogative, he
wrote to Judge Owen D. Thompson of
jacksonville, ILL.,, directing him to re t.
quest the resignation of Mr.. Roger
| Sullivan, of that State, from the Dem
ocratic National Committee, alleging
that Mr.. Sullivan had been appointed
member Of the committee by fraud
and that his presence on the body was
a contradiction of all that could be said
in behalf Of the party's good intentions.
Accompanying the letter to Judge
Thompson was a message to the people
OF Illinois, to be made public in case
| Mr.. Sullivan declined to retire from the
committee. Mr.. Thompson, as might
have been expected, has refused to ac-
cede to Mr.. Bryan's demand and the
latter's message has been published.
In it he says:
You can do little to advance Demo-
cratic principles so long as you permit
/ the most fundamental of the principles,
namely, the right Of the ma ioI .ty to
! rule, tU be violated Mr.. Sullivan was
selected as national committeeman by
delegates who We're not chosen by the
! convention. AS he was one Of the lead
ers IN the high crimes and misdemean-
/ ors committed against the Democracy
/ OF illinois, his refusal to resiGl cannot
/ be attributed to ignorance of the facts,
/ but is proof positive of his r7fitness for
the place. We are about to enter upon
campaign IN which our party will APP
! peal to the people and ask the conf
! dence OF the nation. | do not know how
you, the Democrats of Illinois, could
better open that campaign in your State
than by demanding his resignation
Mr., Sullivan states in reply to this
that the charge made by Mr.. Bryan was
declared by the Democratic National
Convention Of 1904 to be misrepre
sentation and libel, and that a commit
tee on credentials representing every
State and Territory in the Union de-
clared that the men whose course he,
Mr.. Bryan, now champions were liars
and Villifiers. The message, Mr.. Sulli-
van says is proof that ''he, NJ. Bryan,
! is mistaken again. as he was on the
frae-sllVer question, and that he is
wrong again, as he was when he per
mitted himself to cut so pnenv able a
figure as he did in the Bennett will con-
troVersy." MIR. Sullivan ful cher says
that lit is Mr.. Bryan's misfortune to
jump t. conclusions too readily" But
| the conclusion of Mr. Sullivan's state
ment leaves the Inference that he re-
CARDS Mr. BIyan's course toward him
self as an attem pit to play the dictator.
Il would like to remind Mr..
Bryan" he says. that the 'fr7da men
tai principles Of Democracy which he
speaks of do not include recognition of
political cZardom. Democrats may have
their leaders, the leaders may have
their fOlloWe.-; but their leaders will
never be autocrats and the followers
will never be serfs, obedient to the or
ders prompted by court favorites.
AS Mr.. Sullivan continues to hold his
place on the National Committee Mr.
Bryan must be constrained to admit a
failure of the Democratic party to con-
vince the people of its good intentions
Such an exception was, however, I'M
necessary. With or without Mr.. Sulli-
vans resignation the people are not
prepared to credit the good intentions
of party which proposes to select, for
the third time as its candidate for Pres
ident, a persistent believer in the falla-
cy of free silver coinage and depreci-
ated currency.
But the gist Of the controversy be-
tween Mr.. Bryan and Mr.. Sullivan is
that the former has assumed tone
which savors strongly of autocracy, an
attitude which it is not likely the Dem
ocratic party, notwithstanding its many
imperfections and its oftimes submits
sion. to bosses, will tolerate.
Mr.. Lloyd Lowndes, of Cumberland,
was in Oakland Saturday last on bust
| ness