The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-26
The Wessenger.
DEMOCRATS SHOULD GO SLOW.

L IAc DIEdA piotcoSloH II ID lellCSA
ing to come across such sensible re-
marks as the following which we take
from the Chattanooga Times.
It is amusing to note the alacrity
with which men and newspapers are
piling upon the Bryan band wagon.
Some of the men and many of the news
papers entertain more serious consid-
Grafton of themselves than does the
public. Many of the men and same OF
the newspapers are impressed with the
weight Of their own words to such x
cess tina the light weight of their opin-
ion appears ridiculous.
1t is two years until the democratic
party is called upon to find the proper
man. The east has proposed Mr..
Bryan, Missouri whose record has re-
Gently been a republican one, seconds
the suggestion. Some of the south
shout Me too. Mr.. Bryan has sug-
gested This is too sudden" Suppose
the south, that is to supply the bulk OF
the electoral vote, comedies with Mr.
Bryan. He does look good at this writ
ing but it is a sudden sight worthy the
closest and most careful consideration.
The cause is of such magnitude as to
demand conservative reflection. Hero
hysteria is incident to political pros
tratiOn. Democrats of the south will
better serve their cause, their country
and also their man by an avoidance of
the affictiOn.
There is plenty of time yet to set
tie upon the democratic candidate for
the presidency. The national conyen-
ZION is about tWenty-six months off
That is a plenty of time for Mr.. Hearst
to kill himself politically. There IS
no use in the democratic party at this
early date pledging itself to Mr.. Bryan
for the purpose of preventing the cap
ture of the convention by the other.
If the democrats have not got enough
control over their party affairs to keep
Mr.. Hearst from being nominated I'M
less they give the position to Mr.. Bry-
an, then they deserve to be defeated.
Is it possible that things have ONE
to such a pass in the party that it is
forced to nominate a man as its candi-
date for president in order to prevent
another man whom it does not want
from securing the nomination at its
hands? Has Mr.. Hearst got the party
so completely under his control and
in his power that its only hope of pre-
venting his being chosen as its presi-
Dental candidate lies in the nOmina-
ton of a man only slightly less obi &C.
tionable to the conservative element
of the party?
Have the affairs of the democratic
party come to that pass that it must
admit the necessity of choosing the
lesser of two evils in the selection Of
a man it presents 10 the people of the
nation as the person they should elect
to the high Office of president of this
great republic?
We refuse to admit that the demo-
cratic party is in any such deplorable
condition. If two-thirds Of the repre-
sentatives Of the democracy of the
United States who assemble in the next
national contention want Mr.. Bryan
for their presidential candidate let
them give expression to their senti-
ments by nominating him, but do not
let them stultify themselves by say
ing that they nominate Mr.. Mryan to
keep Mr.. Hearst or any other man
they are afraid of from getting the
nomination.
There is a plenty of time yet for the
south to consider this matter of a
presidential candidate. 1t should go
slow IN the matter of pledging itself
to MIR. Bryan or to any one else. There
is no telling what changes may take
place in the two years before the par
tvs national convention meets. The
furry and excitement at this time
over the candidate is folly-worse than
fOlly-it is stupidity. Within the next
two years conditions may be so radi-
cally changed that Mr.. Bryan will be
the most Illogical candidate the party
could nominate. By 1908 he may have
become IN utter impossibility as a
democratic leader. What is the sense
then in trying to get the party COM
mitted at this early date TO him as its
candidate? Let the party 60 slow.
Put off this question of selection OF q
candidate until the time arrives for
his nomination upon a platform bas-
ed upon the political questions of the
time. 1t is as n~onsensical to talk about
presidential election two and a half
years hence as it would be to attempt
to draft Il political platform at the.
present day for the party to stand
upon in its fent two years. from now.