The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-11-15
BRYAN WELL PLEASED
Says the Returns of the Election
are Full of Promise for the Fu-
ture Success of Democracy.

on results of Tuesdays election, w. j.
Bryan gets considerable satisfaction in
viewing the outcome from a democratic
standpoint. He regrets the defeat of W.
r. Hearst in New York, but cannot see
wherein President Roosevelt can find
any comfort in the vote of the Empire
state. Mr.. Bryan says the presidents
personal attack on Mr.. Hearst was in
very bad taste and he insists that the
attack did not favorably impress the
public.
Particularly gratifying to the demo-
cratic heart" said Mr.. Bryan, "is the
return of Missouri to the fold.' He
thinks the election indicates a trend in
favor of the democratic party. He
blames Senator McCarren, Mayor Nc
Clellan, Jerome and Croker for the de-
feat OF Hearst, and says the "fact that
the democrats elected every state officer
excepting the governor shows that in
the Empire state the republican party
had been repudiated."
Continuing, Bryan says:
Ii the trend toward democracy con-
tinues for the next two years as it has
been for the last two years, New York
can be counted among the democratic
states in 1908, and Mr.. Hearst is in
position to do valiant work in securing
national triumph for progressive
democratic ideas.
The democratic gains in congress have
not been as great as the party expected,
but they have been sufficient to make it
probable that the democrats will control
the congress to be elected in 1908. In
nearly all the legislatures in the middle
states the democrats have made decided
gains and these promise much for the
senatorial contests which take place
two years hence.
| THE IOWA SITUATION.
In Iowa, Kansas and California the
democrats made splendid fight for
their gubernatorial ticket. The reduc-
tion of Governor Cnmmins' majority
from more than 10000 to about 10000
puts Iowa in the doubtful states for two
years hence. Kansas and California can
no longer be claimed as certainly repub-
lican. The fight waged by Mr.. Harris
in the former state and by Mr.. Berlin in
the latter give more than a reasonable
hope of success two years hence,
| In Nebraska the democrats hoped,
with the aid of the populists, to elect
their state ticket and their candidate
for United States senator. In this they
failed, but they have made substantial
gains throughout the state, as shown by
the vote on congressman and the legis-
lative tickataas. .Wallaas by the state
ticket. They have gained one congress-
man and come within less than 200 votes
Of gaining another. In two other dis
tricts the republican majorites have
been so much reduced that we can rea-
sonably count on four democratic con-
gressmen two years from now. In the
Legislature the fusionists will have
about four times as many as they had
two years ago.
SAYS ROOSEVELT CAN'T RUN.
The republicans have had an effective
campaign argument in standing by the
president" While the record showed
that the democrats in the senate and the
house stood by the president better
than the republicans, the admirers of
the president very naturally gave
weight to his appeal for republican
congress, although in making the appeal
the president put personal victory
above the reforms which he has been
advocating. Two years from now that
appeal will be of no avail, for the presi-
dent will not be an officer after March 4,
1909. Even if he were candidate,
which no friend of his can assume after
his repeated declarations, he would have
to confront the third term issue, and
who would say that that issue would
not lose the president enough votes to
make his race hopeless. The popular
vote, as indicated by the congressional
elections, shows that the republicans
even now have a narrow margin to go
on, and that margin will be quickly
wiped out if the president allows him
self to be drawn into race for a third