New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1907-07-31
DARK HORSE
Famous Kentuckian Says He is not
in the Notwithstanding
Business.
Did Not Trot Out Governor John.
son or Any Other Man.
Admits, However, that the Mime
sotan Might Make
Great Race.

Henry Watterson, IN commenting on
the dark horse which certain news
papers and politicians claim to have
discovered in the political stable of
the Courie-Jrournal, says editorially:
The Courier-J ournal has never said
that it has a presidential candidate
4 1t has not designated Gov. J Johnson of
Minnesota, nor authorized any one to
speak for it. But, since so many of
our esteemed contemporaries will it
so, SO be it; and where does the laugh
come in?
What the Courier-J ournal did saw
was in respose to a public statement
made by Mr.. Bryan. The friends Of
Mr.. Bryan gave it out that he did not
banker after another nomination. He
himself declared that, if the party can
find candidate likely to get more
votes than be, it should name that
candidate. He went out of his way to
affix the limitation that the man chosen
must have voted the free silver fusion
ist ticket in 1896, an ungracious and
gratuitous slap at hundreds of thous-
ands of Democrats whose votes are
necessary to elect in 1908. We made
not the retort discourteous, as we
might have done and had the right to
do. On the contrary, we accepted Mr.
Bryan's prescription, observing that
we knew of such man, and adding
that he "does not live East of the AL
leghanies nor South of the Ohio or the
Potomac.
It was not our purpose to pique the
public curiosity, still less to raise a
riddle, or offer conundrum. No man
can be elected without the hearty sup
port Of Mr.. Bryan and his peculiar
following. The cut-throat business
which was begun in 1896 was pursued
with increased activity and enterprise
in 1904. AS the Courier-J ournal wants
to see another Democratic president
we would have done with this.
We are no more concerned in the
result of the next presidential election
than any other of the six or seven
millions of persons who call them
selves Democrats. There is no reason
why we might not return Mr.. Bryan
scorn for scorn, and bid him crack his
whip and drive his herd to destruction,
he alone getting rich whilst the others
starve. But, as a matter of fact, we
entertain no unfriendly feeling toward
Mr.. Bryan's personality, which is
altogether agreeable to US, nor do we
lie in any discomfort under the ban he
has imposed upon us, as upon
hundreds of thousands of Democrats
without whose votes we can elect no
body, We would relegate to the rea
all by-gone dissension and recognize
the living situation as it is.
1t is our judgment that Mr.. Bryan
cannot poll the full party vote, nor
get any considerable portion of the
independent vote. He has identified
himself with too many conceits of the
lecture platform. It is safe to say
that quite two-thirds of the Chautau-
qua audiences which applauded him
are Republicans and will vote the
Republican ticket regarding him as
an agreeable lay-preacher whom they
like to listen to, but not their prefer
ence as presidential candidate.
In all of the debatable states there
is distinct anti-Bryan element just
as there is distinct pro-Bryan ele-
ment. Each can defeat the other. In
the face of these conditions why
should not Mr.. Bryan be first to see
the impracticability of his own candi-
dacy and rest content to have the
party name candidate who can unite
its vote and draw to his standard that
ever-widening circle of independent
voters who in the final equation de-
termine the result?
The head and front of our offending,
If we have offended him, or his, hath
this extent, no more.
To go no further, there is Gov. Folk
OF Missouri, and there is Gov. John
son of Minnesota. Both are good,
regulation Democrats without blot
on their party escutcheons. They are
young and attractive men. Each has
shown himself a vote getter. Each has
signalized himself a safe and sane ad-
ministrator of public affairs. No hon
est Democrat could refuse to vote for
either. Many Independents could find
reasons for doing so.
In the case of Gov. Johnson the
Scandinavian vote in particular and
the vote of foreign extraction in gen.
eral would be directly invoked.