Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-10-18
Mr.. BRYAN AND THE TINES
DISPATCH.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Of
| the war horse OF old. shifted the battle
afar off, it discovered the p sition Mr.
Bryan occupies in the affections of The
Democratic masses and it has acknowl
edged 1t. 1t is rather pathetic to heal
its cry of anguish, to behold Its eyer
streaming with tears, and see ills frame
shake with emotion, as it gives voice
to the inevitable. In speaking Of Mr.
Bryan and his visit to Richmond, anc
of presidential candidates, it says in
it's Issue of the 18th:
No other name has been mentioned
that has aroused the people at large
and Mr.. Bryan stands cOnspicuously
alone as the first choice OF the great
majority. He has many opponents.
but he has no rival.
These statements from a newspaper
which is reckoned among the most
pronounced OF Mr.. Bryan's opponents
may have q strange sound and may
seem to some to be out of place, but 1t
is not tie habit of The Times Dispatch
to shut its eyes to a patent fact. MIR.
Bryan has but recently completed q
flying trip through Kentucky, during
which he made eight speeches and
spoke to $1,000 people. All along the
route men gathered at the railway sta
lions to see and to cheer him, and at
Paducah be addressed an audience Of
6, 600
Nothing but protest from himself
can prevent bis nomination next year,
and the fact that he is going in and
out among the people and making
speeches upon national issues Is con
elusive that Mr.. Bryan is willing to
receive the honor. He has already
said, we believe, that be will be can
didate before the convention II the pe0-
pie show that they want him, and he
Is now feeling the popular pulse. Up
to this time be certainly has no reason
to be discouraged.
How the Times Dispatch has op
posed MIR. Bryan 1t itself acknowledg-
es, and its readers we'll know. 1t has
fought bin in season and out Of sea-
sou. 1t preferred Mark Hanna to him
in 1895. 1t left the Democratic party
in disgust when he was irst nominal
ed. 1t preferred all the evils that Re-
publicanism could bring ard did bring
of war. colonization. tariff, centraii-
cation and the thousand and one
others which unchecked power has
brought and Is bringing. 1t chose the
kind of Democracy it liked, and that
kind proved a failure. The people
have never left Mr.. Bryan for these
leaders. nor have they changed their
allegiance to him. and followed these
false prophets. Now the Tlmes-Dis
patch has found that Mr.. Bryan Is too
big for it to handle, and rather grace
fully. though tearfully, admits it. II
must have been like pulling q sore
tooth to do 80. Its editorial was writ
ten prior to the day when Mr.. Bryan
stood before great Virginia audience
aud held them with delight. Had ii
been written after instead of before
that occasion, 1t might have been ever
more plaintive. This much it admit
In addition when it says:
| Efforts have been made here ant
there by opponents 10 stem the tide q
popular sentiment In his favor, bu
without visible effect upon the masses
The proposal to nominate q Southern
man has met with scant favor, even II
the South, and the attempts to boon
Gray OF Delaware, Chanler of Ne1
York, and others, have received no 81
rious consideration 10 the country q
large. In all these sporadic effort
there has been no definite organizes
movement against Mr.. Bryan.
| This is true, and iG comes from tn
fact that the people are with him
They know be was robbed of his cleo
ton in 1896. they believe in bis SINGER
ity, in bis cleanness, his honesty, an
his wisdom. They have never forgive
his enemies in his own rarty for turn
ing Cd him in 1896. and they neve
will Mr.. Bryan has the people witt
him, but he lacks the ringsters, th
professional politicians. the boodlerf
the corporations and the grafters
These may defeat him again, but the
can never drive the people from hi
support, or lessen their confidence Il
him as a leader and as man, to then
he is the great commoner, the frien'
of the masses, the champion Of thei
rights.