The Irish standard., 1907-12-07

side, and those were the days when the
Democratic party gave the law to the
country. AS the author of the Kan
sas act of 1854, which repealed the
Missouri slavery restriction con1pro-
mise of 1920, Douglas put a fateful
piece Of legislation on the statute
books. That act killed the Whig par
ty, put all the foes Of slavery extension
into the coalition which became the
Republican party, started a small CIV
il war between the North and the
South for the control of Kansas, split
the Democratic party in the fight in
Congress in 1858 over the Lecompton
constitution for Kansas, made the split
wide and deep in the Charleston con-
vention of 1860, after which the South
ern section Of the party nominated
Breckenridge and the Northern ele-
ment put up Douglas. This made the
success of the Republicans in the con-
test of 1860 inevitable, though it would
have been probable even if the Demo-
Gratis had been united.
Afterward came secession, civil war,
emancipation and the negro issue in
politics. Douglas started the series of
events which led to this outcome But
even when he was in the height of his
vogue as a party leader he did not
have the grip on his organization
which Bryan has on the same party
in our day.
Bryan's nomination in 1908 is as cer-
tain as any political event half a
certain to make a strong convass. It
will be useless for his Democratic en-
emies to say that he has done nothing
to warrant the popularity which he has
in his party. He was in the lower
branch of Congress four years, and
this was his entire public record be-
fore he appeared in the national con-
vention of 1896, which gave him his
first nomination.
"uA1S AZ SoA6ASoo UC "cS IOI COu.
spicuous. The leader of the silver
forces in his chamber was Bland of
Missouri. Bland had been silver
propagandist for twenty years at that
time. The, whole country knew him
in that role. AS there seemed to be
a chance at one time that silver might
be forced upon the country, all the
European holders Of American proper
ties, the value of which would be
largely reduced if the silver policy
should prevail, had an interest in him
Thus Bland became, in certain
sense, an international figure. After
the Republican National Convention in
st. Louis in 1896 refused to straddle
the silver issue any longer, and de-
clared squarely for the gold standard
1T became inevitable that the Demo
Gratis, who were to meet two weeks
later, would come out openly for free
silver coinage. In that exigency Bland
would be the logical leader Of the
Democrats. Republicans as we'll as
Democrats believed he would be made
the candidate. Bland had a long lead
at the outset in the Chicago conven.
ton. For several ballots he was al
the front. An ilnpassioned speech
however, by Bryan, who entered the
convention as a member Of con.
testing delegation, in which speech he
voiced the aspirations of all silverites
in telling phrase, swept the conven.
tion off it's feet and made him the can
didate.
= Polk was Unknown.
There was a story at the time thai
when the news of the nomination b,
the Democrats in the convention Of
1874 reached Washington everybod,
who heard the name Of the candidate
was surprised and asked, who's
Polk?" But in a far greater degree
than the candidate of 1914 the nomi
nee of 1896 was an unknown. Poll
had been in scongress for a long time
previously. He had been speaker O.
the House four years, and had beer
governor Of his state later on. Mani
testify, man with such a record a.
this could not have been a stranger tt
his countrymen. It suited the Wing!
Of the day to pretend that the Demo
Gratis had nominated somebody whom
the country had not heard Of, ant
who, therefore, would be overwhelmed
by their own candidate, Clay, who wa
prominent on the public stage for owe
a third Of a century at that time. Th
pretense, however, deluded nobody
Polk had made a record which tn
country knew. The record was no
picturesque or brilliant. But when tn
news Of his nomination reached tn
country the candidate did not need al
introduction to the party which h
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