The Washington herald., 1907-09-04
The Misest and Best Thing >.

The Charleston News and Courier. re-
signing itself TO the inevitable, thus COM
ments on the Democratic Presidential
situation:
If Mr. Bryan IS to make the platform. be
must be the candidate. That IS the lozfc Of the
situation. There is no other candidate who would
1T the platform. except possibly Mr. Roosevelt
Probably it would be the wissst and best thing
after all for the party to follow Mr. Bryan once
more, and for the third and last time. There
would not BE- very much Of the party left after
the election over, and that might not be
bad thing: certainly there viii never be another
chsnce for the party as long as it is under the
domination Of Mr.. Bryan and those who agree
with him..
We cannot altogether agree with the
Idea that Mr.. Bryan is about to force
either himself or his platform down the
Democratic throat. The truth is that Mr..
Bryan's views and aspirations are more
nearly representative of the views and
aspirations of the majority OF the Demo-
cratic party than are those Of any other
Democrat Of national fame. The editor
Of the News and Courier has but IN Oh
serve what Is taking place in Southern
legislatures to see that the political IDEAS
likely 70 be written into the Democratic
platform are widely accepted. even in TIE
South. where conservative Democracy is
held by many to have a firm abiding
place.
In fact, the South has been for num-
Der Of years a very hot6ed Of radicaIisn.
In hog
with the Middle West. Free silver car
ried the South by storm. Popu!ism still
RACES there with virulenee and effect
and the mania for railway regulation
spreads from Virginia to Texas Out
of the Lone Star State has come the
most drastic antitrust and anti-ranroad
and anti-insurance legislation known to
American statute law The Palmetto
State gave US the dispensary. Nearly the
whole Of Dixie is afiame for prohibition.
What reason, then, is there for thinking
that a Bryan platform. no matter how
radical-saving always any proposal like
government ownership Of railroads, or
that touches the race question-wiH not
be received with joyous acclaim from
Cape Hatteras TO the Rio Grande? Mr..
Bryan and his platforrn. in a word. fit
the present mood Of the Democratic
party, in the South and elsewhere. This
correspondence, growing out Of the radi-
cal temper Of the times. is the source OF
Mr.. Bryans great popular strength. But
it is spontaneous. not forced.
From this point OF view Il would be
'the wisest and best thing for the rarity
to follow Mr. Bryan once more" Does
| it necessarily follow, however, that II the
Democratic party does nominate Mr..
Bryan again. there will be little left
of the party after election? The results
of the last three Presidential elections
tell a different story. The reaction to-
ward the Republican party leading TO its
present hold on popular favor began in
the middle OF Cleveland's second admin
istration, when the Democratic party
was defeated in the Congressional cleo
tions. When Mr.. Bryan was first nomi-
mated. therefore. he assumed the leader
ship Of an already wrecked party; yet
he came near winning the Presidency.
Four years later there was no issue on
which he could successfully appeal to
the people. and In 1904 the Democracy
tried safe and sane" leader, with dis
astrous consequences. The effect OF that
defeat yet paralyzes Democratic energies.
Indeed, the party can hardly be said to
have recovered entirely from the dissen-
sions OF the last Cleveland administra-
ton. For these and for the Parker
movement Mr.. Bryan w@s in no wise re-
sponsibIe. His own two campaigns.
| though unsuccessful, represent the