The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-04-20
BTyan's COInn1Oner on
a Southern Candidate

The last issue of Mr. Bryan's Com
moner says:
There is considerable talk just now
of a southern candidate for the presi-
dency, and there is no reason why d
southern candidate should not be con-
sidered upon the same basis as can
didates from the northern states
The time has passed when the sec
tional argument is effective. In the
st. Louis convention of 1904 Mr..
Bryan insisted that Senator COckreu,
though a confederate soldier, would
poll more votes than the northern
candidate whose position upon public
questions was in doubt or whose pO-
sition. if known, was out of harmony
| with the opinions of the members of
his party.
BY all means let the southern
statesmen be considered; let them
stand side by side with their northern
brethren and let the choice fall upon
the man who no matter where he
lives best represents the aspirations
of the party and best reflects the
desires of democratic voters No can
didate should be urged merely be-
cause he comes from the north or the
south, or from the east or from the
west. Local pride is very much
overestimated asset in campaign.
Comparatively lew decide public ques-
lions on that basis. New York and
Indiana being doubtful states, for
many years claimed the candidates
on the ground that local popularity
would turn the elections, but it has
been found that the movements which
elect or defeat candidates are wider
than state boundaries.
The New York Sun is the latest
champion of a southern man and its
desire for a southern candidate is
based not upon his fitness to serve
the people but upon his conservatism
and the meaning which the Sun gives
to the word conservatism is we'll I'M
derstood II insists that the south
should present a candidate who is OPP
posed to Rooseyeltism. Roosevelt
having acquired popularity by the en-
dorsement of several democratic doc
trines-such as railroad regulation,
trust prosecution and an income tax
the democratic party should at
once repudiate these things which
have given the president popularity
and seek the support of the financiers
whom the president has offended.
This was the very argument that was
made at St. Louis in 1904. We are
told that the president was very I'M
popular with Wall street and that
safe and sane candidate who had the
confidence of the business element
would be able to finance his campaign
in Wall street and win an easy vic
tory The party tried it and that bait
will not serve again.
Let southern candidates be pre-
scented upon their merits. Let them
<,k,-a ,1,oT,s- Of
democratic ideas and they will ind
the north ready to listen. Papers like
the Sun have overwOrked the conser-
vatism of the south. Gov HOke
Smith, of Georgia, won his campaign
by attacking railroad influence IN
politics and by demanding regulation.
Governor Conner won his fight in Ala
bama along the same lines. Cover
nor Campbell of Texas. made
speeches in favor of railroad regula-
ton which would brand him as an
anarchist according to the Suns def
nit1on Of anarchy. Here are three
recent victories in three prominent
southern states which tend to show
that the masses of he south are no
more willing to be ridden by the cor
porations than are the masses or the'l
north. There are many democrats in
the south who would poll the full
democratic strength of the north, but
papers like the Sun do not mention
them, for such papers have no more
interest in a southern man who is
really democratic than they have in
a northern man who is democratic, be-
cause such papers are the organs of
predatory wealth. Their praise |
damns any man upon whom they
lavish it and their opposition compli- |
ments those who are hOnored with 1t. |
The south furnishes most of the |
electoral votes of the democratic |
party but it does not furnish a ma |
jority of the democratic voters. In |
1896 New York cast sol 900 demo |
cratic votes, more than Alabama, Ar |