Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-05-31
M'a,aiugtuu Standard
OLYMPIA, WASH.
FRIDAY MORNING, XAY 81, 1907.
Bryan Is Willing.

There seems to be considerable
truth in the statement of some of
Bryans stancheSt friends that he
has no desire to head the next PreSl-
Dental ticket. and again place HIM
self in position as Il target for the
malcuntcnts who have managed to
control Il small contingent. calling
themselves Democrats, that have de
libcrately conSpircd for Republican
success, rather than to place in power
man who by his honesty, patriot
ism and transcendcnt ability, would
be able to give the people govern
ment far above the control of mere
partiSanship and party leaders. 1t
is pretty much the feeling that NOM
mated Roosevelt for the Vice Presi
dency, by the partisans of Republi-
can policy, to get him out of the way,
a plan that history had shown to be
entirely feasible, by mere acceptance
of the second place on the national
ticket. The mistake made was in I'M
derrating the sly, shrewd cunning of
Mr.. Roosevelt, as well as failure to
take into account the possibility OF
death of Mr.. Mckinley. Such foul
crime as assassination was of course
far from the range of thought of any
body. The machine politicians were
however, soon brought to realize that
circumstances, instead of weakening
Mr.. Roosevelt, placed at his COM
mand the resources of several we'll
disciplined armies, civil and military,
to formulate, direct and sustain pop
ular sentiment for Mr.. Roosevelt as
an individual, and enable him to
adopt and exploit Democratic doc
trines for increasing his following,
which was the more easy from the
fact that the opposition has always
cared more for principle than party
name and organization.
The would-he leaders of the old
time Democratic party have had their
eyes open to possible contingencies
by passing history. Their opposition
to Mr.. Bryan is not SO much from
dislike of his personality, as fear of
his commanding ability to think and
act for himself. In other words, pro-
fessional politicians want a man who
can be dominated and controlled, and
they realize that they will not find
such President in Mr.. Bryan.
They are willing to accept any can
didate who possesses the requisite
qualification of piability. though
they know that by SO doing they re-
duce the chances of party success
and augment those of their political
enemies.
The gauntlet thrown down has
been accepted by Mr.. Bryan. 1t is
to develop support for favorite sons
of known fidelity to principle and
who are unqualifedly opposed to cor
porate greed. Mr.. Bryan's friends
favor this course, the only condition
being that the candidates favored are
not from the coterie of Democratic
mutineers who have so often scuttled
the party ship. Mr.. Bryan is said
to favor Goorgia's tried statesman
Hoke Smith, or the Texas champions
of popular interests, Senator Charles
A. Culberson or Governor Thomas
M. Campbell, or Missouri's brainy
Executive, Joseph w. Folk, or any OF
the score of eminent party men who
would replace the government upon
true constitutional policies.
This concession should place our
great leader in the foremost rank of
an organization that will accept this
concession as the browning act of pa
triotic duty.