The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-05-23
,'l,Eu DNsocnAcv IN vluo,,ca.

l'l,EN DNNOCitACY IN vIv,G1NcA
RICHMOND, VA, Nifty 2o.--Thoao Ar,
early days FOR anything like d dcnnit,
organization OF plans for tho nntlonn,
campaign or 1908. r. la therefore toe
soon to say What tho Virginia Dor,o.
Gratis intcmd To do III respect OF any
particular attitude or policy. But aftor
two or three dnys with tho men WHO
lead political thought and eventually
shnpo political notion III this part OF
tho state, II not throughout It, tho
most chsunl Observer pGrcelvos few
things that tho Virginia Democrats
iiiny he depended OH not to do, and that
OF itself Is sufficiently interesting. For
example. tho fceling Is almost unlvor-
sal among serious and Influential Dem.
convention should OH no account DO
bound hand and foot by INSTRUCTIONS,
for tho Hon. William jennings Bryan.
AS thcy put! It. there may DO no avail
ablc chicftnin III sight ut present, nor
yet IL prospect of victory to stimulate
activity. Nevertheless, since they do
not lnnEuisl, under tho despair which
seems to go hand IN hand with pas
sIvo submission to tho Bryan idea,
there Is both present content and some
material for future liopo In tho knowl-
edge that ut lenst Opportunity Will
find all doors open should Fate bring
1t this way.
Happily for Virginia there arc many
political leaders IN this state who have
no desire whatsoever for official place.
Good men, to DO sure. accept nominn-
lions. Honorable and conscientious
men are among those. who frankly
seek the sufrrages OF the electorate.
But political activity Is not confined
to this class. There are men OF high
standing, equally virtuous and patriot
ic, who not only participate in the
party councils. but share tho toll and
burden OF the conflict, and this for no
purpose other than that Of serving vir-
ginin US best they may And It is a,
most significant circumstance that the
best representatives here IN Richmond
OF the two clnsses-actual or would
be oillceholders and men content with
private life-think together and work
together, quite without jarring rival
ries or discordant plans. If he who
holds Office Is dominated by the desire
to retain it, or he who does not hold
office makes himself prominent in po-
litical work with view to changing
that condition, tho looker-on can per-
ceive no evidence to that effect either
in their language or their actions.
Thus the patent harmony OF oppose
ton to Bryan us the leader to another
Democratic disaster must strike the
thoughtful observer with peculiar
force. Since both the official and tho
non-ofllcial regard his candidacy next
year with determined hostility, there
seems no escape from the conclusion
that Virginia, II no other Southert,
State or States, will go into the next
national convention with FREQ mind
and unfettcred hands
The old, hopeless complaint, whats
the use?" appears to have been re-
jected here as feeble and unmanly
pretext for surrender. Leading Demo
Gratis in Richmond think, it we'll worth
their while to repudiate Mr.. Bryan's
lien upon the party so far as Vir-
glnia IS concerned. They do not sub
scribe to the apathetic postulate OF
%ha tnavita hla 3ryon opd tho,, ,,,;1l ~, |
you that If another defeat must bcfall
the Democracy 1t shall at least be UNI
attended by humiliation OF their invi-
tation and continuance. This spirit has |
already been recognized and duly cele-
brated in such independent, conserva-
tive Southern newspapers as the Char
lotte Observer. It Is spirit which will
be more widely diffused during tho
next few months.
They say in Richmond, Our duty Is
to advocate n restored and rcgen-
Grated Democracy. to return to the
tenets OF tho ancient faith, to nomi-
nate sane and genuine Democrat: and
then, II defeat must come. we can
CT ICuol ~ WbLIOuL bIitIuC,
finding all needful consolaEon in nm
unimpaired self-rcspect and In the
sure knowledge that our victorious an
tagonists will respect US also"
AS between a humiliating and an
honorable defeat, Virginians seem to
have definitely made up their minds.
Beyond that they have SO far formu-
lated no explicit plan. 1t Is album !
dainty clear to them that Bryan closes
tho door OF hope, even OF possibility.
Nothing. therefore. is to be lost by |
Diminishing him absolutely from their
and things now undrcamed
OF may happen between now and the
spring OF 1908. 1T Is safe to assume
that this resolution Will find favor
Virginia as the days go by.
1t is equally safe to assume that as
tho Bryan blight is lifted from their
heads they will come to clearer per-
\