The Falls City tribune., 1908-08-28
DEMOCRATIC PUBLICITY
4 PhLPABLE FRAUD
~lnslncerity Of Democratic Plank
Proven by Nebraska
incident.

paign IN which We are entering much
will be said and many democratic
claims of superior morality and non,
esty OF intention will be made ON the
subject OF publicity of campaign con
tributions' inserted in the Denver
platform by the national democracy.
In discussion of this democratic
claim to suddenly acquired political
righteousness II may be truthfully
said that no palmer illustration nor
more complete and conclusive proof
of the bunco and g~old-brick character
of the campaign about to be launched
on Nebraska and the nation By the
Bryan democracy is offered for pub
lie consideration han is this self.
same publicity of campaign subscrip-
tions' itjue which has been incorpor-
ated for show purposes in the demo-
cratic platform and which, as his ad-
mirers love TO say, has come as a
ringing challenge" from the lips of
the peerless Bryan himself.
Readers of current news will recall
that a few weeks ago William Jen-
nings Bryan, the perennial candidate
of democracy for the presidency, laid
aside for the moment his strenuous
pursuit of the democratic nomination
and wrote a telegram to William H..
rpounctipo him to - n fo,o,.
able report from a congressional com+
lmittee in whose hands a proposed
publicity" law was under consider.
iation. Great was Mr.. Bryan's sur
prise and no less great was his chag-
rim to be courteously informed that
lat a date a long time previous to the
Bryan suggestion, Mr.. Taft had, on
his W initiative, communicated to
the chairman of the committee in
question his personal views strongly
favoring the enactment of publicity
Legislation and for the moment the
igrand-stand play of Mr.. Bryan for pub,
ilicity of contributions fell very flat
with not ven a cheer from the BOYS
on the bleachers.
That the Bryan democracy. In spite
iof a notorious and Objectionable
record on the use of money in political
campaign, had determined to hood
wink the public by hosting the ban,
ner of campaign publicity as a party
issue, now became fully apparent. By
becoming noisy on the subject from
Fairview to the Tammany Wigwam
they evidently hoped to becloud the
public mind into the belief that the
democratic party was the author and
supporter of this issue, whereas all
legislation of this character enacted
TO date is the work of the republican
party unassisted by either the votes
or suggestions of democratic politi,
clans. 3;
To lay a foundation for this "issue''
it was widely proclaimed by those
who took their Il from Mir. Bryan
that the national democratic platform
would contain such a plank and for a
brief moment the hope was INDUCED
that in the future the contributions to
the democratic cause from the NIL
lionaire mine owners, the Tammany
braves and the McCarren volunteers
might receive desirable publicity. This
dream lasted but a day and like
Jonah's gourd, withered in a night. In
the midst of the demands of the demo-
cratic peerless" and his henchmen
for publicity" came a bolt of light
ming from a clear Sky; a chapter on
publicity not relished, by these man.
%ipulators of public confidence. With
astounding force came an announce
ment from a responsible source in
New York that in 1904, when Bryan
was an expectant candidate for the
United States s%enatorship from Ne
braska, a $4,000 slush-fund had been
raised by the Ryan-Sheehan gang In
New York city and poured into Ne
,braska to debauch the electorate in
the interests of the democratic ticket
in this state. No sign of the receipt
or the disbursement of this fund ap-
peared in any of the reports of demo-
cratic campaign officers filed In this
state IS required by laws on our
statute book since 1899. Gradually,
in the face of this exposure, the truth
came out by the admissions of Ne
braska democrats in charge of the
campaign for that year and nothing
shows more plainly the %gold-brick
character of the democratic preten,
tons OF support to the issue of cam
paign fund publicity. T. S. Allen.
brother-in-law to the peerless Bryan,
was at that date chairman of the dem,
..ocrat state committee of Nebraska. He
admits that he journeyed to New
York to see what was doing, was there
promised and later received from