The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-09-04
The Brilliant Editor of the Louisville

Inc New York Times, which set out
IN the campaign but just begun to
blacklist the democrats. has been
driven into something like fairer plav
by the wider and wiser policy of it's
local newspaper competitors.
IL thinks TO recoup itself by a sys-
TEN OF half-truths, designed generally
TO muddle the discussion: that is. to
misrepresent Bryan and make for
Tart. The Sun does this in its own
sardonic way. II is amusing. but not
impressive. The Times affects the
tone Of the reformer, being nothing if
not mugwump, and employs the lam
suage Of complacency. The Sun is
professionally sinister. The Times is
rhetorically pOmpous and tricky. 1t
comedies all that an intelligent patri-
ousm may say against the republican
party and all that an intelligent re-
publicanism may say against Theo-
dore Roosevelt, and, having establish
ed an Unanswerable case for the DEM
ocrats. proceeds calmly to urge it's
readers TO vote for Taft.
The pretext for an attitude so spe-
cious and shallow, so inconsistent and
illogical is Bryan. The democratic
nominee arraigns the republicans up-
on their mOnstrous tariff. The Times
admits the force of all he says. and
adds: 1T is too bad that the tariff is
not an issue in this campaign. If it
were an issue, Mr.. Bryan's speech
would have some effect But Mr.. Bry-
an himself is the issue, and with what
ever elOquence he may denounce
Dingleyism and protection, the people
have their eyes on him and will not
take them of" So with every other
arrangement of republican misrule
made by Mr.. Bryan. ct is useless, IS
says the Times, with a lofty wave of
the hand. all unconscious of its alb
surdity; for if Taft be not Roosevelt
he is a fraud. but if he is Roosevelt
the Times is left to choose between
being a bigOt and a cheat
Argument with a spirit SO perverse
is out of the question, and l take it
for a text only because, having the &C
cumulated prejudices of twelve years
10 support its false assumptions, it is
well aimed and timed to mislead the
unthinking and unususpecting. My sin
gle purpose is some revision of the
experience of those twelve years.
am. as il were, a missionary of truth
in these eastern wilds, and given the
opportunity to be heard, do not mean
20 go back 10 Gods country until
have said my say. 1t may not be amiss
10 add that / receive not a penny of
compensation. and that there is no
Office the Acceptance of which I would
30 much as consider.
During ten years, from 1896 to 1906
no one rejected Mr.. Bryan for a lead
er more resOlutely than myself. If
could finally reach him and accept
him. any good democrat can. 1t may
help the yet undecided if [ relate how
I did.
In the early part of 1907 | proposed
a parley having for its purpose some
agreement among the Bryan men and
the anti-Bryan men touching a apresi-
Dental nominee other than Mr.. Bry-
an. During ten months this encOun-
tered from the anti-Bryan men either
Indifference or detraction. l got no
second 10 my motion. Emulating the
frontier presiding officer who said,
Second your own motion, you son OF
A gun" they would have none of it.
So / went TO Florida, leaving them
20 go 10 thunder, or words TO that eff
feet. and the entire winter passed. the
nomination of Mr.. Bryan being eth
er accepted or silently conceded by
every public man suggested as an al
tentative. Finally. in the early spring
two facts. sufficiently asceTtained to