The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-07-16

Bryan for their prophet. The
conservative faction of the De-
mocracy had its day four years
ago, and it was beaten worse
than the other element was beat
en- in either of its campaigns. !
Just before the election of 1904
Bryan announced that after the
close of that campaign he would
resume his radical propaganda,
and he kept his word. He fore
saw Parker's defeat just as early
as any of the Republicans did.
And, even more confidently than
the Republicans, did he forecast
the programme of extremism to
which the Democracy would be
forced to assent in the campaign
Of 1908. 1t is possible that Par
ker's defeat was a little more
sweeping than Bryan looked for,
but it is entirely safe to say that
Bryan did not mourn on that ac-
count. The overthrow of the old
safe and sane" faction of the
Democracy was a vindication of
Bryan's prophecy, and it was a
notification to the country that
the revolutionists and destruc-
tionists Of 1896 and 1900 were a
gain to give the law to the party.
Republicans will be free to con-
cede, nevertheless, that Bryan is
as strong a candidate as anybody
would have been who has at any
time been mentioned in connec-
ton with the nomination. Hun
dreds of thousands of Democrats
will vote against him. Hundreds
of thousands also would have vo,
ted against Gray, Johnson, Har-
mon or anybody else whose name
has been coupled with the candi-
dacy. The more radical portion
of the Bryan faction would have
aSsailed any one of these as it as
sailed Parker in 1904. Bryan's
Democratic enemies in the South
and East have all along proclaim
ed that his nomination would
doom their party to overWhelm-
ing and to deserved defeat. Per-
haps they were right. No Dem
ocrat, however, could carry the
country this year. A survey Of
the field may reveal certain little
distractions in the path of the
Republicans. These are the bus
mess stagnation, the hostility of
some of the labor union chiefs,
and the detection of the negroes.
These obstacles are largely i'm
aginary. Business is on the up
grade, as shown by the reopen
ing of idle mills all over the coun-
try. The labor chiefs who are a.
gainst US in 1908 were against us
in 1896, 1900 and 1904, but they
did not control the labor vote in
those years, and they will not
control it now. Very few votes
will be lost to the Republicans
on account of the Brownsville
blunder, f1agrant and gratuitous
as that blunder was. Every SEN
sible black man knows that the
Democratic party, dominated as
lit is by it's Southern element, will
grant no favors to him. If the
Democratic campaign managers
bring the Brownsville incident
up they will anger the South, an
tagonize all the Southern born
Democrats who reside in the
North, and repel at least three
white votes for every negro vote
which they gain. The stars in
their courses are fighting against
the Democracy. The Republican
party has the record, the leader
ship and the candidates that ap-
peal to the country. It is only
fair to say, however, that Bryan
is likely to make a stronger fight
than Parker made in 1904, and,
conceivably, he may make as
lively canvass as he himself did
in 1896, although this is not like
ly. Chief of Staff Frank H. |
Hitchcock will see the necessity |