The sun., 1908-07-21
BRYAN IN IOWA.

| pES lhOINES July lf-lOWb 10 III ui0
"Bryan belt In the vernacular william
Jennings goes In Ioway." This u entirely
apart from politics. Iowa is Republican
and shows every outward intention OF
staying 80. This liking for Bryan Ia quite
another matter; whether IL be Democrat
or Republican. to whom the question 10
put. there is the invariable answer:
yes, we like Mr.. Bryan in Iowa.
This affection for Mr.. Bryan. moreover,
Is one Of the most important features In
the Western situation. 1t marks an abso-
lutte antthesis to the Eastern point Of view.
1t is worth analyzing bit also. for 1t may
have an important bearing upon the coming
campaign. When the Easterner asks:
why do you like Mr.. Bryan IN Iowaf'
there is always certain to be about the
same set Of reasons advanced. In the East
Bryan's popularity Ia frequently imagined
10 rest primarily on his heresies. on his
various political doctrines. But about the
first reason the Westerner presents is this:
-We like Bryan out here because we
know him and think he is honest. He Ia our
kind Of man and q bird Of o tallker.s AL
most every one tells you about the ~Prinoe
Of Peace This is not q new kind Of break
fest food nor q hitherto unproduoed drama;
It is merely the title Of one Of Mr.. Bryan's
lectures, a lecture which every one In Iowa
seems to have heard. Precisely what there
may be in this utteranoe Of former Spanish
American war Colonel does not appear.
But 1t goes In Ioway.'
The strength Of Bryan. after all. seems
to be entirely personal and hardly at ell
political. OF course there are odd angles
Of vision. One rather blatant Bryan Re-
publican held forth on the train coming
down to Des Moines after this fashion:
.Bryan Ia an honest man and the people
Of Ioway think more Of him than ever be-
fore. Why. even Teddy Roosevelt has
called him to the White House several times
to ask bis advice. Doesn't that show that
Bryan has grown2' And all over the State
1t seems to be agreed that Bryan 10 moro
popular than ever; although. again. atten-
ton should be called to the fact that this II
entirely outside Of the political held.
When the unluoky fastener ventures to
suggest that the people Of the Atlantic Sea
board do not like Mr.. Bryan this is the sort
OF answer that comes back:
do you think that the people Of Iowsy
give damn what you people in New York
think OF Mr.. Bryan. 80 long as you continue
TO listen TO such men as Platt and Day-pew.
Why. II you 60 on listening to them the first
thing you know you will be in slavery.'
After all, moreover. 1t is bit hard to explain
this "Day-pew' matter to the Westerner.
who believes that tho people Of New York
are still listening to Chaunoey.
Then, again. the suggestion OF Bryan's
unpopularity in the East rouses the dis
cussion of Jim Sherman. Hatred OF
Sherman is the one absolutely vital thing
out here at the moment. To like Sherman
and to dislike Bryan seems to the Iowan q
clear evidence Of mental bias or worse.
To him 1t means that there Is something
wrong with the Fasteners.
.You people In the East don't like Bryan
because your&bosses tell you not to. and
the corporations tell your bosses what to
tell you.' This is a familiar suggestion.
The widespread conviction seems to be that
the fact that Mr.. Bryan 10 honest explains his
unpopularity In the East. The politicians
whom the people OF the East are supposed
to follow seem TO the Iowan so far below Mr..
Bryan In character that they decline to Gee
anything worth listening to In the Eastern
point Of view toward Bryan. In truth they
like Bryan better because the people In the
East dislike him. But this. again. has moth
ing to to with Mr.. Bryan's political pros
poets.
There Is yet another interesting feature
In the situation here. Republicans and
Democrats agree that Mr.. Bryan Is more
popular than ever before. This was the
fact disclosed in Wisconsin and it holds
good In Iowa. Just why this is true is not
easy to explain, yet IL seems to have some
intimate association with the popularity
DraatIanf p1oaaualt All the Waat
the common expression is:
Teddy sort Of took all Bryan's clothes.
didn't hep There is no indignation at
Teddy for this bit Of thievery. On the
contrary there is the usual Yankee appre- |
citation Of a @oute trick But there is q |
suggestion that IL Roosevelt is to be oom- |
mended for his Bryan derived policies Mr.. |
Bryan ought to get an afieotionate pat on |
the back in passing.
-La Toilette and Roosevelt have Bryan |
lied Wisconsin, was the comment Of an |
indignant Stalwart in Milwaukee. Now,
1t 10 not too much to say that Mr.. Roose-
welt is responsible for considerable part !
of the increased Bryan popularity In Iowa. !
Mr. Bryan fits very we'll into the scheme |
Of my policies.' The two men stand for |
similar things in the Iowa mind. But Presi- |
cent ftOOb6Nelt 6thnu5 Ii no L
doubt about this fact; II there were the |
political situation in Iowa might be seri-
GUS for Republican candidates.
That Mr.. Bryan misunderstands the real
character Of this increased favor that Is
felt for him is fairly clear from his state
ments. particularly those based upon the
Iowa situation. That this increased liking
means any considerable number Of votes
does not appear. And the reason IL clear
the people Of Iowa like Bryan because he
is honest and radical, but they like Roose-
welt better and they are taking Taft upon
Mr.. Roosevelt's say 30. No one can mis-
understand this situation in Iowa.
The element that likes Bryan and Roose-
welt best in Iowa is composed Of the radi-
calls OF course. And down at the bottom
Of his heart every radical is stirred by an
idea" an idea" that some one is grating
or some corporation desires to seize the
reins OF government or the suspicion ex-
pressed in the motto: The railroads will
get you II you don't watch outi'
-In the old days in Iowa II q man wanted
10 be Governor he journeyed to Burlington