Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-12-31
NEITHER MYSTERY NOR
SURPRISE.

CDhfhISE.
Mr.. Bryan, who aIludes to the eiec
ton as "the mystery of 1908 may
find more food for wonder in the fact
that he ran behind the democratic can
didate for governor in "A out of 30
states. Five of the states that chose
Taft electors, elected democratic gov
ernOrs. None of the states that chose
Democratic electors, chose republican
governors. Taft ran far behind
Roosevelt in the states Of PennsylVan-
la, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan,
but ahead Of him in 80 many other
states that his total exceeds the ROOs-
evelt total Of 1904 by some ID 900
votes Taft made remarkable gains
in the southern states, where Bryan
incurred dishearting losses. The fact
is plain: Mr.. Bryan is not wanted by
the American people, and he has
grown weak where once he was
strong. He may not have wrecked the
democratic party, yet during his as
cendancy in its councils it has reached
a depth of unpopularity that could
not have seemed possible in Cleve-
lands time. Perhaps there was no
help for what has happened; perhaps
the people believe in republican poll
Cies; but as men must be judged by
what they accomplish so must Mr..
Bryan be judged as a popular idol
by the crushed posture of his party to-
day.
The " mystery of 1908 - might better
be termed u surprise. That it certain
Iy was; but never even so much as a
suspicion Of mystery since an analysis
of the returns disclosed the cOnvicting
naturalization Democrat.
Democratic defeats have followed
each other too long with unbroken
regularity to be now regarded as eth
er mysteries or surprises. The cause
of these repeated defeats can easily be
traced farther back than the leader
ship of Mr.. Bryan. 1t lies in great
struggle between two COntending forces
within the party. In 1893, when the
battle of the standards ragged in all of
its fury, one of the elements was rep
resented by President Cleveland and
the other by Governor Altgeld of Hi.
nOis. In that struggle the Democratic
members of the lower house of con-
gress who supported the national ad
ministration numbered only one more
than the Democratic members who OPP
posed the repeal of the compulsory
purchase clause of the Sherman silver
law; while a majority of Democratic
senators tried to thwart the President
by every means in their power. The
most disastrous result of this struggle
came at Chicago in 1896 when with
the help of the great pivotal state of
Illinois, those who opposed the gold
standard overthrow the leadership of
such men as Cleveland, Carlisle and
Villas, and went straightway and made
a coalition with Free Silver Republi-
cans, in the hope of taking a short cut
to victory. Up to that time the party
was generally led by men ho,-while
their craftsmanship was progressive
had always due respect for the wisdom
of the ages and for authority duly
constituted by the will OF the majority.
BY such men were the great platforms
of 1876, 1884, and 1892, promulgated.
But of late years the chief occupation
of too many delegates to Democratic
national conventions seems to be eth
er to tell or to hear some new thing.
The lesson of these repeated defeats
is plain-namely to return the wis
dom of the Democratic fathers as APP
piled to twentieth century problems.
1t may prove a long, slow road back
to power in the state and nation. But
it is the only path for clear headed
patriots to follow until commercial
restriction aud other mistaken poll
cies of the great dominant Republican
party be overthrow.
OF successive Democratic defeats we
have q very striking example here at
home in Iowa county, where, from the
admission of Wisconsin into the
States of the Union in 1913, the Dem
Ocratic party dominated the Wings,
and ALWAYS closely contested with the
Republicans until 1892, and in that
year secured a majority vote for ma
tional, state and county tickets. Since
that time, however. not single Dem
ocrat has been elected to any office,
except Stephen W. Dawson, who was
elected coroner last fall, there being
no candidate for that Office on the
Republican ticket. This is the I'M