The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-04-17
Mr.. BRYAN AND THE NOMINA
TON

Mr.. o. o. Steady writes to the Cour-
Ter Journal that Mr.. William Jen-
nings Bryan will be nominated at the
Denver convention on the first bal
lot; that nothing can now be inter
posed to prevent it. The Courier
Journal, which has opposed Mr.. Bry-
ans nomination as unwise. now ad-
mits that his nomination is a fore
gone conclusion.
The Courier-Journal and other dem
ocratic newspapers that have been
unfavorable TO Mr.. Bryan's nominal
ton, are strong in their admiration of
the loftiness Of his character, his rec
titude, his loyalty. his patriotism.
Mr.. Bryan stands in the same atti-
tude as did Martin Van Buren, with
the democrats and Henry Clay with
the wings years ago, and Mr. Blaine
with the republicans in recent times.
Henry Clay was the very idol of
the wings when that party was in
power, and yet when he received the
unanimous nomination of his party be
was defeated at the polls by a then
obscure democrat. No man was so
beloved as was Mr.. Blaine by his par
", yet he failed to reach the White
House, and died a broken-hearted
man.
Mr.. Bryan, in 1896, was not only the
nominee Of the democratic party but
was likewise the nominee of the pop
ulist party, and it is estimated that
a million populists voted for him in
the general election.
This year Mr.. Thomas E. Watson
is the nominee of the pOpulist party
and is keenly hostile TO Mr.. Bryan
and is trying to array every populist
vote against him.
In 1896 Mr.. William Randolph
Hearst, with his great newspapers,
was then a bright particular star in
the democratic armament, and was en-
thusiastic in his support of Mr.. Bry-
an, and for every dollar contributed
by all the other democrats in the
United States to the national cam
paign fund was duplicated by him.
This year Mr.. Hearst is hostile to Mr..
Bryan, and is organizing a party of
his own, and is sending his emissar-
10 snNO hn
sion of this character. Mr.. John Tenn
pie Graves is now stumping the state
of North Carolina in the interest of
the Independence League party.
Mr.. Bryan has gone up and down
the land vigorously praising Mr.
Roosevelt and proclaiming that he is
as good a democrat as he himself is,
and, indeed, has stolen his (Bryan's)
clothes and is exhibiting himself to
the country arrayed in them.
Now, if Mr.. Roosevelt is nominated, |
or Mr.. Taft, his personal representa- !
tive, the ultra republicans will not
leave their own party to vote for Mr.. |
Bryan when Mr.. Bryan has proclaim |
ed that the policies they stand for |
are as thoroughly democratic and |
meet the needs of our country as
much as those he himself stands for, |
and of course the conservative repub- |
licans are not expected to turn their |
backs on their own party and whip |
over to the side of Mr.. Bryan just for
instance, so just where those who so
urge Mr.. Bryan's nominal
ton expect to get additional votes
outside the rock-ribbed and iron
bound members of his own party is
unknown to us.
We hope that we are mistaken. We
hope that things are entirely differ
ent and are not as they appear to us,
for it occurs to us that if there is one
thing more desirable than another in
this country at this time it is that the
democrats shall obtain to power in
the national administration.
To our way of thinking it is the one
thing needful