Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-29

BRTANS TAINTED Assoc ATES.
While morality has been the key
note of all of MIR. Bryan's lectures and
years, the record shows that he has not
been assiduous in practicing what he
breaches; while his voice has been
c"hampioning the moral uplift of the
people in both public and private life,
personally he has not hesitated to form
alliances with some of the most unde-
sirable citizens for the advancement
of his political hopes. The recent ex-
posures of the close connection be-
tween the Standard Oil trust and the
inner councils of the democratic ma
tional committee have served to recall
other alliances made by Mr.. Bryan in
his choice of political associates and
conidantes.
In the Illinois fights for the last eight
years, Mr.. Bryan has been identified
with the Roger Sullivan democrats.
True, he defed and denounced Sullivan
at the st. Louis convention in 1904,
but Sullivan was at that time working
for Judge Parker's nomination. Bryan
declared that Sullivan was a corpor-
alton creature, the tool of the big in
terests and insisted that he could not
and would not accept any endorsement
from a convention or committee that
had endorsed Sullivan. This year
Sullivan is one of his close political
advisers and director of the demo-
cratic d%estinies in Illinois, with Mr..
Bryan's expressed approval and con-
sent.
In New York Mr.. Bryan's political
fortunes are indissolubly linked with
"Fingy" Connors, Charley" Murphy,
Pat" McCarren, the New York rep
resentative of the Standard Oil trust,
August Belmont, T. Fortune Ryan and
the entire clique of trust officials and
race track promoters, who have been
waging such bitter fight on the re-
forms urged by Governor Hughes and
the republican state administrations.
These interests, through r. Fortune
Ryan and w. F. Sheehan, sent $4,000
to Nebraska in 1904 to aid Mr.. Bryan's
candidacy for the United States senate.
Mr.. Bryan has struck hands with these
and other devoted servants of the
Standard oil interests in New York and
has Joined Lieutenant Governor Chan
Ter in an assault upon state regulation
of railroads, although everywhere else
he demands more government reg
ulation than ever.
In Pennsylvania, Colonel Guffey, the
recognized leader of the democrats and
representative of the Standard oil in
terests and donor of the stained glass
window in Mr.. Bryan's home, was read
out of the democratic party by Bryan
at the Denver convention, but he is
back again and the fight against him
has been stopped at Mr.. Bryan's di-
r~ection.
In Indiana, Mr.. Bryan places his
trust in Tom Taggart, proprietor of
the gambling joint at French Lick
Springs and best client of Mr.. Kern,
IlS u Suh luAliihS hlobN' loS6dl
frequently meets Mr.. Bryan at Chi
cago and other places outside of In
diana for close political conferences
and he also figured in the transfer Of
that 100000 Doodle bag to the Ne
braska democrats in 1904. Mr.. Tag
CART has been denounced by Mr.. Bryan
for public consumption only.
In Missouri, Mr.. Bryan's closest polit-
ical associates are Harry Halves. Ed
ward Butler and Moses c. Wetmore,
and other leaders of perhaps the most
corrupt and notorious political machine
ever organized. Mr.. Bryan has done
his best to minimize the influence of
Governor Folk in the democratic poll
tics of Missouri, where Folk has made
some record Of practicing what Mr..
Bryan breaches.
In Texas, Senator Bailey, wearing
a beautiful coat of whitewash, which
covers up the Standard oil spots, is Mr..
Bryan's adviser and in Oklahoma, Gov
ernor Haskell, who has not yet re-
ceived his whitewash, was Mr.. Bryan's
direct representative on the platform
committee at Denver and his personal
choice for treasurer of the national
committee. In Kentucky, Mr.. Bryan
championed Goebelism and made a de-
termined effort to continue that system
by trying to force the democrats to
elect Governor Beckham to the United
States senate.
In view of the record, it is not sur.
prising that in Nebraska Mr.. Bryan
makes Jim" Dahlman his closest poll
tical chum. The surprise is that he still
has the temerity to continue his de
mands for the moral regeneration o
3 political parties.