Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-07-17
7WICE-A-WEEK PLAIN DEALER
FRIDAY, JULY II, 1908
BY MEAD PUBLISHING co
Official Paper Of City and County.
BRYAN and Guffey.

people of this country who will elect
him president if he is to be elected, as
his declaration of war against James
M. Guffey of Pennsylvania. The men
are alike, and Bryan's motive is in
each case the same. His motive is the
exposure to public view, in their true
character as agents of plutocratic in
terests, of men who get control of the
machinery of the Democratic party for
the purpose of using it for plutocratic
ends. Sullivan's discreet conduct since
his excoriation by Bryan, has enabled
the plutocrats and their disguised allies
to spell out reconciliation" but no
one believes there has been reconcile
alton who understands Sullivan's pur-
poses in politics, nor does any one be-
lieve it who knows Bryan. Bryan's
disposal of Sullivan's henchman,
Quinn of Peoria, tells the story;
so does the outcome of Sullivan's effort
to toist another of his henchmen upon
Bryan as temporary chairman of the
national convention. The breach be-
tween Bryan and Sullivan is irrecon-
cilable, because it relates not to per-
sonal concerns but to vital party pur-
noses. This is true also of the breach
between Bryan and Guffey. Bryan is
the leader of those Democrats who
would make the Democratic party
democratic; Guffey is an emissary OF
the plutocratic interests. He is a
business and political confdant of Ry-
an and the rest-a man who aims to
control the Democratic party, its plat
forms. it's candidates and its campaigns,
for the perpetuation of the special
privileges upon which he and his like
thrive financially. Two such men as
BRYAN and Guffey cannot work togeth-
er in the same political harness; and
the sooner the people know that they
are not working in the same political
harness, the better. And as with CUT
fey, so with all his plutocratic clan. Ii
they are sincere in their plutoc.atic
opinions, they belong in the Republican
party, and there they will candidly go
without trying to remain in Democratic
councils. If they are not sincere, it
behooves Democrats to keep them out
Of its councils as scrupulously as they
would keep bunco man out of their
confidence.
In Mr.. Guffey's angry attack upon
Bryan, provoked by Bryan's public ex-
preston of his determination to allow
no sbushwhackers" to get into control
of his campaign this time, the Standard
Oil representative of Pennsylvania De
mocracy confesses the ethical standard
of his tribe in politics.. His one COM
complaint against Bryan is that Bryan
is ungrateful.9 And pray, what con-
stitutes Bryan's ingratitude? Mr.. CUT
few makes two specifications. One
concerns himself, and the other Mr..
Hearst. Hearst contributed to the
democratic campaigns of 1896 and 1900,
and at one time paid Bryan literally
for writing for his papers; yet Bryan
refused to reciprocate by supporting
Hearst for the Democratic nomination
for president in 1904 Therefore, con-
ciudes Mr.. Guffey, Bryan was migrate
full. Mr.. Guffey seems to imagine that
Mr.. Hearst thought he was bribing
Bryan when he contributed to the
democratic campaigns that Bryan led,
and again when he employed him to
write for the Hearst papers. We should
wish to be sure that Mr.. Hearst coin
cides with Mr.. Guffey in that view be-
fore comment further upon the first
specification. Mr.. Guffey's second
specification of Bryan's ingratitude re-
lates to Mr.. Guffey's own contributions
of money to the democratic campaign
funds of 1896 and 1900. Because he
made these contributions, he assumes
that thereby he purchased Mr.. Bry-
ans gratitude. Upon what theory?
Evidently upon the ethical theory of
the type of business men Mr.. Guffey
represents in politics, that statesmen
are ungrateful if they do not regard
contributions of money to their politi-
cal parties as bargains of courtesy with
its candidates. 1t is for this reason
that the Standard Oil trust, which Cuff
fey represents in the Democratic party,
fnakes contributions to both parties in
great elections. They want the graft
Jude of the winner. If Mr.. Bryan has
really been ungrateful according tc
these standards of the Guffey tribe,
we are sure the people will honor him
for it and trust him all the more i'm
plicitly. One of the crying evils of oul
politics has been the gra titude of oui
statesmen, not their ingratitude, to thu
corporations that have contributes
B money to the campaign funds of party
managers. Let us pray it may Prov
true that Bryan has set another goot
example in American politics. --Loui'
f. Post, in The Public.
S...-
Perhaps there is some excuse for the
votes cast by the Iowa delegation a
the Chicago convention. When caliet
upon to vote for the publicationof cam