The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-08-06
IN loss AND 1908.

st. Louis Globe-Democrat: What
does Mr.. Bryan mean by saying, as
he has just done, that he expects to
get a larger support in 1908 than he
received in either of his previous can
vases? In both 1896 and 1900 he
was the nominee of three parties. Not
only did the democrats nominate him
in each year, but, in separate conven-
tions, the pOpulists and silver repub-
licans placed him in the field. Thus he
figured on three national tickets in
each of those years. He surely must
remember this. He remembers that
his friend, Gen. James B. Weaver, as
the presidential candidate of the pop
ulist party, received over 100000
votes in 1892. Bryan himself stump
ed several states for Weaver in that
year and voted for him. These 1,00O,-
600 populists, led by General Weaver,
supported Bryan in 1896 and 1900.
Everybody ought to remember the
walkout by the Silver republicans, led
by Senators Teller and Dubois, from
the republican convention in st. Louis
in 1896, which nominated Mckinley
the first time. The Silver republi-
cans throughout the west, and they
numbered hundreds of thousands, all
voted for Bryan in his two previous
Canyasses. Through the support OF
these three parties Bryan received
that popular vote of 6,502,OO0 in 1886
which he has been boastinng about
ever since, and that vote of 6,35S,UOO
in 1900.
Where are the populists and the
Silver republicans in 1908? All the
populists who remain in 1908 have
nominated Thomas e. Watson for
president-the Watson who was the
candidate for vice-president on the
first Bryan ticket. Most of the West
ern Populists who were drawn from
the republican party in the canvasses
of 1896 and 190O-and they were the
larger element of the populists-have
come back to the republicans. Most
Of, the, votes in the Western states
which will be given to Watson in
1908 belong to that faction of the
populists VINO were drawn from the
democrats. Nine out of every ten
of the Silver republicans of 1896 and
1900 are back among the republicans
in 1908, and have been back for sew
eral years. They began to drift back
to their old party soon after Bryan's
defeat in 1896. The loss of these Sill
yer Republican votes will account for
the fact that of all the western states
carried by Bryan in 1896, only four
Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Nevada
were left to him in 1900. And
Roosevelt won all those four in 1904,
as well as the rest of the western
states which went to Bryan in 1896.
OF all the prominent Silver repub-
iican supporters of Bryan in 1896 and
1900, only Teller, DUBOIS and a few
others are left to him in 1908. The
abandonment of Bryan by the popu-
lists and Silver republicans who gave
him all the ascendency in the west
which he had in his canyasses of
twelve and eight years ago is a fact
which will count heavily against him
in the canvass this year.
Where will Bryan get the new votes
in 1908 which win fill any large part
of the gap created by the loss OF the
populist and the Silver republican
Ingredients Of his supporters in 1896
and 1902. The electoral vote of 176
which he had in 1896 dropped to 1856
in 1900. Can any OF his friends give
any good reason for assuming that
he will receive as many as 155 votes
in 1908? One reason why his vote
was less in 1900 than 1t was in 1896
was that the country knew him bet
ter IN 1900. The country is Sun bet
ter acquainted with him in 1908. SO
far as the country can learn be has