The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-24
BRYAN THE NOMINEE BUT GAN HE WIN2 Majority of 1ehocratic Leaders Doubtful of Ills Chances FOPULlSTS FORCING HIM And Many Democrats Think His Nom- inaton and Defeat Is the Only
 Way to Rid the Party
 of Him.
FoPULISTS FORCING HIM
BY SEWELL HAGGARD.


 | With few exceptions the real democratic leaders are of the opinion that MT. Bryan has no chance whatever of election; this is true of a majority of the southern sen ators and congressman. Then why are they supporting him, or rather why are they not opposing him? Their answer is that there is no other way of riddng te party of Bryan than to follow him to another defeat
 It is the general belief in the east that were it left to the real democrats MT. Bryan would be defeated for the nomina- | tion. It Is the populist element that is | forcing his nomination. Alabama, a state /; that was one of the populist strongholds, ! furnishes striking proof of this asser- tion. The populist candidate for gover- nod in 1892 boiled 1155G votes, and the populist electors boiled s5,000 votes Two years later the populist candidate for gov ernor boiled S3,000 votes and the populists elected 42 members of the legislature The populist element Is still strong in the back counties. They participate in the democratic primaries and at the polls on Monday 1t was the back counties that came out strongly for Bryan.
 The leaders who are permitting the nom- ination of Bryan in order to rid the party CT him should ask themselves whether after another defeat there will be enough left of the democratic party to reorgan- ize. There are only two anti-republican United States senators left in the whole north and west. Even in Kentucky. re- publican senator has been elected to sue ceed a democrat. Excluding New York city there are only 35 democratic repre- .ea1aco ftx-ac 1nff nf nirri compromise line. The Independence league is preparing to put a ticket in the field, and If MT. Bryan is nominated by the democrats it Is certain that the Hearst candidate will draw many votes from the democratic party.
 Without doubt the democratic party is in the most deplorable condition it has experienced since the civil war. Is this a time to present MT Bryan? Isn't it time to present an unbeaten candidate on an unbeaten platform?
 An editorial writer asks: What is there in American history to suggest that the vice presidency is a small mans officer
 The question is prompted by tLe posi- tion of Governor. Hughes and Governor Johnson, both of whom have declined the nomination in advance, and by the mem ton of men of much smaller calibre for the office-John Mitchell, Timothy Wood ruff and Brand Whitlock.
 Twenty-six men have been elected to the office of Vice President and eight of these, fraction less than one-third, have subsequently, become President-Adams, Jefferson and Van Bureon by election; Tyler, Fillmore, Johnson, Arthur and Roosevelt by the death of their predeces- sors. MT. Roosevelt was reelected after serving the term of his predecessor, mal1- ing four of the 26 so promoted by the public vote.
 Of the IS Vice Presidents who have not afterward become President not more than four or five could have been called small CT obscure candidates when named. George Clinton, Calhoun and Brecknridge bulked big in the political history of their times; Johnson, Colfax and Wilson were widely known popular idols; Aaron Burr and Elbridge Gerry are in their very different ways not likely to be forgotten. In a recent article in Worlds Work, Prof. Henry James Ford of Johns Hop hins university asserted that if the dem- ocratico oEarty nomnates William Jennings Bryan again "he will be the only man who has ever been nominated after being twice defeated. A correspondent of the Sun disputes this, saying that Henry Clay was nominated three times for the presi-
 
 third occasion reversing himself on the question of the annexation of Texas and l losing to Polk although Clay received al- most as many popular votes as the dem- ocratic candidate Evidently MT. Bryan need not be discouraged" is the conclu- sion of the correspondent.
 l But there is vast differo-ce in tNe .,eoords of the two men. Henry Clay was four times a member of the tl. l tat to wi hv annOinfmpnt | twice by election; he was chosen speaker l Cf the House of Representatives no less 1 than five times; as Secretary of State | in the cabinet of President John Quincy l Adams he negotiated treaties with Great | Britain, Prussia, Austria and Denmark; l he declined an offer to become Secretary I of State in General Harrisons cabinet; | md during his long career in Congress i in both houses, extending with rare and | never prolonged interInissions from 1900
 to 1851, he was so intimately associated | with the great measures of the day | slavery, finance and expansion among l others. that the history of the century
 could be written from his speeches and letters. At 37 he was a member of the l commission to negotiate peace with Great Britain, and with Adams and Gallatir
 arranged a treaty of commerce at the | same time. The famous compromise of
 1850 was inspired and effected by Clay
 and the national conventions of botf | partie, accepted 1t under the impression | that it would settle the slavery ques- lt.on. Henry Clay was leader of the | Whig party and several times it's candi- | date for President, by virtue of his | commanding position as a legislator, his | comprehensive grasp of public question l his yirile patriotism, his powers as ar | orator and his attractive personal quail ties.
 Mir. Bryan, with the exception of two
 terms in Congress has never held public | office.
 It appears that the Wright Brothers oi | Dayton, Ohio. have at last made aerial
 navigation a reality. The most important item in tho accounts of the recent ex | perlments of the Wrights is the statemen, | that the eeroplane not only carried botl | men, but carried them in a sitting posi- tion The earlier aeroplane of these Tn.
 ventors carried but one aviator, and Il | was necessary for him to be prone upor
 Is stomach
 The significance of the statement lies i'l the apparent fact that the inventors | have at last succeeded in overcoming
 the real problem of mechanical flight
 tho problem of equilibrium. Aeroplane.
 that would support their operators hav
 areviously been tested Engines of suf
 ficient lishtness to propel them througl
 the air at sufficient speed and to carry
 thoir own weight and that of the oper
 at .s have also been successfully tried l There have been plenty of aoroplane
 that would fly in still air, The on, ] needful. essential and undiscovered thinl