The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-07-03
The Power of Bryan.
The Charleston Evening Post

The Power of Bryan.
4 The Charleston Evening Post
says:
..And there is North Carolina in
the Bryan column, after all the
boasts of the opposition that the
State would have nothing to. do
with the Nebraskan. And Senator
Simmons, who is the chief anti-Bry-
ante among the Tarheels, had to
run the gauntlet of the convention
in order to get a place on the IN
strlcted delegation to Denver. The
Charlotte Observer was prepared
for this before some others. A week
before the State convention met in
Charlotte, The Observer, predicting
adeclaration for Bryan, said: "Since
North Carolina can not swing the
Bryan owned party, the Bryan-oWn-
ed party will be likely to swing
North Carolina. The convention in
this State comes even later than
Virginia's and events elsewhere
have likewise almost predetermined
its action, Emancipation OF the
national party has been visibly de-
ferred. Why should a few States
burden themselves with the future?
North Carolina being human, will
presumably get on the band wagon
as a matter of course" 1t got on-all
right, bnt why all this talk about
the Bryan owned" party? Who
gave Mr.. Bryan title to the party!
Certainly he did not go into the pol
itical market andibuy the Democra-
cy. T..
"Why not be fair to the party
and to Mr.. Bryan, too, by admitting
that the Nebraskan has fairly won
the nomination which will be his by
acclamation at Denver. He has no
Federal patronage. he has no great
campaign fund, he is not a rich
man, although he is very comforta-
bly, provided for. Whence comes
his supremacy in the party except
through the power of an idea? The
idea may not be particularly attrac-
tive to old fashioned Democrats.
We confess that we have never been
under its spell. But its presence
and force is not to be denied. 1t is
a real, living factor. Mr.. Bryan is
more of an evangelist than a states
man, and the American people are
more inclined at the present time to
evangelism than to statecraft. Per-
haps it is wisely ordained that ma
tion shall pass through periods OF
elation, when the heart rules rather
than the head, and this may be one
of those periods, and Mr.. Bryan the
Interpreter of it's emotion. The pc
riod of practical, constructive states
manship will come later, when those
of us who understand or J safe and
sane methods in government will
be at home again, and Mr.. Bryan
will be a saint in the political calen-
dar. But there is no question that
the transcendentalism of Mr.. Bryan
has powerful hold upon the minds
of the people today. and it is useless
to rail against it all and to abuse Mr..
BRYAN as slave driver Of Democra-
cy.
"Mr. Bryan has persisted as the
central figure of the Democratic
party and one of the three or four
commanding personalities OF the
country for twelve years, through
two defeats of his own and one pc
riod of essay by those in opposition
to him to assert and illustrate itself
as the dominant element of Democ-
racy 1t is time to put aside preju-
dices to forget predispositions and
to recognize conditions that are.
MIR. Bryan is great figure and
vital force in the. politics of this
country, and he is the established
leader of the Democratic party. And
he will be the next President of the
United States
The Cotton Crop.