Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-29
BRYAN NOT A VOTECETTER
Has Always Been Behind Others on
His Own Party Ticket.
OFFICIAL FIGURES PROVE THIS
Combination or
Its Knees to Tom Allen Beg
RinE Him Not to Enforce
Contract for Space.
rrrom a statf correspondent.l

IFrom Staff Correspondent
LINCOLN. Oct. 2S.-(Specfal )-Election
returns show that William ]. Bryan has
been the most costly experiment the dem
ocratic and popullst parties of Nebraska
ever tried.
The returns show that he has never been
the vote getter that other members of his
party have been. In fact from the time he
flashed across the political horizon in 1890
the democratic and populist sun has been
sinking
In the year of 1890 there were three po-
litical parties in Nebraska of practically
the same strength. The election returns
show that the republicans cast 6S.s7S votes
for their candidate for governor the dem
ocrats cast 1881 and the populists 70.1S7.
Mr.. Bryan was elected to congress that
year from this district and at once became
4 state figure. Two years later the demo-
cratic party which he aspired to lead. cast
"a ,943 votes for president: the populst cast
s2,256 and the republican, which two years
before was the smallest party of the three,
cast S7,213 and carried the state.
Then Mr. Bryan jumped in and secured
absolute control of the management of his
party. In 1896, when he was first nominated
for president by both the populists and the
democrats, he received 115OO0 votes and the
republicans cast O64 votes. The straight
democratic party cast only 1855 votes.
In that same year the fusion candidate
for governor received l16415 votes and the
republican candidate 9i,723 votes. 1t re-
quired the populist candidate for governor
to pull Mr.. Bryan through that year. Gov
ernor Holcomb received 10000 more votes
than did the leader of his party, Mr..
Bryan.
In 1900 when Mr.. Bryan was again the
nominee OF the populist and democrats for
president, he received in Nebraska 14,0is
votes; Mckinley received 121,sS5 votes.
While Bryan lost the state by more than
1000 votes the populist candidate for gov
ernor lost It by about 100 only. Governor
Poynter received 112Ols and Governor Deit-
rich received 1859 votes. Poynter was a
better vote getter than Bryan.
Then came the dismal failure of Bryan in
1904, when he was a candidate for the
United States senate. Not a single demo
crat was elected to the state senate. Not
one.
In that same year Of 1904 the republicans
cast ,55s votes for PRESIDENT; the demo.
Gratis cast 6l,s76 and the populists 2O,51S
votes.
Always Behind Party.
Whenever Mr.. Bryan was not running
for president he was running for United
States senator. He has never yet polled
his party vote ia Nebraska in a state OF
rational contest. The records show thai
Notwithstanding all the work of his poitl,
cal organization In his behalf he was uI,
able to get the vote that other members OF
/ his party received.
/ The explanation is that Mr. Bryan has
not inspired confidence even in his owr
political party. He has been able to at
tract the crowds, get the applause and stIl
up the people, but when It comes TO trust,
| ing him with the affairs of the government
even his own party balks and has elway,
baked.
| Under Mr.. Bryans leadership from lS9t
to the present time the star of democracy
/ has gradually gone down. until the memor
| able contest OF 1904. wheE he tried for thC
! senate, Roosevelt carried the state by S7,OC'
/ and not single democrat was elected L
I the state senate.
/ OF the three parties which started ou
| equal in 1880, when Bryan first became
| state figure, the populists have disappeared
I slaughtered by their supposed friend; III,
democrats have left a ragged remnant o.
that gallant band which placed James r
| Boyd in the governors chair. The repub
liean party only has remained true to IL
| 1Conttnuad ,,, e.co,a ~. \