The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-09-04

an overwhelming majority OF the DEM
ocrats of the south and west were for
Mr.. Bryan, in spite of the argument
| had made against his availability as
a candidate; and, second, that the be-
lated movement to defeat his nomi-
nation appeared under equivOcal pat
rOnage and involved the use of mon
ey which emanated from doubtful
sources. The latter, boding party dis
ruption, impelled me actively to take
hand, urging a refusal to remain 81
lent whilst a scheme, dangerous and
unworthy in character, percOlated be-
meath the surface. The result was a
friendly conference with Mr.. Bryan.
Intelligent people will not need to
be told that there is all the differ
ence in the world between sympathy
and greement-thOugh tentative
and opposition and antagonism, though
resting upon questions only Of expe-
diency. There was, of course, a re-
verse side of the shield. Mr.. Bryan
had his story to tell, and this embrac-
ed a very strong case. What author
ization had he to name a successor in
case he stepped aside? What power
had he, cOnCeding the will, TO transfer
his following to another? Not one, but
half a dozen, aspirants would take the
field Immediately on his withdrawal
If a majority of the party was for
him, what had made it so? Surely,
neither organization, nor money, nor
other effort of his than the constant
preaching of democratic gospels. If
he agreed to step down and out, des-
ignating an heir apparent, would he
not become a dictator, an autocrat,
and what difference would there be in
his naming a successor, and attempt
ing to fOist upon him the party, and
ROOsevelt's naming and forcing Taft
upon the republicans? He did not
stand upon his rights at all, upon his
claims, upon his wishes or ambitions
He put the facts of the situation plain
ly, impersonally, precisely as they
were and are, and there was no rea-
sOnable answer to be made by any
reasonable man.
Then and there | laid down my
hand. AS a good democrat, seeing
clearly, and as the sequel has shown,
seeing truly, the drift of the winds, l
accepted the inevitable; but did this
in no dubious way. l make not half
friendships with any man, nor set of
men. There had never been anything
more than skin deep between myself
and Mr.. Bryan. Nothing even skin
deep remained. and, when the inter
view had in New York was concluded,
| went forth to fall back upon the old
line of battle and to take up again
the order of march where it had been
interrupted in 1896.
The anti-Bryan habit is self-decep-
tive. 1t is a pure delusiOn, where not
/ a form, often an unconscious form, of
! infdelity to both duty and truth. Is
it not the part of wisdom and justice
and is it not time-that those DEM
ocrats who have consistently opposed
him should look into the why's and
wherefores with the purpose of re-
viewing the past, of revising the pres
ent and of casting some kind of bal
ance sheet upon the ledger of their
opinions and conduct?
We need not enter upon any course
of elimination and recrimination.
Whatever free silver was, or was not,
as an economic issue, it is no longer
here to divide us. Those who con-
tended for it, led by Mr.. Bryan-right
or wrong as to the fiscal proposition
thought they We're fighting for the
masses against the classes, for the
! people against the prerOgative, and
against the same old Money Devil we
had all fought under the leadership of
Mr.. Tilden and Mr.. Cleveland That
question out of the way. what is there