Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-01-08
BRYANs GENEROSITY

n NE of the greatest advantages held
over otlaer men by one who does
~ not occupy a high official position
lies in the fact that he is able to give
free expression to his views on matters
of moment without jeopardizing his
tenure of office. Fed who have watched
the career of William J. Bryan will inn
pute to him an inclination to play fast
and loose with the American people;
nor is it quite conceivable that in his
public utterances he is influenced by
any desire to cater to any clique or
faction of any political party. That he
will be the Democratic nominee for the
presidency, if he lives. is generally con-
coded. With the same candor which
has characterized the expression of his
sentiments in the past we may expect
him to continue his propaganda of
political morality.
Without delving deeply into history
we feel reasonably safe in asserting that
in the attitude of Mr.. Bryan toward
President Roosevelt the country has
the most striking illustration of heartily
generous treatment on the part of a
man of power and influence toward one
who ordinarily would be considered
as his political rival When. in his
recent speech at Omaha. Mr.. Bryan
attributed the presidents popularity
largely to the belief among the masses
of voters that he wants to do what is
right and that he is trying to secure
justice to those who have been unjustly
dealt with" the man who will be the
standard bearer of the Democracy this
year spoke from the heart. When he
stood before his audience. knowing that
his words would be published in every
honest paper of any prominence in the
country within twenty-four hours,
knowing that in all probability his OPP
ponent before the people would be, If
not Roosevelt himself, a man pledged tn
carry forward the Roosevelt policies"
as they have been called, and applauded
the work performed by a chief execu-
tive elected as the candidate of the
party which until very recently has
stood for nearly everything to which
Mr.. Bryan and the Democracy have
been opposed, he did q heroic thing.
He did what no other accepted leader
of an opposition party has done in
many long day, if ever in American
history His frankness. his honesty,
cannot fail 10 strengthen him in the
esteem of the American people.
Those policies which have made Pres
ident Roosevelt SO popular with the
masses of voters and so unpopular with
predatory capital were not the policies
of the Republican party before the be-
ginning of the Roosevelt administra-
ton They are not the policies of the
Republican party as represented in the
United States senate. They are not
quite the policies of the Republican
party as represented by the dominating
influences in the house of representa-
tives They are not the policies of the
Republican party as represented in the
national organization of that party.
They are the policies of Theodore
Roosevelt, true; but they were, in the
main. the policies advocated by William
J. Bryan long before Theodore Roose-
Welt was mentioned as an available can
didate for the presidency, even before
he became governor of New York.
In saying this we have no desire to
be understood as endeavoring to dis
credit the president in any manner
whatsoever. Every credit should be
given to him for his efforts, against
stupendous odds, toward putting into
effect the policies which have made his
administration the most remarkable
and successful, from many viewpoints,
In the history of the nation. At the
same time intelligent men must admit
that these very policies were the source
of the strength exhibited by Mr.. Bryan
in his first and second campaigns; they
are the policies for which not many
years ago he was denounced by thou
sands of the men who are now laud-
ing President Roosevelt for his success
in advancing them.
If the voters of the country cannot
be assured that the Republican nom
inee, whoever he may be, can be de-
pended upon to pursue the course
mapped out by Mr.. Roosevelt, what so
natural as that they should look to MI
Bryan as the logical successor to the
present fearless, independent champion
of popular government?
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