Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-15

hAaAnN WI bA1hh n q 1911 VI AlNN VI
carrying at the coming election. The
state is safely republican and has been
ever since Mr.. Bryan got into national
politics as a candidate for the presi-
dency. The republican majority may
be reduced, of course, II the West Vir-
ginia democrats succeed in their plan
to have the negro voterssof the state
disfranchised, but that cannot be &C
complished in time to have any effect
on the result of the election in Novem-
Der. II is unfortunate, for the negroes
of the country, that Mr.. Bryan cannot
discuss the plans of the West Virginia
democrats in this campaign. He has
declared that he cannot discuss the
negro question, because it was not
mentioned in the democratic platform.
That, of course. will prevent him from
enlightening the negro voters of the
country as to whether he has changed
his views toward them since last April,
when he made a speech in New York
in which he approved the action of the
boubHSIH StdJcS Ihdb udN0 uiSii ahSLlSSu
negro voters in order to keep the
south solidly democratic.
The West Virginia democrats have
declared in state convention that 1.-The
democratic party is in favor of so
amending the constitution as to pre-
serve the purity Of the ballot and the
electorate of the state from the evils
resulting from comforting such power
and privilege" upon negroes. Mr..
Bryan has nothing to say about that.
West Virginia became close and
doubtful in politics about twenty-five
years ago, when the industrial devel-
opment of a commonwealth rich In
coal, lumber and other natural re-
sources drove the democratic party al
most out OF control in state affairs.
Mr. Cleveland carried the state In 1884
by 4,221 and by only SOC in 1888. In
1892 the democratic majority was
4,174, but in 1896 MI. Bryan's appeal
was met by a republican majority of
11,4s7. Mr.. Bryan's second battle, in
1900, found West Virginia in the re-
publican column by a majority of
21,O22. This was clearly a straight
republican vote, and not a democratic
protest against Bryanismi for in 1904,
with a West Virginia man on the dem
ocratic ticket. as a candidate for vice
president, the state gave a republican
plurality OF S1,75S. The republican
majority in West Virginia has been
growing rapidly for twelve years. Mr..
Bryan lost it in 1896 by the widest
margin given up to that time against
a democratic candidate and he doubled
the republican plurality in 1900. 1t
would be interesting to know by what
mental process Mr.. Bryan and his
hackers arrive at the conclusion that
West Virginia is scheduled for trans
fer to the democratic column this year.
AS the West Virginia democrats
will make their chief issue in the state
campaign on the question of negro dis
reimbursement, it will doubtless be a
distinct disappointment to them to
have to carry on their battle without
any word of encouragement or advice
from Mr.. Bryan on that issue. The
entire south, for that matter, is con-
siderably wrought up over the ques-
ton. The plain-spoken Charleston
News and Courier, discussing Mr.,
Bryan's attitude toward the negro,
says:
In this matter It behooves the democratic
candidate at least to be cautious. II he
permits suspicion to enter the minds of
| southerners that his attitude is not
sauarely against recognition of the negro
as an important factor in American polit-
ical affairs, he will induce an indifference
among southern democrats that would inn
peril the chances of democratic success in
Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.
The Charleston paper, which is one
of the strongest democratic papers in
the south, closes its discussion of the
negro problem with these questions,
directed to Mr.. Bryan:
First-If elected. president, Mr.. Bryan,
will you attempt any interference with the
condition of negro suffrage in the United
states2
second-Wm you make any effort to re-
store the negro soldiers who were dis
missed from the military service of the
country because OF the affair at Browns
vile. Tex.2
Third-Will you appoint negroes to OFF,
cial places in the federal service?
We submit, in all fairness, that Mr..
Bryan should answer these questions.
While democratic success in Tennes-
see, Georgia and North Carolina may
not be imperiled by his silence, both
the white and negro voters of the
north would be very much interested
in his replies. If he does not answer
the questions, the voters of the north
will feel bound to believe that he holds
the same opinion of the negro voter
that he did when, in his speech at
Cooper Union hall in New York last
April, he said:
The white man OF the south puts a quail
fication on negro suffrage in self-defense.
There Is not a community in the north
that would not put on a similar qualifica-
ton under the same circumstances The
-