The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-03-19
Mixing I'm Parties.

Mr.. Bryan refers to the Democratic
members of the Kentucky Legislature
whose votes brought about the election
of Il Republican Senator as "embezZlers
of power" 'Treachery is base in what
ever form it appears, and the betrayal
OF n party trust is a vile Offense. 1t
is also rare, and, fortunately, has never
occurred in an obligation rs vital a
that of national elector. where it might
strike at the roots of the government.
But there never has been a politician
in this country who has done more than
Mr.. Bryan himself TO break down his
W party lines. Ever since he became
nationally prominent he has been a
professional fusiOnist, and the cam-
paign of the present yea will show
him to be as deep in the mercenary
business as ever. lie will say that a
Democrat should never act with Repub-
licans: but he will also declare that a
Democrat should be Il Populist, or vice
versa, according TO circumstances. In
1896 he was the presidential candidate
of three parties, all of whose plat
forms contained material differences.
On one ticket his running mate was Mr..
Sewall. of Maine. a Democrat. On an
other the candidate for second place
was Mr. Watson, a Populist then and
now. The third, or silver party, whose
ticket Mr.. Bryan also headed in 1896,
was provided for Republicans who were
against the gold standard.
In 1892 Mr.. Bryan voted in Nepras-
ka for Gen. Weaver, the Populist nomi-
nee for President, who carried several
! Western States. and. by fusion. came
near getting the Nebraska electoral
vote. Mr.. Bryan says he voted for
Gen. Weaver because the Democratic
National Committee advised this course
wherever Weaver could poll more votes
than Cleveland. Consider the political
contrasts between these two men and
judge of the ''embezzlement" in vot-
ing for one in the name of the other.
There was nothing common between the
Democratic party as led by Cleveland
and the Populist party as directed by
Weaver, but Mr.. Bryan felt himself JUS
titled, as a Democrat in voting for
Weaver, and he has continued to act
as the leader of the Nebraska Populists
TO this day. When the Democratic Ma
tional convention of 1896 approached.
Mr.. Bryan got up in Nebraska a State
delegation antagOnistic TO the Demo-
cratic party as led by Mr.. Cleveland
| At the opening of the convention the
Cleveland delegation from Nebraska
was enrolled by the National Commit
tee, but Mr.. Bryan prevailed in the
credentials committee. and entered the
assemblage to the sound of the Popu-
list yell that then broke loose and
whooped him into the nomination. The
Democratic party, as it was, had been
"embezzled.- and a third of the seats
in the delegations became empty as a
result.
In the present campaign Mr.. Bryan
will again court Populist support and
also an alliance with Mr.. Hearst.
What, then. is a Bryan Democrat: As
| likely us lOl IL IODuii>t. VI ah AihtC
| pendence League man. Mr.. Bryan's
test of party fidelity is this: Say and
do precisely what l order" He made
| speeches in Kentucky in behalf of the
/ Goebel law. a conspiracy against the
ballot. What about embeZzling the
| power of the people by schemes that
! put the vote of a citizen at the mercy
of politicians, regardless of what goes
into the ballot box? Dir. Bryan has
done. and is doing now, his utmost to
| obliterate party lines as far as he con-
ceives the operation to be productive of
votes for himself. lie was as much
for greenbacks as for the silver stand
ard, as much for Populists as for Dem
ocrats. and as much for silver Republic
ans as for either. In declaiming fcf.
party regularity let him state how
many parties he expects TO speak for I'm
this years campaign.-St. Louis Globe
Democrat.