Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-03-19
Mixing Up Parties.


Mr.. Bryan refers to the Democratic
members of the Kentucky Legislature
whose votes brought about the election
Of a Republican Senator as "embeZzlers
OF power" Treachery is base in what
ever form ii appears. and the betrayal
OF party trust is a vile offense. 1t
is also rare, and, fortunately, has never
occurred in an obligation as vital as
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
own party lines Ever since he became
nationally prominent he has been
professional fusionist, and the cam
paign of the present year will show
him to be as deep in the mercenary
business as ever. He will say that a
Democrat should never act with Repub-
licans; but he will also declare that a
Democrat should be a 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, Democrat. On an
other the candidate for second place
was Mr.. Watson, 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 Nebras-
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 State
delegation anlagonistic 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
result
In the present campaign Mr.. Bryan
will again court Populist support and
also an alliance with Mr.. Hearst.
What, then, is Bryan Democrat? AS
likely as not a Populist, or an indie
pendence League man. Mr.. Bryan's
test of party fidelity is this; "Say and
do precisely what 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? Mr.. Bryan has
done. and is doing now, his utmost to
obliterate party lines as far as he con-
ceives the operation to be productive or
votes for himself. He 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 for
party regularity let him state how
many parties he expects to speak for in
this years campaign.-St. Louis Globe
Democrat.