The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-07-01
THE BRYAN PLATFORM,
WASHINGTON POLITICIANS AID.
NIT THAT BRYAN is SU.
PREME.

Nebraskan Will Dictate Platform.
Name Candidate for Vice President
and Manage All the Details of the
Denver Conventional Majority of
the Delegates Delivered to Bryan
Bound Hand and Foot.
washington, June 27.-With more
than two thirds of the votes in the
Democratic national convention
pledged to William J. Bryan, only
the platform remains to be settled and
1t Is safe prediction, so great is Mr..
Bryan's control of his party, that he
will as surely dictate both as did
Secretary Taft dictate the same i'm
portant feature of the Republican
convention. Already there is a
small army Of newspaper men at
Lincoln and some wonderful tales
are flashed over the wires from the
Nebraska metropolis each morning,
most Of which will be taken by the
sober minded Democrats with a con-
siderable grain Of allowance. For
instance, one ordinarily reputable
newspaper tells its readers that Mr..
Bryan will not have Governor John
son on the ticket under any circum-
stances, while another declares that
former Senator Charles Towne has
been chosen by the Peerless Leader
for his runningmate, and another as
solemnly avows that former Cover
nor Douglass of Massachusetts is to
be the vice presidential nominee. OF
course all this makes fairly interest
ing reading, but those who know Mr..
Bryan will not imagine for a moment
that he is conlding to certain news
paper correspondents, as differentia-
ted from the entire press. these most
important purposes, nor is it likely
that Mr.. Bryan has himself reached
any definite decision so far in advance
Of the convention.
So, too, in the case Of the platform.
One correspondent gravely assures
the public that there will be no anti
injunction plank in the platform
while another asserts with equal SOL
emnity that the anti-injunction plank
is already drawn. Still another states
that there will be no free silver plank
and is in turn cotradicted by a broth
er scribe. 1t is true, however. that
when in New York recently Mr.
Bryan did say positively that there
would be no free silver plank in the
platform. explaining that this was no,
because Of any change in his owr
convictions. but because OF changed
conditions which rendered unneces.
sary at this time any reiteration Of his
| we'll known views on this subject. /,
Is further reasonable assumption
that the platform will condemn the
shilly-shally financial legislation o,
the Republicans and the creation Of
a national monetary commission
which. from it's very composition. IL
boundsto report to congress in favor
OF only such form Of financial legisla
ton as is satisfactory to Nelson w
Aildrich, senior senator from Rhode
Island, and his Wall street friends.
| Prominent Democrats who watched
the trend of events at Chicago-ant
among them. keenly observant though
unobserved, was National Chairman
Thomas Taggert-dec!are that never
were the conditions within the Re.
publican fold better for Democratic
success than they are this year. The
"Old Guard" as the old Hanna re.
gime is termed, had radical Roose'
veltism showed down their throat.
with a ramrod SO to speak, and they
by no means enjoyed the process
Speaker Cannon rushed back to Chi.
cago to try to save the party and es-
pecially his friends from the "wave
Of radicalism," as he called 1t, which
was sweeping the old guard out OF
places Of power but even the speaker
and the powerful influences he con-
trolls were powerless to stem the tide
and the anti-injuction plank a make
| shift 1t Is true, but nevertheless a
| declaration in favor of an anti.iniunc.
| tion law, revision plank which
made the old stand patter snort with
rage and other Taft-Roosevelt poll
cies were jammed through the COM
mittee on resolutions, to the intimate
| discomfort Of the old line, hard-shell
Republicans. What will be the re-
suit? The old fellows, the men who
for years have protected their favor
ite industries and have extorted from
them generous campaipn funds in