The Democratic advocate., 1908-05-22


on facts. Therefore in justice to those
who advocate Bryan's nomination in
1908, and in justice to all candid men
who love truth more than error, this
article is written. 1t will clear the
air and carry conviction to every open
minded inquirer.
In treating the subject two, and
only two, propositions will be consid-
cred.
l. The Bryan vote OF 1896 compar-
ed with the Democratic vote OF 1894.
II. The Bryan vote of 1900 COM
pared with the Democratic vote OF
1904.
At the oustart a word of explana-
ton is in order. Some will raise the
question why not compare Bryan's
vote in 1896 with Cleveland's vote in
1892. The answer is simple. Because
the Democratic party numerically was
one thing in 1892 and a horse of an
other color in 1896. The party's
strength in 1892 was at it's highest
flood. In 1896 was at it's lowest ebb.
The years between 1892 and 1896 were
hard time years caused by the belated
Republican panic which struck the
country soon after Cleveland's inau-
guration. And because the Demo-
cratic party was unlucky enough to
get in to power just at the time it did
the pople blamed Cleveland and made
the Democratic pc rty reap the Wh1rl-
wind which the Republican party had
sown.
In 1894 a revolution occurred in
American politics. The people went
to the polls and wise or otherwise ex-
pressed in sledga-hamner fashion
their disapproyal Of President Cleve-
lands administration and the works
of the Democratic Congress. The few
Democratic States that were saved to
the party in the fall election of 1894
were saved by the skin Of their teeth.
Every State that went Republican IN
1892 went overwhelmingly Republican
in 1894. With one exception only:
And that was Bryan's own State of
which elected a Fusion
Governor Not only did the Republl-
can party carry it's own States of 1892,
but it captured 13 States which voted
for Cleveland two years before and
five States which voted the same time
for Weaver, the Popoulist candidate.
To get an adequate idea of the extent
of the Republican landslide the reader
should study the following list of
States which voted against Harrison
in 1892, but Topped to the Republican
party in 1894:
California, Connecticut, Delaware,
Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan,
New Jersey, New York, West Virginia,
Tennessee, Missouri, Idaho,
Kansas, Colorado, North Dakota,
Oregon.
Kentucky Joined the procession a
year later by electing a Republican
Governor.
For months before and right up to
the Chicago convention in 1896 there
wasn't a Democrat in the land that
could discover a Democratic victory in
sight, scan the heavens as he might.
There was not Democratic rainbow
chaser wild enough to predict Demo-
cratic triumph.
The Chicago convention nominated
Bryan. Bryan, the penniless, Bryan,
the boy orator, Bryan, the dangerous,
Bryan, the repudiator, Bryan, the
anarchist. So his enemies said. With
out money-without leadership-with-
out organization-witho newspapers
with the corporations solidly against
him-Bryan plunged into the cam
paign of 1896 and made such a phe-
nomenal fight against the Republican
party that it will go down in history
as the battle royal of American poll
tics.
To be sure Bryan was defeated. But
the Republican party had to lie and
SANDER and coerce and corrupt and
cheat as even the Republican party
had never before or never since done.
And lest any man forget precisely
what Bryan did do in the way of vote
let it be written that Cleveland's pOpu-
lar vote for President in 1892 was s.,
$4,000 votes and Weaver's the Pop
ulist, was 1,041,000 votes, while Bryan
in 1896 polled more than 6,5OO,000
votes.
And let it be also written that while
Bryan in 1896 lost no Democratic
State which had not already been
lost in the election of 1894, he, in that
election, carried the following States
for the Democratic ticket which did
not go Democratic in 1894:
Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington,
Wyoming.
Add to these States Utah, which in
1896 held it's first Presidential election
and went for Bryan and Nebraska and
Montana which went Republican in
1892 but for Bryan in 1896, and Ne
vada, and the conclusion must go un-
challenged that Bryan was by long
odds the greatest possible vote-getter
that ever led a forIon hope in Amer
lean politics. No other Democratic
candidate ever polled 6,500,000 votes
either in fair weather or foul
In 1900 Bryan was again the Presi-
Dental candidate. His opponent was
President Mckinley, one of the most
astute politicians and popular stats
men that America has produced In this
generation. Behind him, as in 1896,
was Hanna-Mark Hanna-Marcus
Aurelius Hanna man wEo could
negotiate for the electoral vote of q
State as easily as an average man can
buy new hat. The cry of hard times
was still to be heard in the land. The
Democracy which divided in 1896 was
little, if any, better united in 1900. A
successful war had been waged
against Spain on land and sea, leaving
behind it an era of good feeling North,
South, East and West. The glory of
this war was skillfully turned to good
account by the Mckinley administra-
tion wheat famine in E1Irone made