The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-09-16

the face OF the, contention except the
personality Of Mr.. Bryan. Having
been twice beaten he can never be
elected" shrek the republicans
Having been twice beaten he car
ne or be elected" echoes the unthink-
ing democrat.
AN EARNEST MAN OF SENSE.
Mr.. Bryan upon acquaintance prov
ed different from my preconception
OF him. i met not visionary orator
but a man OF sense. In deathly earn
est. know him better. seeing him in
his home. found a man able and
sincere. devoted and devout. having
child-like faith In the people. In
God and truth. changed my opin-
ion altogether. I felt that I had done
him signal justice. would as soon
trust him In the White House as
George Gray or Richard Olney; and
I believe that when he gets there
militant democracy Of the school OF
Jefferson and Jackson and Tilden will
renew its youth and vigor leading the
way to such changes In the national
House and Senate as will restore them
the people assurance OF real and last
ins reforms. @
( No party was ever known to reform
Itself. Republican promises to reform
republican abuses make but poor
deathbed repentance. Taft means
either -four years more Of Theodore
or = Asw lease 10 Aldrich. Cannon
and Company. Bryan means. Il
uosAing else. the new broom that
svsspsth clean. upon floors that are
admittsdiy most unclean. There mus,
b IN occasional .ct,ange Of parties Il
we are to have decent administrati ton
is' only . degree less Objectionable
than the ons-man power. 8
AN AUouRY OF EVIL. 3
Il II . peculiar misfortune and an
augury OF evil that the people Of the
east--notably the people Of New York
get their mental sustenance chiefiy
through the organs Of the rich. In
the bucolic days ''oefo the war" the
people OF the Gulf States were fed
from the same trough. Their newspa-
pers sang only the virtues Of slavery.
None others were allowed to exist. In
the fabulous wealth Of the East piled
up In a few handsome Of Il pre-
datory--much Of II sprung from class
legislation. all OF II more or less cor
ruptins. II Is easy to see a growing
likeness to the particianism of the
old South.
Already artificial conditions of life
predominate. Young men are reared
to regard enthusiasm as effeminate.
Young women are almost as educated
In knowledge Of evil as young mer..
The sex line becomes less and less
visible. Caste distinctions press upon
the commonality more and more and
harder and harder. The foolish poor
either hate or emulate the foolish
rich. Graft is everywhere. Money
making seems quite to have swamped
simple patriotism and popular piety.
The newspapers are so used to this
that they are callous-they take their
complexion from society. which Is
well pleased with itself and wants
things to remain as they are. a dis
sonant note denounced as the ignor-
ance of an outsider. or the oulcrop-
ping of anarchism. 1t was tust so
in the Carolinas fifty years ago. He
who did not shout for slavery was an
aboiitlonist.
The worst Of II is that the rich are
overready to make common cause
with the predatory rich. They do not
discriminate. Theodore Roosevelt has
gone much farther in socialism
extermism than Mr.. Bryan ever went.
Yet those who abuse the President
denouncing Bryan as q socialist 10
not 90 characterize Roosevelt and they
will vote for Taft because they think
that Teddy Bear slowed safely away
In the wilds Of Africa. big Bill''
and sunny Jim." with Aidrich In
the Senate and Cannon in the yIcuse,
will soon have the elephant where
they want him. the truth being that.
all the chat spectacular fine, which
will never be collected. remains the
single trophy.
A Sure. enough KnOcker.