The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-22
WILL ". ]. BRYAN
RUN ONCE MORE2
Question Democratic Con-
gressmen Discuss in
Washington.
THINK THAT He WILL NOT.
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS ELECT
ED THIS YEAR ARE BEING CON-
SiDERED AS PRESIDENTIAL
TIMBER FOR 1912.
Special to Palladium.

Washington, Nov. 21.-There is one
leading question for discussion among
the advance guard of democratic con-
gressmen who have arrived in Wash
ington for the opening of the session
next month. "Will Bryan ever again
be candidate for presidents" is the
query they PROFOUND and endeavor to
answer The concensus of opinion is
that he will not, though there are not
lacking democrats whose faith in the
ultimate triumph Of the Peerless Lead
err is not shaken.
There is, properly speaking, no such
thing now as an anti-Bryan democrat,
though there were plenty of them be-
fore the Denver convention placed Mr.
Bryan at the head of the democratic
ticket But Mr. Bryan is no longer
an issue dividing the party, SO there
may be discussion of his future and
the partys future without any bitter
ness entering. Even Mr.. Bryan's most
ardent personal admirers are able to
consider the matter calmly, and not
a few of them are of the present opin-
ion that the Nebraskan can not hope
again to be his party's choice for pres
ident. OF course three years from now
when the 1912 nomination becomes a
live issue, they may line up with Bry-
an, and there is no personal disloyal-
ty in their present tendency to critical
analysis.
There is no attempt by Mr.. Bryan's
friends to minimize the significance
of the fact that the candidate for pres
ident ran SO far behind so many of
the state and local tickets, both north
and south. The election of democratic
governors in a number or northern
states, the remarkable disparity be-
tween the votes of Bryan and Chanler
in New York. and the fact of demo-
cratic losses and republican gains in
the south on the presidential tickets,
is accepted by democrats as meaning
than Bryan was weaker in November
than his party. No one can demon
strate, of course, that any other dem
ocrat could have polled larger vote
for president, but the fact was estab-
lished that Mr.. Bryan as the presi-
Dental nominee was not able to poll
the full democratic vote. No other
candidate for president it is asserted.
ever fell SO far behind the total vote
cast for other candidates of his party
A critical examination of other pres
idential elections might show this as
sumption to be wrong, but democratic
members of congress are generally ac-
cepting it as true.
Already there is discussion of pos
sible 1912 candidates, and it is only
natural that the democrats who have
been elected governors of northern
states should come nj for considera-
ton. 1t is recalled that the only DEM
ocrat elected to the presidency since
the civil war came into prominence
from having won the governorship of
New York. and a governorship has in
other instances proved stepping
stone to the presidency.
Governor Johnson of Minnesota, of
course, is to be reckoned with. as he
had the largest following this year
aside from that of Mr.. Bryan. Judson
Harmon, who won the Ohio govern
orship. already is being doomed, and
Indiana democrats are telling their
party colleagues to keep an eye on
Thomas r. Marshall who defeated
Jim Watson for the governorship
of the Hoosier state. Marshall's NOM
ination four years hence, it is declared
would make Indiana safely a demo-
cratic state. and that would assure a
comfortable start toward a plurality
of electoral votes.
1t must not be assumed, however,
that there is any disposition to read
Mr.. Bryan out of the democratic party
or out of its councils. 1t is recog-
nized that he will continue to be an
aggressive and influential leader. and
1t Is recognized also that any action in
1912 which would tend to humiliate
Bryan would invite certain disaster
No democrat would have the slightest
chance of success in 1912 who was OBJ
jectionable to the great mass of demo-
cratic voters who have followed Mr..
Bryan so enthusiastically to three de-
feats.
1t is believed Mr.. Bryan will recog-
nize the fact that, however unwarrant-
ed it may seem, there is SO great an
amount of prejudice against him
within the democratic party that he
never can attain the presidency, and
having been honored three times with
the nomination he will join enthu-
siastically and energetically in the
support of some other man four years
from now. No one believes Mr.. Bry-
an is going to surrender his cbnvic-
tons either for his own advantage or
for the advantage of his party. but il
there is sufficient recognition of those
principles in the platform of 1912, his
friends declare he is not the man to
sulk.