The Irish standard., 1908-04-25
THE DEMOCRATIC SITUATION.

iHett, eASepl Ill 4e" 4oSdA4tieS 1oA
purely local candidates. is for Mr.. Bry-
an. He has with him the great major
ity of the Democratic voters. OF that
there can be no question. He has
against him the united Republican
press. which is working overtime to
persuade people that there is an in
creasing ntiBryan sentiment. One
week Wisconsin was anti-Bryan. the
next North Dakota. later on Iowa, and
scene shifted to Illinois and the re-
suit of the voting is always the same.
We may be assured that next week
Kentucky will be the particular spot
where the opposition to Bryan is sure
to strike. Even in those states which
sent uninstructel delegates, the only
one who had any positive strength
was Bryan. The press bureau cam
paign that is being carried on is now
apparent to all.
The real reason that the opposition
II Mr. Bryan mas failed to produce
results is found in the fact that he is
the logical leader of the Democratic
party. How could it be otherwise.
when he was the first to advocate the
principles which are now so popular
with the American people? How
could the Democratic party select an
other at this time as it's standard
bearer, unless MI. Bryan positively re-
fused to lead. without repudiating in
a measure the principles for which it
is supposed to stand. 1t is not the
personality of Bryan, as his opponents
stem to imagine. which dominates the
Democratic party. but his principles
Neither are the Democrats of the
country hypnotized by Bryan. Nor
are they afraid of him. for he holds
no political office, and there is daily
assurance from Republican sources
that he never will hold an office. 1t
cannot be assumed that the Democrats
y
f:om their Republican brothers that
they prefer defeat to victory.
We must look. then. for Mr.. Bryan's
held upon the party to something
deeper and more far-reaching than any
thing which has been assigned. 1t is
found in the fact that he. better than
any other American, with possibly one
exception. represents the political
thought and trend of the times.
The reasons urged against him fall
fiat. His opponents. expressing deep
admiration for his intellectual. moral,
and other personal qualities, in con-
f1dential manner, assure us that he
cannot he elected. and at the same
time we are told that someone else
can If asked why he cannot be elect
ed. 1895 and 1900 are recalled. No al
lowance is made for the almost COM
plete change Of public sentiment on
some subjects since then. Two defeats.
trough both times receiving more
than 100000 votes more than any
other Democrat has ever polled, is
given as conclusive reason why he
cannot now be elected. Those who
use this reason, fail to recall that Gro
ser Cleveland was defeated in 1883 by
Benjamin Harrison. and in 1892 he de-
foated Harrison overwhelmingly. They
forget that Andrew Jackson failed of
election in 1924. but was triumphantly
elected in 1928 and again in 1892.
But how do those who are giving us
free advice know that someone else
could be elected. The same ones who
are giving this advice. said a few
weeks ago that the sentiment of the
whole Northwest was for Governor
johnson. and that all that was needed
In order to assure him the delegations
| from the two Dakotas, Iowa and Wis
c"nsin, was an announcements In no
one of these states did Governor John
son have the least chance of getting
the delegation. Can we assume that
|
the advice which is offered so freely
to the Democrats of the country from,
the SAME source will pan out any bet
ter on election day than 1t did on con
Tentton day? Those who suggest Mr.
Eryan's former defeats as premise
for the non sequitor that he will again
be defeated. ought to remember their
p:ophesies Of few weeks ago in ref
erence to the Northwestern states and
their announcements of the presen.
week In reference to the overwhelmins
johnson sentiment in the state of H.
linois.
TARIFF REVISION AFTER ELEc.