Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-07-07
Col, Guffey and Col, BRYAN,


in his answer to the attack on him
by one Colonel William Jennings
Bryan of Nebra ska, candidate for the
Democratic nomination for the Presi-
| dency and incidentally for a third de-
feat by an intelligent electorate next
November, editor of the Commoner,
former Congressman, lecturer and
few other things, is one the Ne
braskan will find it difficult to answer,
| even in general way. The reply of
| Colonel Guffey to what he not unjustly
| terms Mr.. Bryan's vituperation, is not
| to any extent an argument, in the
generally accepted sense of the term,
in his own behalf; it is not an attempt
| to justify wrongful deeds of his which
| Mr.. Bryan has pointed out to the pub
| lie or to the Democracy-it is simply
statement of fact, or more correctly
speaking standardization of facts
which speak for themselves.
| Most of these things to which the
| Pennsylvania has called attention
have been reported in the press of the
country as current news at times
when they were news. They were
not disputed, or their accuracy ques-
toned when they We're published, and
thus by unanimous consent, as it
were, We're approved as a part of the
Nebraskans record. That record, by
reference to the files of many news
| papers, will be seen just about as Col
Onel Guffey summarized it.
| 1t is plainly pointed out in Colonel
Guffey's reply to Bryan that the latter
has more than once meddled with
| local politics. Press reports have
from time to time detailed the same
| information In reply to Mr. Bryans
scnrnful and indignant assertion that
Colonel Guffey is BOSS" the Penn
sylvanian calls attention to the fact
that he is no more so now than he was
a few years ago, when he did not OPP
pose Bryan, but worked as hard as he
| could to secure his election, and Incl
d2ntally mentions the fact that Bryan
is about the worst boss the Democratic
party ever had. The careful manner
in which Bryan has laid strings to get
the Denver convention into his vest
| pocket, so to speak, dictate the plat
form and in short run the whole show
to suit himself, indicates that there is
truth in this part of Colonel Guffey's
answer. as we'll as it demonstrates
that with William Jennings Bryan ii
| makes Il whole lot of difference as to
| whose OK is gored.
Mr.. Bryan in his first campaign
fought for free silver, according to his
statements at that time, because he
| since lie was reported as saying he
wanted no mention of the subject in
| the Denver platform because it was a
dead issue, which it certainly is. But
| if Theodore Roosevelt or William H.
| Taft believed Il principle was right
or if any other American citizen who
| had the material for a good President
in him, believed the principle involved
in a dead issue was right would they
not have the backbone to fight for it,
try to revive it and show wherein it
was right, instead of giving up their
| honest convictions for the sake of a
| nomination for office? They would
not abandon a vital principle because
it had been turned down by the peo-
pie but would say "This is right, and
| would rather be right than Presi-
dent"
There is also truth, it would SEEM
in Col. Guffey's remarks anent the at
titudc of Bryan towards Hearst. In
fact every statement Colonel Guffey
has made rings true and not only shows
up Bryan in an unenviable light but
shows that he has in abnormal meas
ure the distinguishing characteristic of
the Democratic party-the propensity
to stir up internal strife in the party
ranks.