The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-01-31
Mr.. BRYAN'S MISTAKE

sums " ASutuOhS anu ldLALiI9 pa = III
the factionaI disturbances now at
white heat in that state.
In justification of his going to Ken
lucky and making a speech in favor
of the election of Governor Beckham
to the United States senate, Mr.. Bry-
an says:
Il may be a candidate and my ex-
preston Of my opinion may not please
/ all of the democrats of Kentucky, but
it will please me, and l have made it
rule TO do what l thought ought to
be done and then allow every other
human being to think as he pleases
about what l thought. CApplause)
And if what l say here Injuries my
chances for nomination I Will say
frankly to you that you could not offer
ME the nomination upon condition that
l keep my mouth shut when I wish to
express my opinion" (ApplauseJ
Segregating this statement from
other things, and taking it by itself
Mr.. Bryan gives expression to a very
noble sentiment, but he should not
imperil the chances Of success of the
democratic party simply to show his
| disinterestedness and courage as a
man.
He was warned that if he went into
Kentucky and took sides in the fac
tional fight and received the presi-
Dental nomination, that that state
would be thrown into the republican
column. It seems to us that he should
have needed this warning and should
have hesitated before imperiling the
lparty's splendid hope of success.
He has just made two tours into
the state of Kentucky, and to the sur
prise of the country the democratic
party was whipped to a finish.
It seems that the lesson was not
sufficiently salutary and Mr.. Bryan re-
fuses to appreciate it or be warned by
| it.
Speaking on this subject the Cour-
ier-Journal says:
Mr.. Bryan certainly gained nothing,
either for himself or for the man
whose cause he advocated, by his
journey to Frankfort
The democrats whom he undertook
| first to drive and then to lead to vote
for the declared nominee of the Beck
ham primary are neither children nor
weaklings; nor is Mr. Bryan the keep
er of their consciences. He sneers at
their manliness in refusing to take
! the orders of a notorious personal ma
chine. his assumption to instruct
them as to how their constituents de-
/ sire them to vote, and his demand that
| they shall resign unless they vote as
/ he says their constituents desire them
/ to vote, were altogether gratuitOus,
/ insulting both to their intelligence
and their honesty. Only Mr.. Bryan's
| prominence as a leader of their party
and his lOng-suffered dOmineering pro-
cliyities won for his officiousness a pa
tent hearing by the democrats whom
/ he Iectured.
Nor were the results of Mr.. Bryan's
efforts any happier when. changing
mis- temper and his manner he sought
/ 70 reason instead of scold. His argu-
ment for the return of a democrat to
/ the senate simply amounts to the con
tention that everything is excusable
so that a democrat-any sort Of dem
iOcrat-be sent TO the senate by Ken
lucky. And it means that Mr. Beck
ham and only Mr. Backham must be
that democrat. But the men who re-
fuse to vote for Mr. Beckham know
that there are more powerful reasons
why Mr.. Becbham should not be that
democrat than there are why Ken
lucky should send q democrat 10 the
senate this winter. They know. more
over, that if the importance of send
ing q democrat to the senate is the
. first consideration. and not that Mr..
Beckham is the only democrat who
should be sent. it is very easy TO ac-
compEsh a result For Mr. Beckham
. can elect q democrat today-aImost
any democrat except himself
Furthermore. the democrats whom
Mr. Bryan sought to instruct in their
duty know that there is more in this
. issue than the choice Of a L. s. sena-
tor, for they know. as Mr.. Bryan has
had no facilities for knowing that IN
. less the power of the Beckham person
al machine is broken now Ken
lucky will remain in the control of the
/ republicans indefinitely. It is almost
a certainty that democratic presi-
/ dent cannot be elected without Ken
tucky's vote, and Kentuckys vote
cannot be counted for the democrats
either in state or national elections if
/ Beckhamism is to be synonymous