The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-04-02
BRYAN Boosted In Party War.

Washington, March 27.-When VIII
liam jennings Bryan was decisively
beaten In the last campaign, II was
assumed by the country at large that
the Democratic party would devote H.
self at once to the important task of
reorganization on an entirely new
basis
Mr. Bryan did not seem to join In
with this plan with any great amount
OF enthusiasm, and he announced he
would hold himself In readiness ut any
time to respond to the call OF his
country rs expressed In any regularly
organized Democratic national conven-
ton On the other hand. the northern
and eastern leaders generally as
sumed that after having been beaten
three times by constantly increasing
plurallties, MIR. Bryan might fairly be
counted out of the running so far as
availability was concerned.
There was, therefore, n great deal of
talk about coming unity in the Demo
cratic party and IA reorganization
which would center around the nomi-
nation of some popular or conserva-
tive man like Governor Johnson OF
Minnesota or Governor Harmon of
Ohio.
Leaders Drifting Farther Apart
Recent events have proved extreme
~ disappointing to the Democratic
leaders. Instead of getting together
on n harmony basis they are actually
drifting farther and farther apart. The
split between Tammany and the south
has become significant since the open
ing of the special session of congress
and the fight on rules, and there are
developing other lines of cleavage, par
ticularly over the tariff and the treat
ment of trusts, which do not make for
unity in the party, at least at the
present time.
There are some years to elapse be
fore the next national campaign, ana
It may be that the warning elements III
the Democratic party may agree 10
bury the Ratchet 1t does not LOOK
that way at the present time, however
and the most conservative men In botf
wings of the party now say they &c
not see how they can possibly get TO
gether in time to carry the next con
pressional election as they had fond
ly hoped to do.
II was the plan of the Democratic
leaders to do everything the insurgen
Republicans wanted in the way of
revision of the house rules, with thu
idea that the regular Republicans
would retaliate. Then there woul'
be strife among the Republicans in
number of the congressional districts
with the possibility of two candidate
I'm that party The result would be,
matter of practical politics, that
Democrat would slip into the nous
from the districts which were norma
ly Republican.
Well Laid Plan Goes Awry.
BY increasing the disaffectio
among the Republicans and fomentin
I'm the west a campaign against tina
condition of affairs which is mystic
iously known as Cannonism the oil
est and sanest of Democratic leader
believed they could elect a maJorlt
In the house in 1910. Thereupon the
would be in control of legislation D.
cause they could dictate to the a
minlStratlOn Ill luc llut'Ni VI "f1'
priations and general policy
This plan of campaign involved u
permanent shelving of Mr.. Bryan al
the choice of Johnson or Harmon
somebody of that type from the mi
die west who would make rattlll
campaign against Taft two yea
thereafter.
All of these plans have been smas
ed by the serious split among e
Democrats in the house of represent
tives. They are getting farther a
farther apart, and bad blood seems
be cropping up between the TWO Ii
tions to such an extent that a
successful campaign for control OF
next house Is almost out OF the qu
ton. There now is no Democra
leader in the lower house OF congre
who can draw after him more thar
respectable fragment of his party, a
the situation in the senate is not mu
better.