The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-08-26

bsen annolnsSs6sS n1d9SlkoW-
men this year. Sunday While MI.
Bryan was speaking In Pana. I'LL.
Gov. johnson was speaking In Shell
byviile. not many miles away as the
crow flies and as the Big Four rail-
road runs. That is. OF once was.
a democratic section OF Illinois, and
1t would be interesting to know
whether the democrat who Is never
defeated or the one who is never
elected drew the largest audience. In
the absence of turnstile statistics, all
we may do is speculate, and even
this was not possible until lately. Not
until Mr.. Bryan's third defeat and
Gov. Johnson's third election in a
republican state was 1t possible to
inquire whether the winner could
be a drawing card as against the
loser in a democratic part of the
country where the democrats have
seemed to like losing better than
winning and where they flourish bet
ter out than in.
There may be further opportuni-
ties for getting something like exact
data on this important point. The
Bryan and johnson itineraries con-
tinue for the present to run close to-
gether. From Pana Mr.. Bryan jump
ed to Des Moines and from Shelby
vile Gov. Johnson jumped to Fort
Dodge, Iowa. 1t is a farther cry from
Fort Dodge to Des Moines than from
8Pana to Shelbyville. The Des Moines
river covers a hundred miles in its
isnakelike windings between them and
nobody could make the distance less
than ninety miles, ahorse or afoot.
And the intervening spaces are still
filled with republicans as thickly as
the land between S%helbyville and
|Pana was once filed with democrats.
Republicans may be more willing to
pay their money to see q democratic
winner than democrats are, particu-
larly in Iowa, where such winners
are scarce ana are regarded as curl
osities. The point is that since Bryan
and Johnson are trailing each other
as closely as they are just now 1t IL
worth knowing which Of them is
drawing most. This point sticks, in
spite of the fact that on the surface
they are not running in opposition.
s.The surface view presented itself
at the union station in st. Louis Sun
day night. The two great democrats
met there byschance, each on his way
from illinois to fill his Iowa engage
ment. MI. Bryan slapped the gov
|eronr from Minnesota on the back In
a hearty, old fashioned democratic
way, and the governor of Minnesota
turning around quickly, cried out
Hello, in the cordial manner which
used to characterize democrats when
they were a unit In thinking that the
surest way Of fooling the most of the
people the most of the time was with
the tariff question. It at once became
evident that these old time demo-
cratic modes of salutation we're sig
nificant. They forboded an effort to
return to the tariff question a the
paramount issue Of coming cam
|paigns. The country has been adj
vised that there has been bad blood
between Bryan and Johnson, as be-
tween every other two democrats of
high rank who might be named. Mr..
Bryan has given ~utterance to express
ions which have left no doubt as to
his resentment of the Minnesotan's
winning streak and OF his permitting
the use OF his name in connection
with the Denver nomination last
year. But, in plain view OF an ops
portunity for getting back to another
tariff campaign, with all of its pos
sibilfties for be-deviling the public
mind, his desire for harmony over
came him and he slapped Johnson on
the back-the high sign of democrat
lie fellowship. Johnson responded in
kind and in a jify they was a report
er on hand taking down the predict
ions Of a restored party harmony and
of a democratic tidal wave next year
and in 1912. They left together in
"a state room for Des Moines, both
seeing the wave, but each no doubt,
seeing a different man riding on its
crest. These are midsummer nights
immortalized as nights of dreams in
which Puck said What fools these
mortals be-" But that's no dream.
And neither is our natural curiosity
as to whether the larger crowd turn
ed out at Des Moines or at Fort
Dodge"
4SENA