The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1909-03-17

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Two yeers ago > republican leellar
ture made good every promise made
in the platform the all previous. Not
. single plank was ignored, not pro-
mise broken.
Contrast the present Legislature with
the republican legislature oftwo pears
ago. and what do you find. Mr.. Voter!
The record up to the present time has
been failure. Not . single promise
1t this writing has been held sacred.
On the other hand certain alleged re.
forms, which the Democratic pres and
democratic orators, including Bryan
and Shallenberger. solemnly promised
would be enacted into lawA have
actually been repudiated-some Of
them by committees and Others slangh-
tered in the house and senate BY the
men who stood pledged in their favor:
But promises have not been the only
things repudiated and ignored. The
action of the democratic members indi-
cate that they have become tired Of
Bryan and made up their mind to
dethrone him - leader in Nebraska.
Although he dictated the state plat
form adopted by the democratic con-
vention last summer, and has been .
persistent lobbyist for some Of the
freak planks in that platform, and for
personal legislation in harmony with
his peculiar ideas, he has been turned
down so completely that he feels
Inundated, and appears to realize that
he has lost prestige among the faithful
who have cheered for every paramount
issue and new idea he has inflicted
upon his party. In all his twenty
years of political activity in Nebraska,
Bryan has always been for Bryan.
He has beat down Ill opposition to his
schemes within the ranks of his own
party and kept safe and sane men
from even attempting to have q voice
in the councils of the party. He has
called to his support lot Of slobber.
ing admirers who have that childlike
simplicity of the boy who believed
that ''its go if faint 50 if ma says 80. /"
But every politician, like the cham.
pion prize fighter, has his day, and
Mr.. Bryan's day Is the bruta! boss Of
the democratic party of Nebraska is
drawing to . close. Hitchcock, Shal.
lenberger and other democrats, who
have been like faithful dog trays in
following their master, have turned at
last. They realized several years ago
that the Peerless One assumed to pos
sess all the statesmanship of his party,
but the blinded followers Of the three
times defeated candidate for president
could not be sidetracked from follow.
ing the bell sheep of the democratic
herd, and so Hitchcock, Shallenberger
and other brainy men in the party
discretely mingled with the common
herd, waiting for an opportunity to
prick the inflated champion of many
isms and let the wind out of his polit.
ical sails. The election last fall Of
Shallenberger for governor, and the
unlocked for victory of Hitchcock,
placed before the party two new polit.
ical stars. The victory of the former
was especially significant, as it was no
secret that Tom Allen, Bryan's broth.
er-in-law, and chairman of the demo
cratic state central committee, would
have been glad to have seen Shallen.
berger defeated, for he realized that
the democratic nominee would become
political power in the state and
eclipse the popularity and influence Of
Bryan. Aliens fear appears to have
been realized. Governor Shallen-
berger's influence is making itself felt
in his party, and he and Congressman
Hitchcock appear to have united in an
effort to wrest the leadership of the
party in Nebraska from the man who
has always used it for his own per-
s6nal advancement and profit.
There is good sized row brewing
in the ranks of the party, and the par
tisans of the one time popular leader
have opened = campaign of abuse
against members of the Legislature who
refuse longer to crawl along the
Bryan trail.
SNEAKED BACK TO OMAHA.
The day the vote on county option
wac taken in the senate, Elmer
Thomas, of Omaha, member of the