Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-29
"rHE MYSTERY OF ,eos."
GIIms Tor Those who Persist IN Crop
Ina in the Dark.

Ine In the Dark.
Charleston "a. c. News and Courier tdemD
After the election Mr.. Bryan invited con-
tributions for The Commoner as to the
cause Of the democratic defeat at the last
election. He called this symposium "SolN-
ing the Mystery OF 1908 and he has been
printing from week to week the views OF
his correspondents. The NTH instsllment
OF the symposium contains expressions OF
opinion from twenty-eight OF the faithful.
not one OF whom was ever heard OF In this
part Of the country before.
All sorts OF reasons are given. George
+. Chester OF City Point, Fla, attributes
the falling off in the vote at his precinct
ito an increasing demand by business in
terests for a protective tariff" Probably
the people in that part Of Florida have
gone into cultivation Of camphor trees.
H.. Nye OF Enon Valley. Pa, is some
what mixed in his views. HI thinks 1.-THE
trusts did It," but he declares that the
Catholic church had every reason to be
against us" and declares further that TO
sum 1t up in two words, political prejudice
did It,"
A. r. James OF Ebert, Colo, IL sure that
q majority of the republicans approved the
democratic platform, but voted against the
democratic tick because they thought
the protective tariff of more Importance, -
and George L. Geyer OF La Fontaine, Ind,
explains that the democratic defeat was
due TO "a successful pulling OF the wool
over the eyes Of the nonthinking indi-
vidual."
In the opinion Of George L.. Bittinger of
kokomo, Ind, we lost by the unre-
strained use Of the federal officeholders
under the leadership of Theodore Roose-
Welt" and C. H. Greed OF Columbia, s.
D., has abandoned all hope because of the
corrupt use of money by the enemy and
has reached the conclusion that the demo-
cratic party can never hope to again gain
control of the federal government"
There is one ray of light, however, in the
two pages Of stuff printed in this fifth
installment Of the symposium in the declar-
alton of +. A. Partlow, Of Clear Lake,
Wis, who is convinced" that 1.-THE repub-
lican party can be dislodged only by the
combination Of Bryan-democrats and pro-
gressive republicans" Just exactly how
these two elements are to work together
we do not understand, but evidently there
is something In this view.
In the state of Maine, as Mr.. NJ. w
Grinnelle of Penobscot says, 1.-The cause
Of our defeat was rum and the trusts.
and r. r. Day of Seattle, Washington,
elucidated the mystery in five words
"Perjudice, ignorance misunderstanding
perhaps a better world, fear, Romanism,
Indifference"
George II. Leonhart OF Warren, Pa, thinks
that tariff reduction means death TO any
party" and Henry Heaton OF Belfield, N.
D., explains that fear OF hard times pre-
vented a democratic landslide in the wes-
tern states" This is the first time we lave
heard anything about the landslide since
last October, and we understand now how
1t was lost in the scuffle.
THE Mystery OF 1905, is not a mystery
at ali. Mr.. Bryan never had any chance
of election from the beginning to the end
OF the campaign. He forced himself upon
the democratic party, and the democratic
party did not want him and would not have
him. He carried most of the southern
states and he carried nothing else. He in
tends to force himself upon the democratic
party again II he can. That is what his
constant advertisement of himself means
and IL he shall be placed at the head oil
the party not even the south will be left
to fight his battles any more. We do not
not mean to be misunderstood, however.
We have nominated Mr.. Bryan, as 1t will
be remembered. for 1912 and 1915 and 1870.
Our record upon this point is clear, but we
do not think he ought to be nominated, and
we are sure that he can never be elected.
Mr.. Bryan himself is "the mystery of 1908
and no other explanation is needed of the
last and most fatal defeat OF the party.