The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-21
W, J. BRYAN BOLTS
 HEAD 0F TICKET Nebraska Leader Will Not
 Vote for Dah|Tnan FRIENDSHIP CAST ASIDE Bryan Declares Dah1man Has Taken the Wrong stand on the Liquor Question Therefore He Can not Support Him

Lincoln, Neb., September 20-In state- ment in which he declares that the cru- sade which he feels impelled to wage against the liquor interests of the state and nation overshadows a personal and political friendship of 20 years, William J. Bryan this evening announced that he had bolted the head of the democratic state ticket in Nebraska, and would not support James c. Dahlman for governor. MT. Bryan says he regrets that he Is compelled to take the stand he does, his first departure from political regularity, but says he feels 1t his duty to do so because of the position taken by the dem ocratio nominee on the liquor question. The statement which in a way is apolo- getic In tone, does not indicate that MT. Bryan will support the candidate of any other party, but announces that he Is a prejudiced advocate of county option and the early closing saloon law, both of which he says are menaced by Dahlmans candidacy. The statement is as follows:
 'I am just leaving for Missouri and shall be absent practically all of the time for about a month campaigning in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Indiana and IL linois. After that I shall be at liberty to speak for MT. Hitchcock, the democratic candidate for Congress, and for the state ticket in Nebraska.
 Tn speaking for the state ticket, how ever, I shall not be able to present any arguments in favor of the election of MT. Dahlman. His position on the liquor
 
 gret this exceedingly for he has been political and personal friend for 20 years, and 1t would give me pleasure to speak for him If I could indorse the policy for which he stands, but he has chosen to make the liquor question the paramount issue and makes his appeal on that issue.
 Tn spite of the fact that the last dem- ocratic convention voted down a decla- ration against county option by vote of e38 to POP, he says that he will veto a county option bill If passed, and in spite of the fact that the state convention in dorsed the o'cloclS closing law by vote | of 710 to 163 he announces that he will sign bill repeating 1t If such a bill Is passed. He is making his appeal on non partisan lines with the liquor question as the sole issue. His courage Is to be com flSHueu. IL IS an HQHeSt way OI a campaign, although 1t compels him to separate himself from friends who do not agree with him and to rely for sup port upon the democrats and republicans who take his view of the subject.
 Possibly 1t Is just as well to have the issue clearly presented so that 1t may be settled this year instead of two years hence. Troublesome as the question Is, it would be even more embarrassing if presented in 1912, when we have a presi- dential election on hand. If MT. Dahl man is elected 1t will be declaration by the voters of the state against county option and against the 8 o'clock closing law. If he Is defeated, it will be a decla- ration in favor of county option and in favor of the o'clock closing law. In other words the voters now have an op- portunity to decide whether the state shall go backward of forward on the liquor question. To present argument in favor of going backward would not only contradict what I have already said lon the subject but would embarrass me in the fight that I expect to make hereafter to save our party from the odium of be- ing the representative of the liquor inter ests"