The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-07-11
A Renublican on Bryanism.

during the QrSC nall W ludL- uoh1oa q
Bile 1895 campaign" says the Sioux
City Journal, "a strong Republican
paper. "The country had been in the
habit Of looking to q Ihird party for
such radicaHsm as Bryan then induc-
ed the democratic party to stand for.
Business was thoroughly freighten-
cd when it found Ole of the two
great parties taking up the theories
Of populism. It administered to the
Bryan leadership an emphatic and
rebuke. The defeat
did not, however, xii! Bryan or his
influence with the democratic party.
'sHe was back at the front again,
in 1900 and again the fear of his rad
calism worked his uldoing. The pass
ing of Bryan was daily recorded, and
It was cheerfully assumed that'Bry-
as it was then called, was
lead for all time. But Bryan was not
dead. He slept through the cam
paign of 1904, when his party again
took tn conservative side of the
street, but that year the country went
radical by a large majority, to the
profit of Roosevelt. BY that time the
seeds of radicalism planted by Bryan
were beginning to put forth blossoms.
Roosevelt saw it, and Bryan saw 1T.
Looking back one is inclined to
marvel that Bryan was not elected in
1908. Evidently he was defeated
partly through force of habit and
partly because of confusion in the
minds Of the voters. The public got
Taft and Roosevelt mixed. Roose-
velt had stirred up a great wave OF
for the Bryan policies.
Taft was offered a., the Roosevelt
candidate. Taft was natural con-
or at most moderate. The
platform in the main was
In spite of the fact that
Bryan, the original radical, was bid
ling for votes on really radical
democratic platform: good share Of
The radical vote went trailing after
he Roosevelt band. Bryan had been
sure of election. He was dazed over
The outcome, and in the light Of af-
ter events it really was amusing.
"No sooner had Taft assumed the
Presidency than the country began
,lamoring that he act just as Bryan
would have been expected to act. The
country demanded, not the tar
if revision promised in the republi-
can platform, but the kind promised
by Bryan. Taft tried to get through
a rational railroad regulation meas
ure, but the radicals would have
none Of it. They wanted such a
measure as Bryan would have ap-
proved. Presently all the progress
sive magazine and newspapers were
sriticising Taft. Iiven his sponsor,
turned his back against
him. Why? Because Taft was not
radical enough-because, in other
words, he was not like Bryan. The
radicals in the republican party split
away from the Tart leadership and
voted with Bryan's party in Congress.
The republican party in many states
fell into a state Of disorganization
that made democratic victory last
fall. There was every indication
that the criticism cf Taft had popular
sympathy. What did this mean ex-
cept that this country had made a
mistake in electing Taft instead of
Bryan, the real radical?
"Since the fernent Taft has been
trying to make himself more radical.
He has succeeded only indifferently.
He will be renominated next year,
and will be supported by the oonser-
vative element. With this as near to
a political certainly as anything can
we'll be in politics a year in advance
Of its occurrence, the democratic par
ty is looking for 4 sure enough radi-
cal to oppose Taft. If it can get the
right man it confidently believes he
can bic elected over Taft by as Large
a majority as Taft had over Bryan in
the confused campaign of 1908. The
talk now Is that Woodrow Wilson is
the right man II he can secure the
endorsement of Bryan. Wilson is a
former conservative who turned
radical after radicalism had been
made fashionable through the inia-
tive of Bryan.
"Here again we are up against the
proposition that Bryan has been
thrice nominated and thrice defeated.
But his first two defeats were due to
the fact that he was running at the
wrong time. Hi: radicalism was Tar
ahead Of the public temper. His
last defeat was a mistake on the part
Of the public rather than a mistake
in nominating Eryan. In 1908 the
public did not realize how radi-
cal it was. But now the times have
caught up with Bryan. The atmos-
phere has cleared The seed Bryan
sowed is bearing fruit. Folks eat II
eagerly when offered by Roosevelt OF
La Toilette ,or Wilson or Chamr
Clark. They berate raft because he
doesn't give them more Of it. They
insist that nothing shall prevent them
from having a real radical for Presi-
dent after 1912"
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