The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1911-06-28
During Three Campaigns,
Says Bryan.
He ACCUSES THE KNOCKERS
Who Call Him "Wrecker,"
Of Being JudaSeS of
Their Party.
OUT FROM SHOULDER

are now attacking him and accusing
him of trying to wreck the party
are in the same class with those who
have in the past proved treacherous
to the party, w. ]. Bryan, in the
current issue of his Commoner,
turns broadside on his critics and
throws light on what he says is
some past political history.
Mr.. Bryan makes the sensational
charge that when he was three times
candidate for the Presidency, he
was knitted not only by leaders Of
the party, but by committeeman,
who were presumed to be conduct
ing the campaign in his behalf.
Mr.. Bryan denies that he is at
tempting to dictate, and says:
Mr.. Bryan has never attempted to
dictate to the Democratic party and
has no desire to do so, but as a
member of the Democratic party, Mr..
Bryan has exercised the right to ex-
press an opinion upon public ques-
lions and upon public men. and this
right ne expects to continue TO ex-
ercise. He will not be deferred from
discharging what he regards as a
sacred duty by abuse, but he is &C
customed to abuse. His body, po-
litically speaking, Is SCARED all
over by the knives that have been
welded by the representatives Of
plutocracy inside of the Democratic
party and outside.
He has made three campaigns and
in every one of them he has had to
meet treachery within the party as
we'll as assailed from without. He
has had to conduct his campaigns
through committeeman, some OF
whom were in league with the oppo-
sition and in secret correspondence
with the enemy. He has had to
meet false and malicious misrepre-
sentation on the part of papers sub
sidized by the predatory interests.
He has seen the party platform at
tackled, sometimes openly and some
times by innuendo, by those pre-
tending to support the ticket, and he
has seen the platform repudiated
Immediately after the election by
papers who protested to support 1t
during the campaign. He has had
to oppose distinguished members OF
his own party when those members
ATTEMPTED to insert weasel words In
the platform and make 1t ambigu-
Gus and uncertain. He has had to
contend with timid politicians who
protessed friendship only out of fear
of their constituents and only so
ong as that pretended friendship
would help them.
But he has found the heart of the
party sound. He has found the
rank and file Of the party true. To
this multitude of Democrats, uncor-
rupted and undeflled, he owes what
ever strength he has. He is indebt-
ed to them for the honors which
have come to him, and he will spend
the remainder of his days guarding
their interests as best he can. He
is in a position to speak with free
dom, and he will be free to speak
He knows the record of the public
men of the country-Democrats and
Republicans-and this knowledge is
at the service of the party.
He is in favor OF harmony when
harmony means honest, straightfor-
ward Democracy, but he is opposed
to a harmony that is built upon
false pretenses and used for the
purpose of deception. He believes
that the Democratic party must de-
serve to win in order to win, and
he believes 1t is better to oppose
evils in the beginning than when
they are full grown. He asks no
one to accept his opinion, but he
has no reason to doubt that the facts
which influence him will influence
others when they are known. He
expects differences of opinion even
among friends, and he knows that
honest differences of opinion do not
keep men from acting together when
they agree in purpose, but he knows
that people who differ in purpose
cannot be expected to agree on
plans.
In other words. Mr.. Bryan is a
citizen of the United States. and ex-
poets to live up to the responsible
ties of citizen as best ne can. He
is member OF the Democratic par
ty. and he expects to live up TO the
responsibilities OF the position. The
fact that he has been the party's
candidate does not deprive him of
1.-THE freedom to think and to speak.