The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-05-26
Mr.. BRYAN AND His PARTY

I lis Oh the OCdld DdUuci lCd0 a well
prepared address on the duty and
] mission of the press, in which he
| scored William Jennings Bryan for
deeming himself greater than his
! party, refusing to work for the dem
! ocratic nominee for governor OF Ne
| braska and thereby helping to elect
republican governor. He also had
great deal to say about the Ocala
Banner; first presenting Mr.. Bryan
| for president and the establishment
/ of the railroad commission.
When Editor Mayes of the Pensa-
! cola Journal, who is great admlrer
of Bryan, took up the cudgel IN de-
| Tense of Bryan's democracy. cited the
! fact that Bryan was the true demo
crat for standing for local govern
ment: in a word, pleading for the
| democracy of the state to grant 10
/ the democrats of the state to vote Tor
local option in the sale of liquors IN
Nebraska Dahlman, the democratic
candidate for governor, was the brew
ers' candidate, drove the brewers de-
livery wagon, and the people were
not permitted, so far as he could in
fuence them, to vote on that local
measure The democratic party, led
by the brewers interested, decided
the democracy of the state should
have no such permission. The repuD-
lican governor and the republican
party favored the local option meas
ure This is why Bryan refused 10
support the democratic nominee ana
lined up with the republicans on To-
cal option. Editor Mayes' reference
to the peerless leader evoked tnun-
derous applause.-Ocala Evening
Star.
The above comments are largely
true. This paper. however, does not
recollect that Mr.. Mayes entered into
particuIarities as to why Mr.. Bryan
refused to give his allegiance and
support to the democratic nominee
for governor of Nebraska, except to-
say that Mr.. Bryan stood for local OPP
ton. which was democratic meas
ure That was local democratic meas
ure in Nebraska, but was not so re-
garded in Florida, even by Mr.. Mayes
in the fight for statewide prohibit
ton
1t is true, however, as Mr.. Bittln-
ger, the editor of the Star, says, that
Mr.. Mayes' eulogy OF the peerless
leader provoked intense and spirited
applause, while the carefully prepar-
ed address of Mr. Harris provoked
none at all.
That, of course, was humiliating
to the editor of this paper, not so
much from a personal as from po-
litical standpoint.
The address was delivered in the
house of representatives, where just
few days before vote had been
taken for United States senator,
where all, TO a man, voted for the
nominee of the party, and one mem |
Der was somewhat severely criticized
merely for saying that he did so be-
cause party precedent, allegiance and !
law required him to do So
Suppose that the democrats of the
Florida legislature. following the ex-
ample of Mr.. Bryan, had refused to
abide by the action of the democratic
primary in this state, and had voted
for Mr. w. A. Blount instead of Mr..
Nathan P Bryan, would it not have
created a howl in all parts of the
state, and would it not have led toI
the disruption of the democratic par
ty in Florida?
The following is what Mr.. Harris
said concerning Mr.. Bryan, in his adj
dress before the State Press Associa-
ton at Tallahassee:
Along the same lines Mr.. William
| J. Bryan in a public utterance, re-
Gently accused the criminal corpora
tions of owning many of the great
newspapers of the country. and ex-
plains that it is not now possible to-
| learn who owns the stock of these
| journals He would like to have al
law passed to make those assassinsl
come out of the dark and stand be-
fore the public gaze
I'm the Commoner of April 18th he
! says that the predatory interests
never sleep. They have their Off
/ GERS named for governors, senator's,
representatives and wherever an of
! flee is to be filled. They are now
| laying their plans he says, to cap
ture the national democratic conven-
/ ton and nominate candidate who
will be satisfactory to the Wall Street
! interests
"One hates 70 have his idols shat
| tered. The Ocala Banner was the
| first newspaper in Florida, and prob
ably the first in the United States,
that hoisted Mr.. Bryan's name at it's
| masthead for president of these Unit
ed States. He has been honored by
the democratic party more than JET
ferson. it's founder: more than Jack
son, more than Cleveland, more than
any other democrat in the nation has
ever been Honored as he has been
| by it he should obey its mandates and
give to it his allegiance This hold
| ing aloft Wall Street as a scare
crow at every presidential election
to keep afresh old sores and prevent
| the party from harmonizing and get
ting together it does occur TO me, is
unbecoming in Mr. Bryan.
/ olA "a