The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-02-08

AS THE TRIBUNE
SEES THE PRIMARY
Tampa Tribune.

. Tampa Tribune. .
= . q O . . q . . q q . . . .
It must be evident by this time 10
the most ardent opponent that Nathan
P. Bryan has been nominated for the
United States senate to succeed James
P. Taliaferro. The race has been a
remarkably close and it is not likely
that Mr.. Bryan's majority. when the
Official vote is counted. will be more
than 500. But the remarkable feature
Of his race is that he overcame lead
of over 1000 for his opponent in the
first primary and won the prize in the
second by a safe though not handsome
margin.
Mr.. BEyan's victory is largely due 20
the excellent use Of newspaper pub
licity which he made in the second
campaign. His press matter was we'll
written and well-placed. Most effec-
tive Of his advertisement was the sys-
tematic repetition Of a paragraph from
Mr.. Blount's letter Withdrawing from
the contest in which Captain Broward
was victorious. This paragraph was
printed in bold type In every paper in
the state and in some Of them several
times. The telling manner in which
Mr.. Bryan used this utterance was as
beneficial to him as it's manifest I'M
wisdom and untimeliness proved harm
full to Mr.. Blount.
Against the defeated candidate. not
one word can be said. He fought q
clean and an open fight. He based his
claims to the ONCE on the testimony
Of his friends and associates that he
was admirably fitted for it--on the
splendid endorsement Of his home peo-
pie at the polls in the first primary,
which endorsement was repeated in
the second. Mr.. Blount is undoubted-
ly one Of Florida's ablest men. It was
unfortunate for him. of course. that a
great many Florida voters cannot d.
vorce themselves from the idea that a
man who represents a corporation, par
ticularly a railroad corporation, OF
who has ever been identified with sucl,
corporation, is untitled to represent the
people in public Office. Mr.. Blount's
long and prominent connection with
the Louisville & Nashville railroad
while, in the minds Of those who gave
proper thought to the subject, it did
not constitute a bar to his giving thu
people the best that was in him as q
senator, nevertheless operated with
thousands Of voters as an insuperable
objection to his candidacy. His ILL
considered language in Withdrawing
from the former contest, when Mr.
Blount doubtless had decided that ht
would never again become an applicant
for popular suffrage and thought little
Of the consequences Of his utterance
assisted in his undoing. The people
proud Of their sovereign capacity a.
rulers of the land and electors OF its
officers, cannot take kindly to a mar
who says in so many words that the
personal solicitation Of their votes is
repugnant to him and that mingline
with them on their own ground in po-
litical affairs is IAN amending pain.
But this was one Of the mistakes
which all strong men make. AS it hap
pened in this case, it proved very
costly one.
Mr.. Bryan merits the highest praise
too, for the victory which he has wor
against what seemed to be overwhelm-
ing odds. He converted what appeared
to be crushing defeat in the first pri-
mary to a brilliant victory in the Sec
ond. Within the span Of a few years
two brothers go to the United States
senate-one by appointment, his honors
checked by death, the other by the
votes Of his people. There is in the
nomination Of Mr.. Bryan, too, some
| thing of political justice-he did more
than any one man to nominate Captain
Broward- and death having cheated
that distinguished Floridian out of tn.
honors he had won, Captain Broward's
friends believed that Mr.. Bryan should
be GWEN the dead mans mantle-ant
they voted as they believed. The new
| vote and the Stockton vote were alnos
unanimously Mr.. Bryans in the secont
race
An idea Of how Mr.. Bryan overcamt
the Blount lead is furnished by the
figures Of the vote in this county. II
Hillsborough, in the first primary. the
| total vote was 2,07S. In the second
primary, the total vote was 3,269. Thus
1,191 more votes were cast in the sec,
ond primary than in the first. In the
second primary, Mr.. Blount received
| $50 more votes than he did in thu
| first; Mr.. Bryan received 1,199 more
| So that, Of the new vote and the
Stockton vote. Mr.. Bryan received TIVE
| votes to Mr.. Blount's one. This ratio
obtained in numerous other counties.
Hillsborough's large majority for M
Bryan indicates that the people of thi.
county prefer him as senator to Mr.
Blount, and with this preference, tn.
| belief that Mr.. Bryan would do more
! for Tampa than the Pensacola mar
| undoubtedly had much to do. Mr.
Bryan's close relations with the inter
ests which are most directly interested
in improving the harbor Of Tampa /:
| we'll known. He is furthermore 6
South F1oridian by birth and training
Tampa will not be disappointed in ex-
pecting from him every possible as
sistance in its development as a port
This could also have been expected
from Mr.. Blount-but the majority o.
our people evidently felt that Mr.. Bry-
an was a bit closer home"
It is to be hoped that this primar.
will finally settle this particular sena-
torial succession It has required -four
primaries to name Mr.. Taliaferro's
successor. That's a little more thar
any state ought to be required to ex-
perience. We hope that there is now
an end to it Mr.. Fletcher and Mr.
Bryan will represent Florida In The
senate for some time to come. The