Omaha daily bee., 1911-07-21
6Sa

This world Is too full Of q number OF
| things to allow It to be embittered with
vendettas. in however loving and forgiving
spirit they may be carried on. We pre-
fer rather to cradle in our heart memories
OF the hndnesses that have been done us,
Of the friendship shown than to cumber
and infest Il with bilious recollections OF
times when the frailties OF human nature
and the evanescence of human gratitude
seemed TO US. in our sorrow, TO shut the
sunshine out Of life"
| 1t occurs to me that these are strange
words coming from an editor who has
just accused a man of poisoning feast"
| do not question that this editor feels
just this way, but he ought to be enough
OF a newspaper man to give the one he
assaIls the opportunity OF defending him
self from the accusations he makes.
Thanking you In advance for the courtesy
I am sure you will extend me. ! am
RICHARD L. METCALFE.
LINCOLN. Neb.. July 1S.--To the Ed
tor: In your editorial entitled THE open
Season." printed in today's paper. you
mention a number of Incidents which you
say make the situation "a bit distressing
| to those who have been able to retain
their sanity and mental equipoise" Then,
assuming a judicial air, you say that you
believe that "the democrats of Nebraska,
despite the example that has been set.
| will politely but firmly refuse to take with
| them their tomahawks to the Fremont
convention for use on each others indurate
craniums." l hope that you are right In
this, and 1 am sure that Mr.. Bryan's
friends will cheerfuly cooperate in any
honest effort to make the Fremont con-
vention an harmonious affair and to
restore the party In this state to the solid
foundation It occupied prior to the state
convention OF 1910.
! am compelled, however. to decline a
certain place of honor you seem disposed
| to give me. You say: First came Mr..
Metcalfe. at a friendly Bryan birthday
banquet at Lincoln last spring, and de-
llghtedly converted It into a poison
feast with his joyous charges and innuen-
does against several and sundry of his
fellow democrats"
on March 10, the day before my address
at the Bryan birthday dinner. you printed
an article on your editorial page in which
you attacked Mr.. Bryan, referring to him
as Colonel w. J. Bryan. more or less
perpetual candidate for the presidency"
| II. therefore, that was poison feast"
II was the honored guest-the man to
whom the dinner was given-that was pois-
oned--and the poisoning took place at least
| thirty-slx hours before the dinner was
! spread
| In many issues Of your paper prior TO
my address on March 20, you printed at
| taclts upon Mr.. Bryan. So hostile were
these that in the world-Herald OF January
T. and again in the World-Herald Of jan
uary H. Hon. e. b. ouackenbush of Ne
"a .r{aI, k,,-a
found II necessary to protest against the
injustice you were doing Mr. Bryan.
| In the worid-Heral OF January 20 you
printed an attack upon Nebraska's dis
tinguished citizen In which you permitted
a correspondent to use the language: In
the beginning God created the heavens and
William ]. Bryan, and afterwards made
| the earth for Bryan to stand upon"
So your readers will see that II is not
true that in this discussion First came
| Mr.. Metcalfe."
You have so persstently kept up these
| filings at Mr.. Bryan that your policy on
| that line is a matter OF current comment
among the democrats OF the state, and
only four days ago you printed in your
paper the following fling from your Lin
coin correspondent:
| Special Dispatch to the World Herald.
| LINCOLN, Neb., July lathe Lancaster
democratic convention will be held Satur-
| day. As w. ]. Bryan will be absent on
| July 25 the date of the state convention
| at Fremont. it is probable that ne will be
| named as an honorary delegate TO that con-
vention from Lancaster county. II It were
| thought that he would be present at the
| convention his nomination might inspire
| open opposition, although he has usually
| been able to get what he desired from Lam
| caster democrats
| II you are so deeply impressed with the
wickedness Of these "parthian shafts" why
didn't you write your peace loving editor
ial sometime during last January when you
were printing so many attacks upon Mr..
Bryan Why didn't you write II March
10 when you we're sneering at him as a
more or less perpetual candidate for the
presidency" Why didn't you write II July
II when your permitted your lincoln corres-
| pendent TO make a brutal fight at Mr..
| Bryan? Why didn't you write II July IS
| after you had opened your columns to the
questions submitted to me by Mr., Harrtng-
ton? Why didn't you write II July l6 after
the Omaha democrats had passed resolu-
lions denouncing Mr.. Bryan as a traitor
| Why didn't you wait until after I had
written a reply. which Mr.. Harrington
questions required OF met
Now after opening your columns day after
day TO cheap insults to Mr.. Bryan and after
contributing by your own hand some Of
those small filings you undertake to pose
as the disinterested observer and the nom
combating bystander who finds It neees-
sary to take refuge In the cyclone cellar.
| You cannot shirk your responsibility for
the war that is on and you cannot transfer
the FIRST came" laurels from your own
brow TO that OF another.
You say, What has what Mr.. shallen-
berger said or did not say to Mr.. Metoalfe
and others TO do with it?' Nothing at all,
| admit. But why didn't you think OF this
before you printed Mr.. Harrington's ques-
tions-questions which could not avoid an
swering7 Why didn't you think Of II before
you printed the warwhoop Of the peace
seeking Mr.. Harrington" Why didn't you
suggest to this patient, peace seeking gem
tleman that he submit his questions to me
privately instead OF first printing them in
the peace seeking" rld-Herald7
well know that controversy within a
party Is to be deplored. and II l could do
anything 20 restore order TO the democratic
party in this state l would do II. There is.
however. MT. Editor. deep laid scheme
on the part OF a certain element In our
party to discredit Mr.. Bryan in every pos
sible way and to send TO the national con-
vention a delegation that will be hostile TO
him. There are many reasons for believing