The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-06-01
Bryan as a Contingency.

Mr.. BryanS rather was very earn
est, religious man. Mr.. Bryan himself
is a ruling elder in a Presbyterian
church in Lincoln, Neb., and has been
the superintendent or the teacher of
Bible class in the Sunday-school of
the Methodist church near to his
summer home, out of Lincoln. The
Eagle restates these facts for read
ers of all faiths and of none, for all
serious persons who rightly conclude
that what a sincerely religious man
deliberately says should be respect
fully construed.
Therefore when Mr.. Bryan deliber-
ately/ told the general conference of
the Methodist church at Minneapolis,
on Wednesday, that he would not be
and was not candidate for nomina-
ton for president, and that he had
more comfort and pleasure in private
life than in political candidacy. he is
TO be taken at his word And when
lately in a signed dispatch to the
New York Times saying the same
thing and expressing an equal regard
for Champ Clark and Woodrow Will
son as a nominee. the Eagle also ac-
cepts as unreservedly as it does his
own remuneration.
All the same, indications increase
that the convention at Baltimore may
constrain Mr.. Bryan for itself just
because he refuses TO cOnstrain II for
himself We do not say it will. 1t.
however. evidently may. Much de-
ponds on other things: Should Pres
ident Taft be renominated barely re-
nominated, a Roosevelt bolt or defec-
ton would be certain, and should Mr.
Roosevelt be barely nominated Taft
detection would be equally certain
Mr. Roosevelt, however, would pre-
sent temptation to adventurous
democrats, inclined toward audacity
and novelty. that Mr. Tafts nomina
ton would not, and in that event the
democratic nominee who would coun-
teract that tendency would be or
might be regarded as Mr.. Bryan, and
MIR. Bryan only.
That is not a situation Mr.. Bryan
can be charged with covering. We
can believe he would like TO prevent
IL. 1t is, however. a situation that
may occur. Mr. Bryan will not vol
unteer, but he may be conscripted
That none can assuredly foresee but
that situation no conscripted demo
crat could successfully resist whether
Mr.. Bryan or any other democrat
Lately he said that either Champ
Clark or Woodrow Wilson could beat
Mr.. Roosevelt or Mr.. Taft. He says
=, nothing about Gov. Harmon, to whom
IL is known he is opposed, or Gov
Marshall, as to whom he has all along
been silent or Representative Under
Wood, whom he opposes and who op
poses him. a falling down of all pre-
sent candidates at Baltimore because
OF the two-thirds rule might compe
the conscripting OF Mr. Bryan against
the danger OF democratic detection
10 Roosevelt. If nominated. That is q
Contingency that's not impossible We
do not say il is yet probable, but it is
possible. and II 1t occurs MIR. Bryan
will be unable TO veto II.
Should IL occur the trend of con
SENTATIVE TAFT republicans and of in
dependents toward Mr. Bryan a,
against Mr.. Roosevelt would be inter
esting and the tactics of Mr. Roose
vel to withstand IL would be quite "A,
interesting Mr. Bryan and MI
Roosevelt have never withstood on,
another. William Mckinley twic,
defeated MIR Bryan. but the democra
Mr. Roosevelt defeated was not Mr.
Bryan, II was eX.Judge Parker aud
contest directly between Roosevelt
and Bryan, the latter by constrast a,
the more conservative OF the two
would certainly be exciting. which
ever way 1t resulted Brooklyn Eagl