The Washington times., 1912-07-02
BRYAN'S WORK.

Mr. Bryan is being credited with having caused
all the turmoil that has existed and still is existing
at the Baltimore convention 1t is being said that
we're it not for Bryan the convention would easily
have finished its work by Thursday or Friday, and
the Democratic party would have entered the cam
pagn united and in perfect harmony
All Of this is true. Had it not been for Mr..
Bryan the Democratic party would now be content,
but corrupt; harmonious but hypocrca; united, but
with the unity of boss-drven party rather than the
unity Of free people acting in promotion of the
common good.
When Mr.. Bryan appeared on the scene every
thing was harmonious. The bosses had agreed.
There nothing left for the delegates to do except
to serve as rubber stamp phonograph. The same
old program had been arranged. lrceconcilabe
forces were to be placated, apparently. A platform
that should be written by the radicals and promising
almost anything the people wanted was to be adopted
The progressives to be kept in line by the
platform promises; the reactionares to be kept
in line by the secret knowledge that the nominees
were perfectly safe and sane and could be relied
upon not to compel the party to live up to the plat
form Mr.. Bryan and his ilk to furnish the ora
tory and beat the bushes; Mr.. Belmont Ryan, and
their ilk were to furnish the money and ultimately
dominate the administration The people were event
ually to hold the SACK they have always done.
Into this very satisfactory harmony program to
the bosses and of the bosses, Mr.. Bryan threw a
bomb. The pieces still in the air All that Mr.
Bryan demanded was that cardinal virtue of sincerity
He demanded that if the Democratic party to
make appeal to the people upon the ground that
it was progressive and stood for popular government
that it be progressive convention from start to fin
ish. He demanded that it be kept free from any ob
cations to the reactonary element to the forces Of
Special Privilege to the bosses. He demanded
| <Lo the
write the platform, and what of the greatest con-
sequence, progressive be nominated who would
hold the party its promises, in event it the
polls
And right there is where Mr. Bryan broke up the
party. Because he demands honesty he is dema-
gogue. Because he insists that no man be under
obligations to Big Business for the Presidential nom-
nation, Mr. Bryan is trying to ruin the party. Be-
cause he insists that the party make no attempt to
evade the issue or sraddle the question, Mr.. Bryan
is an ngrate dsturber, aspiring to be boss him.
self and altogether is bad citizen
Had Mr. Bryan agreed to permitting the bosses
run the Democratic party agreed to acting with them
in carrying out program of deceit, agreed to max
ing league with Tammany Hall in the name Of
political decency and a covenant with Big Business
in the name of popular government he would have
been hero of the hour, merely for the hour. He
would have been publicly hailed the creates Of
statesmen by the bosses who would secretly have held
him in contempt for his hypocrisy and by the people
| who later would have cursed his memory when they
awoke to find that even he had betrayed them into
the hands of their enemy.
Rather than to do this Mr.. Bryan has created a
disturbance He has, in all probability, broken up
the Democratic party. He has compelled men to 60
on record to their political death He has forced the
interests that have manipulated parties for years out
into the open, and rendered their work ineffective
by making it public.
He has focused public attention, for the first
time in history upon the scaffolding the men behind
the scenes the real machinery of convention rather
and all the other pleasant things that have hitherto
been supposed to be the important part Of the show
And far worse than all else he has made men
think. He has shown that what parties have been
calling harmony is dryrot He has made men dis
contented with their lot-and when men become dis
conented, they act, they progress He has, possibly
rendered it impossible for the Democratic party as
it has been constituted for years. to win the coming
election. He has also made it impossible for the Re.
publican party to win. He has, however made it DOS
sibe and altogether likely that the people will win
1t takes real man to destroy party almost
singe-handed and out of the pieces recreate force
for popular government But it begins to look as
though Mr.. Bryan were about to succeed in doing it
HE KNEW.
You're making a great mistake by not living in the