The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-10-04
MIR. BRYAN AND THE CROWDS.

! William Jennings Bryan has attract
ed even larger crowds in Kansas dur
ing the past couple of days than did
! Colonel Roosevelt a little while ago.
He has also stirred up his audiences
to higher pitches of enthusiasm than
| did the big Bull Moose. Similar con-
ditions have prevailed all along the
route of the Nebraskan's speechmak
/ ing tour which has covered practically
the same ground as that traversed by
Mr.. Roosevelt. In Los Angeles, for
instance, Mr.. Bryan was scheduled to
make five speeches in one day. He
was compelled to increase this number
to twelve in order to accommodate all
the people who wanted to hear him.
And Mr.. Bryan is not a candidate in
the great presidential contest that is
being waged. He is merely one of the
many who are giving vigorous support
to the Democratic presidential can
didate.
Now what is the significance of the
crowds that have turned out to hear
Mr.. Bryan speak, not only in Kansas
but in all other points in the west
Mr.. Roosevelt's supporters have in
sisted that the demonstrations recently
| accorded their candidate is proof posi-
tive that he is going to sweep every
| thing before him at the polls in the
localities where great numbers have
turned out to hear him speak. If
such a conclusion were correct, it
would be proper to argue that the
bigger crowds which have accorded
Mr.. Bryan such hearty receptions in
the same territory are proof positive
that the cause he is pleading will be
wonderfully triumphant on election
day. Yet it is an impossible thing that
two presidential candidates shall
emerge from the election with hand
some majorities or pIuralities in the
same localities.
AS a matter of fact the crowds that
greet presidential candidates or their
prominent supporters during the
course of a campaign tour are an ex-
ceedingly poor criterion of the way
the voters are going to cast their bal
lots. Personal popularity is too often
mistaken by campaigners, including
the candidates themselves, for po-
litical strength. Mr.. Bryan has GER
tainly had this demonstrated to him
time and time again. Mr.. Bryan is
personally as popular with big mass
of the people as any man who has
ever been in public life in this country
This has always been true of him since
his entrance into major politics in
1896. His campaign tour for the
presidency in that year brought out
crowds, the size of which were before
unknown'to political campaigns in this
country. The cheers that were given
him in that campaign were of suffi-
cient volume to echo from the moon.
Yet when the votes were counted on
election day, Mr.. Bryan was returned
loser. Similar conditions prevailed
in each of the two other campaigns
that Mr.. Bryan has made for the
presidency. Crowds attended him
wherever he went. He was applauded
and eheered with a dealing din. And
always did these crowds and cheers
outmeasure the votes he received
when the crucial hour arrived. In
deed, big crowd in any portion of
the country is willing to pay its own
good money to hear Mr.. Bryan de-
liver an address from a chautauqua
platform. So the mere fact that Mr..
Bryan has been received with tre-
mendous enthusiasm during his pres
ent campaign tour is no indication of
the ascendancy of the political cause
he is supporting. The same is just as
true Is to the meaning of the crowds
that have greeted Mr.. Roosevelt as
he has travelled on his way. However,
Mr.. Roosevelt and his ardent admirers
nave vet to learn that personal popu-
larity is not synonymous with po-
litica1 strength. And, Furthermore,
popular with the masses as he once
ago.