The Washington times., 1913-03-02
BRYAN'S STRONG GRIP.

So close as he is to assuming the Chief Magstracy
of the Nation, Mr. Wilson's triumph in the overthrow
of the Senate machine undertaking to make Senator
Martin of Virginia Democratic leader is OF great sig
nihcance as to the Wilson course to be followed from
the outset The particular post of Senate leader IS
not important of itself What is behind that leader
skip-the force that sets it up and maintains its
powerfuu factor. In this case it is Bryanism.
Senator Kern of Indiana mas been active lead
er of the liberal element of Democracy. He has not
been afraid to fight either in Indiana in Washing
ton. But in this situation Senator Kern is to be
taken as representing the purpose of the most pow
erful leader in the Democratic party and of its Pres
dent-elect, now at the portal of the White House.
Mr. William Jennings Bryan, if he did not himself
nominate was responsible for the nomination of Mr..
Wilson Mr. Bryan as Secretary of State, will be
head of the Cabinet and will be in the Administration
second only to Mr.. Wilson. Senator Kern Mr..
Bryans running mate in the national campaign of
i9OS With him as the Democratic leader of the
Senate and with Mr.. Bryan as the Vice Regent, SO
TO speak of the Administration, the Bryan influence
in both the executive and the legislative branches of
the Government, it is seen, will overshadow every
thing else.
In effect then, Mr. Bryan always backed by the
President will determine the charmanships of the
great controlling committees of the Senate, wrested
from the conservative veterans who nav inherited
them from the old Aldrich regime. With the over
turn of the Government those committees will be
handed over, not from the Republican reactionaries
or conservatives to Democratic reactionares or con-
servatives but 10 the newer, younger and very ag-
gressive element r: Democracy The revolution will
be not only from Republican control to Democratic
control, but from old machine control, Of Whatever
PARTY the Bryan element that has fought for nearly
generation to get control of the Government in be-
half of the Democratic party.
Ii does not follow, from the rejection of Senator
Martin, with the political influences behind him, and
the acceptance of Senator Kern and tine Bryan flu-
ences behind him, that the progressive wing of the
Democratic party, led and inspired though it be by
both Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Bryan, can achieve pro-
grams so ultra-liberal to throw both Republican
and Democratic members of reactionary tendencies
into an alliance against what they would regard as
common enemy. 1t does not follow tnat Mr.. Bryan,
setting for Mr.. Wilson, can get away with what he
may consider the most important features of the gen.
eral Democratic program. But it does follow that in
This Democratic Congress, and especially the Senate,
nothing can be done thoroughly to dscredit the DEM
ocratic Administration and the party behind it in the
country at large.
There were Republican progressives-a they
we're very strong men-in both the Senate and the
House under the Administration of Mir. Taft. They
became great moral power in the Senate despite the
fact that they were in a hopeless minority But be-