The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-06-20
WILL Mr.. BRYAN BE A CANDl
DATE IN 1916?


most conservative of the progressive
newspapers, thinks that it is a fair
conclusion from certain statements
made by Secretary of State Bryan not
long ago in his address before the
Pennsylvania legislature, that he
will be a candidate for president IN
1916: that Presidetn Wilson will not
accept q denomination. no matter
how strong the pressure on him may
be, and that there IS an understand
ing between him and President Will
son that the latter will leave him a
clear field to win the nomination.
The democratic national platform
contains a declaration in favor of the
one-term principle and pledges the
candidate nominated on that platform
to uphold that principle; that is, the
president is pledged to the one-term
principle. In the course of his speech
after notifying his audience that he
was present as a substitute for the
president, Mr.. Bryan said;
ct is a settled principle of this
country that a platform is binding
upon every man that runs on that plat
form Some men violate platforms
because they say they cannot violate
their conscience. No man should VIC
late his conscience, but that does not
mean thta he should violate his par
ty platform. 1t seems that his con
science should begin to work before
he is elected, and not afterward-
man who violates a party platform
and betrays his party and the people
is criminal worse than the man who
embezzles money"
Commenting on this declaration,
the New says:
SIS it not apparent from the fore
going that Mr. Bryan notified the
president of the substance of what he
was going to say, since he appeared
as his substitute, and that the presi-
dent consented to his calling attention
to platform declarations, and the bind
ing effect of those declarations on all
who ran on the 1918 plat |
form?
1t was Mr.. Bryan who had the one
term declaration introduced into the
platform, and while the
president has never publicly express
ed himself, so far as we remember, on
that plank, it is fair to assume that
he expects to abide by it. Otherwise
Mr.. Bryan wouldn't have called atten-
ton in so pointed a manner to the
binding effect of platform declara-
lions. His Harrisburg. Pa, speech
was the first purely political speech
ne has delivered since he accepted
The office of secretary of state, and
he regarded it as a good
opportunity to announce, in an indi,
rect way, that the president wouldn't
be a candidate for a second term: in
LdCL, COulUn Oc, SAANC AC Idn OAl q
platform containing the one-term prin-
ciple to which the Baltimore conven-
ton pledged him. And, apparently,
Mr.. Bryan expects to be the nominee
by the votes of a majority of the par
ty, since he expressed the opinion
that the presidential candidate in 1915
would be chosen by direct vote of the
people, not by conventions dominated |
by party bosses.
Since he has been secretary of |
state, Mr. Bryan has been at his Of |
fee very little. He has been going |
about the country making speeches, |
though his trip to California was in
the line of his official duties 1t looks |
a little as if he were keeping himself
before the people, trying to strength
en- his hold on them, and that he was
doing so with the approval of the pres
ident. If that is the case it follows
that he expects to be a presidential
candidate in 1916, and to have the
support of the president. Hence there
is no reason for specializing about a
second term for President Wilson"
Tho Wall Street hurriac ara now