Evening star., 1919-12-28
Return ofMr. Bryan Causes
No Surprise in Home State
Nebraska Looks F0rward to Vigorous
Part in National Politics.

he returned the democratic candi-
date for President. Not for a moment
since has any one questioned the poll
itics of the Omaha WOrld-Herald; II
has been both for Bryan and against
him, for Wilson and against him, but
always it has been democratic.
Incident Marred Friendship.
In 1899 a singular incident cropped
up to mar the friendship between
Bryan and Hitchcock. The legislature
of Nebraska chose Judge Hayward,
republican. to be United States SEN
ator in succession to William Vincent
Allen, who had been elected by the
populist legislature in 1898. Judge
Hayward died shortly after his cleo
tion, and it was up to Gov. Poynter,
a fusion democrat, to name the SEN
ator for a short term. Hitchcock was
an aspirant, but on the recommends
tion of Bryan the governor reappolnt-
ed Senator Allen.
Under the caption, 'The String OF
Ingratitude," Mr.. Hitchcock poured
through his paper, in brief but corrod-
ing words. his declaration of vendetta
against William Jennings Bryan. Since
that day what one has wanted the 9TH
er has opposed. Any honor that has
come to either in the way of favor from
the voters Of Nebraska has been against
the sometimes open, sometimes secret
objection of his former friend. No
campaign has been carried on but has
been distinguished by the guerilla war
between the two leaders When Mr.
Hitchcock entered the Senate in 1911 it
was not because the Bryanites had as
sisted him at the polls in 1910.
When Bryan became Secretary of
State in the Wilson cabinet two years
later he did it with full knowledge that
at least one senator would be feminist
a n 10 ha
President naturally sided with his
premier and the Hitchcock path was
thorny and hard for a long, long time.
He was about as welcome at the White
House as Hartman was during T. RS
time. Out this way nobody cared much
about that, but certain fine federal jobs
were hung up for years because the
President would not name Hitckcocks 8
choice, and Bryan's could not get by
the Senate.
Republicans Retained Posts.
Republicans named by Taft went
right on drawing good fat salaries,
while hungry democrats looked envious-
ly on and wished to high heaven that
something would happen. Eventually,
Mr.. Bryan found himself unable or un-
willing to sign a note written by the
President to the German kaiser and
when he said "Good-by, God Bless you ~
at the White House door. it was a sig
nal for much relief in Nebraska Plums
fell, and office-hungry democrats were
appeased. Hitchcock men got the best
in sight. and all seemed rosy.
But Bryan was neither dead nor
sleeping. His organization in Ne
braska has lost nothing of it's virility,
although the Hitchcock crew did give
it an awful going over in 1916, when
the senator was reelected and his
candidate for governor went in
a-whooping. Mr.. Bryan devoted his
time in that campaign to boosting
for prohibition, and the state voted
dry by a tremendous majority. The
to refer to this election, smilingly
point out that Senator Hitchcock has
the record of being the only man ever
elected in Nebraska who ran $4,000
votes behind the head of his ticket
Differences May BE Sunk.
Just at present Nebraska followers
of Senator Hitchcock look on him
with pride as contender for the
democratic nomination in 1920. 1t is
certain he will have the sixteen dele
gates from Nebraska-providing Mr.
Bryan assents. Similarly, Bryan
can have the state vote to support his
cent Therefore the reapproachment
The one is a prohibitionist. the other
is a wet; the one is a suffragist, the
other an anti; the one commoner,
the other an aristocrat. But these
differences all may be sunk in the
fact that neither will get very far in
the next democratic national conven-
So the Joe" Folk dinner looks bigger
in Nebraska than anything that has
happened since Sumter was fired on.
T. w. MCCULLOUGH.