Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-31
DEMOCRATS ARE
PLEASED BRYAN
WILL TOUR U. S.
Will Enunciate PIanks and
Sound Country's Sentl'
ment as to His Own
Candidacy.
By JUSTIN M'GRATH.

by I'm M GNA i II.
Universal Service Staff Correspondent.
Washington, Dec. S0.-Democratic
politicians in Washington generally
were pleased with the news from
Omaha that William ]. Bryan has
decided to tour the country and
make series of speeches in which
he will tell the democratic party
what the democratic national plat
form of 1920 should contain. Demo-
cratic statesmen think it is high
time some party leader started
something which would put an end
to the existing party inertia.
President Wilson's failure to make
any announcement with respect to
his own intentions, or even to give
hint of what those intentions are
to any of his closest advisers, has
brought about stagnation in the
party's affairs. James w. Gerard,
former ambassador to Germany, is
the only announced aspirant for the
democratic nomination thus far and
even Mr.. Gerard's announcement
had a string attached to it. Mr..
Gerard said that his candidacy was
conditioned upon President Wilson
not being a candidate. AS for Will
liam Gibbs McAdoo, Attorney Cen
eral Palmer and Secretary Daniels,
all of whom are regarded as likely
contenders, none of them can afford
to take the field until it is definitely
settled that President Wilson will
not enter the race.
Bryan Is Independent.
Mr.. Bryan is the only democratic
party leader of any grea: influence
who occupies a sufficiently indie
pendent position to proceed on his
| own initiative regardless # Presi-
dent Wilson's political intentions or
disposition. 1t is announced that
Mr.. Bryan's tour is to open in
Omaha on January II. In his series
of speeches Mr.. Bryan viii give his
ideas of the issues which he thinks
should be made the big issues in
the coming campaign. Mr. Bryan's
tour is expected to cover the entire
country.
Many here are inclined to think
Mr.. Bryan's tour is designed to feel
out the country on his candidacy
| for a fourth nomination. Since the
illness of President Wilson the
democratic party has had no leader
ship. 1t has been drifting: Moth
ing has been done toward definition
Ct the issues on which the best
Judgment of the party believes that
The next campaign SHOULD be con-
Quoted. While the republican ma
tional committee has been some
what feverishly busy in making
preparations for the corning cam
paign the democratic national COM
mittee has been wholly Inactive ex-
cept for tour of the west made by
Chairman Cummings.
Has Definite Ideas.
Mr.. Bryan has some very definite
ideas with respect to issues tor the
1920 campaign. He has ennnclated
some of these ideas in The Com
moner.
Mr.. Bryan is for the government
ownership wherever competition is
impossible as in the case of tele-
graph lines, telephone lines and rail-
ways. He wants the ending OF the
world war celebrated by the building
of memorial peace way which will
reach into every state. The idea OF
the great peace way is that it would
relieve the railroads by furnishing
roadway for both passenger and
| freight traffic and form CONNER
cial bond of union between the COM
monwealths.
Mr.. Bryan wants provision made
| for a referendum on war, except in
case of actual attacks. He wants the
initiative and referendum adopted IN
the nation as we'll as in all OF the
states. He favors a government BIZ
partisan paper through which the is
sues can be officially presented to
the people. He wants a declaration
| in favor of The rigid enforcement OF
prohibition.
Tour to Develop Planks.
These are some of the commit
ments which Mr.. Bryan already has
announced he believes the demo
cratic party ought to make. His
coming tour probably will develop
additional platform suggestions. =.
Announcement of his own candl-
dacy for the nomination probably
will depend on the popular reaction
Mr.. Bryan gets to his declarations
Of policy. Mr.. Bryan has everything
to gain and nothing to lose by his
tour. Even if he does not rouse such
popular enthusiasm as would war
ant his openly entering the competl-
tion for the nomination the fact that
he will present to the democratic
| party a definite program of action
probably will be welcomed as re-
| lief from the present intangibility
and lack of definite purpose.
In this event Mr.. Bryan is certain
to reconstruct great following
which will make him power in
the convention. If he can't get the
nomination for himself at least he
may put himself in a position again,
as he was at Baltimore in 1912, to
InIlIlsuIuIlsuIuiIInIusnsII