Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-09

that had gone for Bryan four yoArs before
Hanna and his senatorial cot6ie ruio(
everything. There were Piatt and Quay
Fairbanks and Allison, Depcw and For
| aker, Woicott and Lodge and the con
vention was going Ms they directed.
Hanna wanted Cornelius N. Bliss, OF
Senator Aiiison nominated for Vice
President, Vice President Hobart having
died in Office. Piatt took Quay into his
scheme. Tney must get rid OF Roosevelt
So they organised the willing westcs ncrs
and began whooping it up ior Roosevelt
for second place. The dangerous man was
to be buried alive in the Vice-Presidency
Colonei Roosevelt WA already cAndi-
date 70, President for the campaign oi
1904. He believed that his interests could
be advanced more readily if he remained
governor Of Newly ork than il he were mnde
Vice President. He protested with earn
estness and vehemence. He fought ~
hard as he possibly could, but the enthu-
siasm for the one war hero who had
wcathered the storms of two years was so
great that it could not be overcome.
More especially when managed by two
veteran manipulators like Platt and
Quay. So it was that Theodore Rooee-
Welt WAS kicked upstairs and put on the
shelf where he would never bother
national politics again"
The Democrats met in Kansas City on
July 4 and the Silver Republicans met in
the same city on the same day.
There was great fight, led by David
b. Hill of New York, to prevent the
specific reitcration of the free silver piank
of 1896, but Mr.. Bryan insisted and the
plank went in. Ad.ai Stevenson, who had
been elected Vice President with Grover
Cleveland in 1892, WAS given the second
place on the ticket. The Silver Republi-
cans promptly nominated thesamc candi-
dates. Later in the campaign the anti
lmperialist Convention met and endorsed
Bryan. The Gold Democrats called n
convention, but it was decided not to
make any nominations. Many OF the
leaders of the Palmer and Buckner follow
ing came back into the party and sup
ported Mr.. Bryan, but the large majority
of the rank and file of the Cleveland fac
ton went into the Republican party.
BRYAN's DECLINE.
Mr.. Bryan again took the stump and
made great speaking tour. He WAS met
everywhere with great enthusiasm, but
he did not stir the depths that he had
reached in 1896. Mr. Mckinley, being
President, was very quiet in the campaign,
bun Colonel Roosevelt took the stump
and flayed Bryan with characteristic zcal.
Mr. Bryan had attempted to make
imperialism" the paramount issue in the
campaign. Many conservatives were In
tense IN their opposition TO the inaug'rra~
ton of colonial system. Republicans
and conservative Democrats who looked
upon the Bryan of 1898 with horror were
willing to fellow him in 1900. There is no
question but that the Bryan vote among
the educated classes was greater In the
second campaign than the first.
But among other classes Mr.. Bryan
could not hold his own The Republicans
made the full dinner pail the paramount
issue As for the colonial policy, that was
manifest destiny and duty to humanity.
The thing to talk about WAS prosperity.
The country WAS prosperous and WAS be-
coming more 80 every day. II was enter
ing upon the most propitlous era OF Its
industrial history. The people seldom turn
out an administration in good times.
Therefore MIR Mckinley was reelected
by much greater majority than he had
received four years before. There WAS
never time during the campaign when
Mckinley WAS in any danger of defeat.
The Democrats accepted his reelection as
a matter of course The mingling of
northern and southern soldiers IN the
campaigns in Cuba and the Philippines
had ohliterated the last vestige OF the
old sectional strife, and when President
made his southern tour he buried
the "bloodv shirt" for all time to come.