Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-01-21
The Unanswered Questions

THE thousand OF more Democratic leaders
! who descended upon Washington q few
days ago. engaged in many conferences and
participated III the two-ring banquet in honor
OF Andrew Jackson, found it necessary to
return to their homes without receiving
positive answer either to the question
whether or not Woodrow Wilson would be
candidate to succeed himself or whether Will
liam j. Bryan is to be a candidate to sue
coed Mr.. Wilson.
There have been more debate and specula-
ton and concern over these concrete propo-
sitions than over the league OF nations the
prohibition issue, government ownership OF
railroads and all the other problems OF, gov
eminent combined. Wherever men discuss
politics they discuss candidates. first and
policies aftcrward. Personalities arc always
more interesting than principles aud for that
reason the next ticket OF tho party will at
tract more attention than the next platform.
Although tho party chieftains are left i'll
doubt, in SO far US the spoken word goes,
as to the future political course of Mr.. Will
son and Mr.. Bryan. it scoms morally GER
tain that the President is out OF the run
ninS and that Bryan is in the running. There
are certain obvious facts which make this
statement a safe venture. In the first in
stance, the physical disability OF the Pres-
dent is such as to render 1t dangerous for
him to undertake smashing campaign for
tho country might as we'll realize it. To
thrust him forward might prove fatal to
him, and the party has no right TO exact
moro from him than he already has given.
IT was not necessary for Mr.. Wilson to say
all this, to lay emphasis upon his weakness
or to appear to surrender the leadership OF
his party in order to satisfy the doubts of
those who refuse to think for themselves
unon the question. 1t appears. nevertheless,
to be true.
As for Mr.. Bryan, he may be regarded as
a candidate in much the same sense that he
was candidate at Baltimore In 1912. He
is no seeker OF delegates or delegations in
advance. He does not need TO appear on
the convention floor with the necessary two
thirds OF the voters, or even with one third
pledged to him, to give him standing. If the
opportunity comes for him TO seize tho nomi-
nation. and il he feels at the time that he
wants to embrace that opportunity, he will
do it, whatever the pledges
From those who are in touch with Mr.
Bryan comes the information that he is still
in doubt as TO the value Of the Democratic
nomination this year. He has no wish to
make a campaign that is foreordained to
failure. To be the head of his party ticket
is no novelty to him. Three times lie has
carried the Democratic standard But il
there arises a demund for him outside the
rigid lines OF his party, If, for example, the
women or the country, plus the great body
OF labor, plus the great body OF the drys,
should issue call to Mr. Bryan, then he
might feel that the nomination was not an
empty honor, and that it would be worth
lighting for.
As in the case OF the President, it was
not necessary for Mr.. Bryan to make a
declaration to this effect or to make any
declaration at all as to his own political
future.