Evening star., 1925-07-15
Politics at Large
BY c. Could Lincoln

trial at Dayton, Tenn, and the sen
atorial race in Florida next year is
suspected here by political observers.
William Jennings Bryan, the greatest
"fundamentalist" of them all, has
been a resident of Florida. the State
of his adoption. for about six years,
and ii is reported he has his eye
on the seat in the Senate now occu-
pied by Senator Duncan U. Fletcher
of Florida. Mr.. Bryan has made no
formal announcement yet that he
will be a candidate for the Demo
cratic nomination against Senator
Fletcher. But word has recently
been received here that he has told
friends i'm the State he is prepared
TO make the race 'if the people want
him.
At present the limelight is turned
strongly on Mr.; Bryan--as IL has been
frequently in the past. He is getting
tremendous publicity that may or
may not help him if he enters the
lists in Florida With all due re-
gard for the modesty of Mr.. Bryan,
he has rarely been OF the opinion in
many years that the people did not
want him-certainly not until the
day after election.
He may seek to make "fundamen-
talism" and evolution issues in the
Florida campaign, if he throws his
hat I'm the ring. Perhaps he would
get not a few votes If he did. on
the other hand, II Mr.. Darrow. coun-
sci for the defense in the case
against evolution, succeeds in "mak-
ing a monkey" Of Mr.. Bryan with
out regard to his ancestors, the situ-
alton will not be so bright for Mr.
Bryan.
+ x II
Should Mr. Bryan become a candi-
date. as it is now expected in Florida
and here that he will, he will have
a tough opponent in Senator Fletcher,
who is popular in his own State and
has a record of achievement during
his three terms in the Senate. Twice
the people of his State have returned
Senator Fletcher to the Senate, show
ing thir approval OF his work in that
body. There are only two Demo
cratic Senators in the Senate today
who had longer continuous service
than Senator Fletcher They are
Simmons and Overman, both of North
Carolina. Only four Republicans
outrank him in point of service,
Warren Of Wyoming, who is the
father of the Senate today, and
Smoot of Utah. Borah of Idaho and
Cummins of Iowa. Seniority means
much in the Senate. 1t rules in as
signmentS to the standing committees
of the Senate and Senator Fletcher is
In line for important assignments, in
cluding the Craftsmanship of the Sen
ate committee on commerce, which
handles all river and harbor bills and
merchant marine legislation, should
the Democrats win control of the
Senate. If Mr.. Bryan were elected
to the Senate he would have to go
to the foot of the committee lists
under the seniority rule In other
words, it may be more to the ad-
vantage of Florida to retain Senator
Fletcher than it is to put MIR. Bryan
In his place.
Floridians point out that Senator
Fletcher has made an excellent Sena-
tor, and is a resident Of Florida of
long standing, going there from
Georgia, his native State and begin
ming the practice of law in Jackson
Vile in 1881. Mr.. Bryan. on the other
hand, is comparatively recent addi-
ton to Florida. Some are unkind
enough to suggest that If he desired to
enter the Senate he should have made
the race in his old State of Nebra ska
The Democfatie nomination in
Florida--or any of the other dyed-in-
wool Democratic States Of the South
is tantamount to election. If Mr.
Bryan could win the Democratic NOM
ination he would not have to- fear
Republican opponent. Some of the
Florida real estate boosters are re-
ported to feel that Bryan in the Sen
ate would be a good advertisement for
the State. But Mr.. Bryan could
scarcely be expected TO speak often of
Florida real estate on the floor OF the
Not tay. l., q
his prospective constituents might de-
sire him TO do so.
X X X
In the event of his candidacy for
the senatorial nomination, there are a
number Of questions which Mr. Bryan
may have difficulty with in Florida.
First, there is the question of the child
| labor amendment to the United States
Constitution, which Florida turned
down, on the ground that it was a
I matter which should properly be regu-
lated by the States. How would he
stand on this issue? Secondly, Mr..
Bryan has preached far and wide his
advocacy of the cancellation Of the
war debts owed the United States by
European nations. If he came to the
Senate would he continue to strive to
have the war debts Cancelled and
how would this appeal to the people
! of Florida? Not so long ago Mr.. Bryan
was strongly advocating Government
ownership of railroads, a doctrine
which is scarcely likely to appeal
either to the longtime residents of the
State or to those more recent who
| have come from the North. The
| Bryan doctrines, from 16 to l down
the line, have not proven overpopular,
except prohibition. He espoused the
cause of woman suffrage, too, while
Senator Fletcher was opposed to votes
for women.
/ Last year Mr.. Bryan made a cam
I paign throughout the State for cleo
! ton as delegate to the Democratic ma
/ tional convention and was successful.
But election as a delegate to the Demo
cratic national convention in Florida
! is not a matter that is closely contest.
ed Even then it was suggested that
his campaign was made with view to
! the senatorial election next wear. At
! the Democratic national convention in
New York Mr.. Bryan, to put it mildly,
| had a rough time. He was unable to
stampede the convention, and in the
end he was forced to swallow a NOM
| inee for President, John w. Davis,
who only few days prior he had de-
nounced as a minion of Wall Street.
In many quarters Mr.. Bryan's change
| of attitude, ascribed to the fact that
| his brother was given second place on
the ticket, did not sit well, particu-
larly in the West, where he went to
campaign for the Democratic candi-
dates last Fall
X X X X
Like Mr.. Micawber, MIR. Bryan has
been something of an opportunist-in
| politics - waiting for something to
| turn up, and if it did not, he has lent
helping hand to turn it up. The
| evolution question in Tennessee has