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Show BRYAN'S ATTITUDE. William J. Bryan, with his weather eye open for propitious issues which might keep him in the political sunlight, hit upon nationnl prohibition, federal woman suffrage and state railroad regulation. regu-lation. It is just possible that, when the time arrives when he would be able to make use of them to further his fortunes, for-tunes, they will have ceased to be issues by reason of having been settled, or that matters of more vital importance will have supplanted them in the popular popu-lar mind. But never mind that; William Wil-liam J. will have no trouble accommodating accommo-dating himself to the issues that arise. Mr. Bryan has declared himself as favoring both federal suffrage and federal fed-eral prohibition. The Tribune the other day reviewed his stand upon the railroad rail-road question. One of his pleas as to suffrage and prohibition was that these questions may soon have been settled affirmatively in enough states to insure their adoption by the nation, and for that reason he will undertake a crusade in their favor, which he hopes, no doubt, will reach its climax with him on its crest about four years hence. The fact that the sentiment for prohibition pro-hibition anil woman suffrage is raakiDg steady headway' might be sufficient cause for gratification to one who favored fa-vored the principles involved, and might naturally suggest a willingness to await the verdict of the individual states. But not so with the crusader; to his mind it presents an argument that seems to say, ''We are getting stronger all the time, and pretty soon we'll be! strong enough to force them all into j line, whether they like it or not." Par; from being satisfied with the progress, already made, he sees in it oulv the promise of power to coerce the unwiU-, irjg, not an incentive to evangeli.ation. And Mr. Bryan would be thought an evangelist, too. It is noted that Elihu Root, in a p:ipcr read for him before a national auti-suffrage auti-suffrage convention in Washington, protested pro-tested against the adoption of a federal i suffrage amendment, holding it " con-: con-: trary to the principles of American institutions in-stitutions and the subjectiou of the people peo-ple of one state to the government of others." It might be well for Mr. Bryan, before be-fore committing himself further, to con-: con-: sifler how the strongholds of Democracy would look upon the coupling of these I issues, unless he, is prepared, as has been suspected, to renounce his allegiance alle-giance to his party and carry tho banner ban-ner for the prohibitionists. He has already al-ready announced that he will not sup-I sup-I port for president the candidate of any party that docs not declare for national prohibition. By enveloping the two issues is-sues impartially in his oratory, he haB made it appear that they are equally the objects of his solicitude. Should he put the ban also upon any party that refused to favor national woman suffrage, suf-frage, it is quite likely that he would bo obliged to seek refuge in the camp of the prohibitionists, or, emulating Theodore Theo-dore I, get up a little grape-juice and pink-tea party of his own. |