OCR Text |
Show TOO FAR AWAY. Washington correspondents, having little else to do whilo waiting for tho J reassembling of congress, are making ; predictions as to Democratic candidates for president in 1920. William J. Bryan j heads the list in most instances, but Speaker Clark and Senator Underwood1 are also named, and wo have two new possibilities in Senator Pomerenc and Governor-elect Cox of Ohio. The Buckeye Buck-eye state cinched the election of Wilson and the Democratic vote was so large that naturally much credit is given both Pomcrcne and Cox for the victory they helped to achieve while running on tho ticket with tho president. But Bryan is the central figure just now, in spite of his numerous enemies and in spite of tho failures he has made. To begin with, ho made the nomination of Mr. Wilson possible at the Baltimore convention in 1912 after fighting Tammany Tam-many to a standstill and eliminating Speaker Clark. Then after disagreeing disagree-ing with his chief and resigning from the cabinet, he took the stump and did yeoman service htring the recent campaign. cam-paign. These facts are seized upon by the correspondents as indicating that Mr. Wilson, having had two terms in the White house and having been given his first big boost by the Nebraskan, will use his influence four years hence to force the latter upon the Democratic party as candidate for president. Few people in the country, however, will readily accept such views, not believing that Mr. Wilson would sacrifice the dignity dig-nity that goes with his exalted position to imitate the example of Theodore Roosevelt and arouse antagonisms within with-in his party that would be sure to destroy it. Bryan's espousal of the cause of prohibition pro-hibition may give impetus to that movement, move-ment, but there does not seem to be any chance that either the Republican or Democratic party will enter the next presidential campaign on a "dry" platform. Without such a plank, Mr. Bryan would be an impossibility. Speaker Champ Clark has many friends all over the country and is a prime favorite with politicians and statesmen of all parties. But the Missourian will bo too old to serve as president, even if he could be elected, and he might as well be left out of all consideration of the subject. Senator Underwood ba-lougs ba-lougs to the anti-Wilson wing of . the Democratic party, and is generally classed with the reactionary element. He might be able to command the votes o the New York delegates in convention, conven-tion, but he could not hope to run well in the west or in tho progressive sections sec-tions of the south. This being the case, Mr. UmTerwood is probably as near the top of the ladder as he can possibly reach. The correspondents should turn their attention to something else besides picking out presidential candidates for the next campaign, for it would be most extraordinary indeed should they be abie to mention the winner so long in advance. If they are determined to discuss dis-cuss the subject, however, they should start out by announcing the candidacy of Roosevelt, who will undoubtedly continue con-tinue to thrust himself forward until he is removed from the scene of all earthly activity and the pronoun "I" is given a much-needed rest. |