Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-10-24

past public record. The American people
haye been addicted to this habit for years
When a man is a candidate for great Of
fee the electorate is justified In making
| a close scrutiny of his acts in whatever
public capacity he may have served aS AZ
| iording a reliable index OF his probable All
titude toward issues that arr pending.
Very little reference has been made in
| this campaign 10 Mr.. Bryan's record In
Congress perhaps for the very good rcI-
son that he has no record that Is Of suf-
| ii2ient Importance to challenge public All
| tenton. But Mr. Bryan had - great
talking record" in Congress. He began
developing his rear platform style OF ora
tory Immediately after his election to The
| tfty-second Congress. Like most talk
| ing members of Congress. he was lon.s Oh
orAtory hut short on Legislative results.
The only way to judge The Vaiue of Mir.
| Bryan's congressional ordtory is to ascer
tain the fate of the measures which he
championed. Ii must be borne in mind
that the house was Democratic ny a large
majority during his two terms. In the
FIRST session of the fifty-second Congress
he introduced forty~one bills and Joint
resolutions. Among these were bills 10
place barbcd wire. iron rods, binding
twinc, lumber and salt on the free list.
He made twenty-five speeches during this
session but only three of the measures
which he advocate We're passed.
In the second session of the fifty-secOnd
Congress none of the three bills which he
introduced became a law. although he
made the chambers resound with his mel
During the first session of the fifty
third Congress Mr.. Bryan introduced thir-
teen bills. none Of which passed either
House. although Mr.. Bryan broke out in
impassioned oratory not less than twenty
times. eight of the speeches being devoted
to the silver question.
In the second session of the fifty-third
Congress Mr. Bryan introduced fifteen
bills and Joint resolutions. only two of
which became laws. although he RECALLED
the House with ninety-two separate and
a &c n
In the third session of the fifty-third
Congress Mr.. Bryan Introduced six meas
ures. three Of them being separate Joint
resolutions 10 make the President OF the
United States ineligible for a second term.
and another to make the President in
eligible TO succeed himself. He spoke
iifty-two times during this session, but
none of the measures which he introduced
became n law.
The two browning achievements of
craftsmanship to which Mr.. Bryan points
with especial pride the bin providing
for the building of passenger elevator in
he postotfice at Lincoln, and the WILSON,
German Misunderstanding. shop-wreckine
debt creating tariff bill
Mr. Bryan enjoys the distinction of hav-
ing been a member of the ways and
means committee which framed that no.
torious souphouse revenue" measure;
free trade principles than any other act
passed by the Democratic party since
1883. 1t was framed with reckless disre-
country. 1t placed iron ore hituminous
coal. wool cotton ties biding Irvine.
nearly all farm products on the free list.
and made most radical and sweeping re-
auctions in import duties on the whole
line of competing commodities. II re-
pealed the bounty on sugar. also the
reciprocity paragraph of the Mckinley
bill. The duties on wooden goods were
reduced to an ad valorem rate of less than
50 per cent.
If this bill had passed as originally
farmed by Mr.. Bryan and his committee
ii would have been much more destructive
to American industries than the WILSON,
German bill. and the treasury deficits
would have been much larger. The bill.
as modified by the senate. transferred
ninety-two articles from the dutiable to
the free list. reduced the duty of seven
articles 10 per cent. on liz articles 30 to
% per cent on 35S articles % TO 50 per
cent on $50 articles % per cent
Having assisted in destroying the home
market for the farmer. throwing hun
dreds of thousands of men out of employ
ment. and in creating a deficit in the
treasury of s106000.000 in twenty-five
months, Mr. Bryan is now asking the
wage-earners to vote for dollar which,
when paid out to labor that is lucky
enough to be employed. will buy 80 per
cent less of the necessares of life than
the dollar which is now paid to labor.