The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-09-30
BRYANIsM MEANS ANARCHY.

objection is made that the Republi-
cans are denouncing Bryan as an an
archist because he favors free silver,
This is not true. Free silver is not,
necessarily, anarchy. 1t may, it Is true,
lead up to anarchy. but a mere belief
in the Is to l ratio, in its ordinary man.
Hesitation, implies nothing worse than
ignorance or dishonesty. II is not for
advocating free silver that Republicans
call Bryan anarchist. As long as he
stuck to the silver question as the sole
issue of his campaign, whatever else was
thought Of him. the country was char
favor anarchy. But Mr.. Bryan's later
utterances have dispelled this belief,
He has abandoned the silver issue. The
glazing inaccuracies and crude sophis-
tries OF his earlier speeches have
brought upon him such an avalanche OF
solid facts in %disproof, that he has been
compelled to shift his line Of battle.
His position was indicated In his
formal letter Of acceptance which pracS
tically ignored the silver issue. He had
already thrown overheard the tariff
issue. knowing free trade to be. in'the
light Of the country's experience, unten-
able. In his letter. and ever since, he
has been viciously assailing the nation
al governments authority to enforce
United States laws anywhere in the
Union. He is making every effort to
array the disconnected elements OF our
huge population in his support, under
a virtual promise that. IL elected, he will
not allow the national government to
enforce its own laws when a riot inter-
feres with the business intercommuni-
cation Of the states and the transit Of
mails.
This is why so many good citizens
now regard Mr.. Bryan as an anarchist,
and he deserves the Characterization.
Feeling himself whipped on the l6 to II
issue, he is playing a more desperate
game, and in doing so is unmasking
himself fully. His election as president
Of the United States would require him
on March 4 to take a solemn oath to
execute that office so as to preserve,
protect and defend the constitution Of
the United States The constitution
vests in the president the executive
power-the duty Of seeing that the laws
of the United States are faithfully OBJ
served.
What would Mr.. Bryan do If a mob
should stop the mails and obstruct in
terstate commerce. as one did sometime
ago in the city of Chicago? His oath Of
Office would require him to use all the
power Of the national government re-
quisfte to prevent the obstruction Of the
mails and start the wheels Of commerce
again. Would he obey that oath, or
would he violate it? He has given his
to this question. His associate,
AItseld, wrote and had inserted a plank
IN the Chicago platform designed to
forbid the exercise Of this very power.
exactly that kind of emergency. Mr..
Bryan has not only repeatedly stated
within the past few weeks that he be-
in and stands upon every plank
the Chicago platform, but has sought
to emphasize this particularly obnox-
ious plank by criticising and condemn
ing President Cleveland for the part he
took in suppressing the Chicago riot.
What else is Mr.. Bryan doing in these
declarations but advocating anarchy If
any Of his deluded admirers are in
doubt as to the propriety Of applying
this term to Mr.. Bryan's present line
Of appeal to the people, let them read
the constitution Of the United States
and then consult some standard die
tionary and earn the meaning Of the
word anarchy"