Omaha daily bee., 1896-08-21
PROTECTION STILL AN ISSUE.

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Although Mr.. Bryan has studiously
avoided any reference to that plank Of
the republican platform which de.
clarcs for protection and it Is the
policy of the free silver party to keep
this question away from public atten-
ton, still protection remains IN issue
and millions of the American people
are thinking about 1t and will continue
TO do so. 1t Is the opinion of some
shrewd observers that this question
will assume more prominence as the
campaign advances and this will inevi-
tably be the case II the free silver craze
continues TO lose ground as 1t unques-
tionably has beer doing since the Bryan
fiasco in New York. But In any event
a very large proportion Of the voters
canno be wholly diverted from the
consideration OF this question, in which
are involved the ability OF the govern,
mcnt to meet its expenses, the security
and development of American industries
and tile creation and maintenance of n
market for American labor. 1t is i'm
possible that the millions of wage earn
ers whose interests and welfare are de-
pendent upon Industrial activity can
wholly put out of mind that policy
which in the past made the working
men of this country the most indie
pendent. the most prosperous and the
most contentcd among the worlds toll
crs.
Many Of these men are thinking
about protection now and they will
think about 1t more ~intently as the
day of election approaches and they
see more clearly how utterly fallacious
Is the free silver contention, so far at
least as their interests are concerned.
When they shall see, as they will, that
changing our money standard can only
result in disaster to labor and that the
success of the political element sup
porting Mr.. Bryan would bring with
it not only n debasement of the cur
rency but the striking down of such
protection to our industries as we still
have, they will be heard demanding
the policy that will open mills and fac
tories and make an active market for
labor at living wages.
Mr.. Bryan and the people who are
supporting him are opposed to protec-
ton and would eliminate every vestige
of it il they had the power. In n speech
in congress in 1892, on n bill to place
wool on the free list, Mr.. Bryan de-
clared that protection is "the most
vicious political principal that has ever
cursed this country He is still of
that opinion and were he to become
president of the United States, with a
congress in sympathy with him, he
would be as Jealous and uncomprOmis-
ing an enemy of protection as this
country has ever had. We should
then have associated free silver and
practical free trade--currency debase-
ment and Industrial destruction. At
one blow Mr.. Bryan and his party
would ruin the credit of the nation and
strike down those great enterprises
which have been built up during the
past thirty-five years and which have
made the United States the greatest
industrial nation of the world.
Protection is still an issue with every
man who wants more work and better
pay and who has the intelligence to
understand that there is but one way in
which these can be obtained and that
is by restoring industrial activity and
creating Il demand for labor. Protec-
tiOn Is an issue with every man who
desires to see the growth of the Ameri-
can market, so that our producers shall
be less dependent upon foreign markets
where they are compelled to meet
competition. Protection is an
progress and prosperity of this re-
public.