The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-06
THE PROPOSED sPoLIATloN.
Some Remarks Apropos of Mr.. Bryan's
Keen Eye for Pickpockets.

louisville Oourier-J ournal.)
Much has been said of the light-fn-
gered gentry who attend the Bryan meet
inss and relieve a gentleman here and
there of b is watch and wallet. Maybe,
however, the public ID too hard on them.
Their efforts to change the ownership
Of property are ridioulously small COM
pared with the efforts of the Boy Orator.
He proposes a policy which would rob
the owners of the following property of
at least half, most probably all of it. We
use round numbers:
Ten thousand millions of life insur-
anoe.
Zen thousand millions of railroad
stocks and bonds.
One thousand eight hundred millions
of saving bank deposits.
One thousand seven hundred millions
deposited in national banks.
One thousand three hundred and fifty
million deposits in State and private
banks and trust companiea
Five hundred millions in building and
loan associations.
Many Thousands of millions due to the
Institutions above named and from in
dividuals to others.
II Mr.. Bryan and his followers should
come into power the free coinage of sill
YER would, of course, follow, and this
alone would out all this prop erty one
ha II. But it il admitted everywhere
that Mr.. Bryan cannot be elected without
the aid of the Populists, and the votes of
this element would be needed to pass any
bill through Congress. Now Mr.. Bryan
- as much the Fopuiist nominee as he is
that of the Chicago convention. The
Populists are not satisfied with the free
coinage Of silver. They wish an unlim-
lied issue Of legal sender paper, and Mr..
in Congress. The Chicago convention
declared for the issue Of paper by the
government, without saying anything
about a Limits. 1t did propose to redeem
it in ''ooin." meaning silver, but this
il known to be Impossible unless the is
sue Is limited. The Populists oppose all
redemption, and their wishes would nee
essarfly prevail in a Congress, where they
would have the power to block all legis-
lation.
The Populists wish enough legal ten
der paper to buy all the railroads, tele-
graphs. telephones and all other means of
distribution and communication that
there are In the whole country. They
know, Of course. that, with suoh a mass
OF paper money thrown into circulation,
the value Of it would not be greater than
that of Confederate money about the
close Of the war. Their real intention.
therefore, 10 to seize the railroads and
tsleRraphs, and pay only a nominal
amount for them, too small to be oon-
sldered. Il must como to this before the
plans Of the coalition of Popocrats and
Populists can be carried out. Mr.. Bryan
N ust DO presumed to intend the natural
and legitimate oonseQuenoes of his own
action. This is nothing short of sweep
Ing away all this immense quantity of
tho savings of the people.
Thh Is not the worst Of it. The con-
nsoation will not stop with the degrade |
tlon Of the currency, and the confsca- |
tion Of existing debts, along with rail |
roads. stc The panic which Mr.. Bryan |
admits will follow this tremendous revo- |
luton will throw millions out of employ. |
mant. Those who still retain PLACES Will |
be paid In currency SO bad that 1t will |
be hard, indeed. for the workingmen and |
their families to subsist upon what they |
receive. The loss in renl wages-that ia,
the amount OF commodities that can be |
bought with waRes-wili amount during |
the coming years to sum so stupenaous |
that 1t staggers tho imagination.
In the face Of a contemplated robbery |
30 vast, SO comprehensive, so universally |
ruinous, the petty men who content |
themselves with q watch or wallet |
may we'll be amazed at their own modsr-
atiOn