Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1897-09-01
BRYAN, the Demagogue.

In his speech at Billings, beforeleav-
ing the state, Mr.. Bryan gave vent to
the following:
We don't want a few to prosper
at the expense of the many. Instead
of simply raising the price of wool
we want to bring other things up
and put all on a level. We can t
cause the sheep men and a few others
to prosper and then call that pros
perity. l tell you my friends that
when a man thinks more of his sheep
than he does of his fellowmen he is
not a patriot, and before hecan make
me believethat he does have a higher
regard for his flocks than for his
neighbors, he will have to prove ii
by affidavit.
There is not a line i'm the above
that does not stamp Mr.. Bryan as
a very cheap and shallow dema-
gogue, who depends upon mere as
sertion or form of speech to find
favor with the ignorant and super
fetal. For one who has been toted
over the country by the silver kings
and who would be chiefly benefited
by the success of the 16 to l craze,
Iut uESIH thlCIlGt VI lllC abONt SHo"S
the inconsistency of the man. In the
second sentence he displays ignorance
or dishonesty, for "other things" 7
up" and enhancing in value right
along, thanks to the American people
for repudiating Mr.. Bryan. Reports
from his own state show a general
Improvement especially in all prod
ucts of the farmer, a class Mr.. Bryan
was so solicitous about last fall.
1t is not only the ''sheep men and a
return OF prosperity, but men en-
gagged in commercial pursuits and
various enterprises. When the first
affect is so uniform it cannot he long
before the benefits will he general,
because the success and prosperity of
one industry stimulates and aids
many others. What Mr.. Bryan
means by h closing sentence of the
above is not easy to determine. Pro-
lection benefits the wool grower
while Mr.. Bryan's quack financial
nostrums would not help the wool
grower or ''his neighbors." When
the farmer is prosperous all lines of
business are prosperous. Mr.. Bryan
comedies this. When wool growers
are prosperous, when cattle men are
receiving good prices and farmers are
doing well, and these being the chief
industries of the section in which he
displayed his malice and sore head.
will Mr.. Bryan tell us who the ''fel-
lowmen" or .'neighbors" are that
are not benefited. Possibly the fact
that he had to pay his own fare the
balance of the way home made him
sour. And there was a great trans
formation from the golden plush of
Marcus Days private car to the
dusty seats of h common plebeian.
But it will be remembered that at
Great Falls Mr.. Bryan got a wool
growers ear by telephone and poured
into it the beauties of his "silver Dip
for scab and other skin diseaseas.
until the wool grower believing him
to be engaged in a skin game all
around, left the phone in digust say
ing he would take protection in
his. This may have enraged Mr..
Bryan and he determined to insult
honorable men engaged in one OF the
greatest industries in the state or the
United States.
Now, as regards Mr.. Bryan, he
would have to furnish something
stronger than his own affidavit to
make people believe that he is not in
the employ of h silver syndicate.
which is foolishly wasting its money
on a political back number.