The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-27
STILL BELIEVES IN BRYAN.
CONGRESSMAN LESTER THINKS HIM
A GREAT POLITICAL FACTOR.
Instead of Talking Himself to Death

eY of Expansion. Investigation of
the Conduct of the War, and the
Governments Finances to Occupy
the Attention of the Coming Con-
grexs-COI. Lester to Visit HIS Con-
stituents.
mo; you are mistaken. William Jen-
nings Bryan is still a great power in the
land. He has not lost his hold on the
people. I look for him to be the next
Democratic candidate for President, and
for him to be successful"
Congressman Lester took another turn
in his chair and continued:
ut is wrong, the impression many peo-
pie have, that Bryan has talked himself
to death The reverse is the case. What
ever he has said has been good, plain,
common sense, and the great public has
recognized II as such. OF course there are
lot Of carping critics who continually
seek to discredit him with the masses,
but their efforts are not proving success
full. He is a man of commanding ability,
he has brains and knowledge back of his
voice, and he is as far from being retired
from public life as any man in the coun-
try"
You do not believe then, colonel, that
the cause of silver is dead or dying?"
"Assuredly not. 1t is not likely to lose
force until it and gold come nearer to
parity and general prosperity Is re-estab-
lished Because silver may be temporarily
obscured by the war and it's excitement,
it must not be thought that 1t has passed
from the public's mind. Get away from
the city for a few days and talk to the
men in the interior, and you will find
whether financial reform is a dead issue
or not. The Republican party, controlled
by certain moneyed interests, would
doubtless like to convince the world and
Itself that such is the case, but it is not
so. While other issues may be associated
with 1t, there is no questioning by any
one acquainted with the facts that the sill
yer question will be what you might term
live wire two years hence"
win not the conditions created by the
war make the main issues between the
parties at that time and perhaps for years
to Gomez
ITO a large extent So but not to the
complete abandonment of other great pria-
ciples for which the Democracy has stood
What position the party, as a unit will
take on the question of expansion I cam
not say. As you know, there is division
OF sentiment on the question, although /
believe the majority. sentiment is against
the experiment of foreign colonies that
the Republicans would graft upon the
country. Speaking for myself; l am op-
posed to it. 1 would not keep a foot of
land In the Philippines more than might
be needed for a naval station, If one is 1e-
quired there. 1 can see nothing but very
doubtful results to flow from the break
from all our precedents that the Republi-
cans are so eager to make. Complications
of various kinds, continuous increases in
army and navy and consequent greater
and greater expense TO the country, the
ever present likelihood of trouble with Eu-
ropean powers with uncertainty and de-
preston on general business, these are
some of the results that may be looked for
And what do they offer us in return for
the great burden of cost and of anxiety
and danger? With the Republicans ii
seems to be anything to add to the bur-
dens of government, anything to swell the
expenses. How can the protective tariff,
so called, be reduced, they will say, when
SO much more revenues are necessary to
protect and promote the welfare of our
new colonial possessions. And if there
are deficits created, what easier than 10
issue more bonds that panacea for empty
treasures. This new policy of expansion
is going to prove a strong incentive for
vast addition to our arms of defense and
a corresponding swelling of the army and
naval appropriation bills You can see it
already in the talk of indefinitely increas-
ing the regular army 10 100000 men more
of going in for the creation of navy
second to none. 1t sounds pretty, that
sophistical argument of never pulling the
flag down where 1t has been once hoisted,
but If 1t is adopted the people of this coun-
try may expect to pay the piper we'll"
''You are not in favor, then, of increas-
ing the regular army to 100000 menu"
mo. l do believe in increasing 1t, but
not to that extent. Fifty thousand men,
/ believe, will be enough for all our needs
The truth of the matter is, there are get
ting to be too many people who want
this country to be going around with a
chip on it's shoulder inviting France or
Germany or some other country to knock
il off in the Philippines or somewhere
else, so we can show them what fighters
we are.
"Whie / believe we can whip any of
them, l would like TO know what good IL
would do II we did. Why, to listen to
some of the speeches made on this ex-
pansion business you would have to be-
lieve that If Commodore Watson had gone
to Europe with his squadron and planted
the Stars and Stripes on Spanish soil we
would have had to annex Spain and create
first thing we know we will be getting an
application of the Monroe doctrine from
the other side of the ocean that may not
be pleasant"
"Ine war will cut a decided figure in
the coming session of Congress, will it
not?"
Decidedly. 1t promises TO be the theme
of the session. There will be the side of
acknowledgement the financial side the ex-
pansion side, and probably other points
of view that will make the session one of
the most interesting in recent years. You
can look for plenty of oratory and no end
of speeches. 1t will be the golden oppor-
tunity for the man who wants to talk and
who believes he has got something to
say"
What position viii the Democrats as
sume?"
Eve will want a rigid investigation
presume In view of the prevalent discon
tent. Many Republicans will be with us on
that Ane as things now look The most
rahid attacks on the management of the
war department appear TO come from I9a