Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-22
AN ExTRAURDINARY vINDlcATIoN

In his speech at Van Vert, o., Colonel
Bryan said that he was not discouraged
by the defeat of 1896, because he felt
that If his party was wrong then it de-
served to be defeated and If it was
right it's position would be vindicated
by experience. Il believe the last
three years have vindicated the position
taken in 1906" he declared. Can it be
possible that Colonel Bryan is sincere
in making this statement? He knows
what has taken place during the last
three years. He has travelled in every
section of the country within that Pc
riod and witnessed the improved con-
ditiOns everywhere. He has seen the
evidences of prosperity on all sides
wherever he has gone and he has read
the proofs Of it in the swelling statis-
tics of Industrial and commercial
activity. He knows that financial
dlstrust has given place to conf
dence and that all interests look
hopefully to the future as promising
an even larger measure of prosperity
than they are now having.
In view of all this, what does Colonel
Bryan mean by asserting that the po-
sition of his party in 1896 has been vim
dicated? That party prophesied all sorts
of evil and disaster to the country if
| republican principles and policies
should prevail and not single predic-
| ton has been verified. In every speech
| made by Colonel Bryan in the last ma
| tional campaign he told the idle work.
| ingmen that they would get no en-
| ployment if the republican party
| triumphed and that the wages of the
| employed would be reduced. Today the
demand for labor in every section of
! the country is in excess of the supply
and wages are higher than for several
years. He told the farmers that repub-
| licau success would mean less reward
| for their toll and increased hardships.
| Today the agricultural interest is in
| better condition than ever before in the
| history of the country Tens of thou
sands of farmers who three years ago
were heavily in debt are now free from
Indebtedness or have so far reduced
it that it no longer embarrasses them
| They We're told that unless we had the
free coinage of silver at IL to l prices
of products would further decline, but
on the contrary prices of all products
advanced.
The shibbOleth of the popocratic party
in 1896 was calamity and its promise
ruin and disaster in the event of repub
lican success. Instead there are
general prosperity and unprecedented
industrial and commercial activity
The mills and factories are run
ming full time and are delugeC
with orders. Present indications ar,
that the enormous exports of last yeal
will be exceeded this year. Home con
sumption has been Immensely in
creased. In all material respects thu
American people are better off than til,
people of any other land under the sun
Instead of vindication of the popo
cratic position, the existing conditions
demonstrate most cOnclusiyely and con
yincingly the utter fallacy of the finan
cial and economic principles of tina
party. The theory that there would be n,
prosperity under the gold standard ha
been completely and forever demol
ished, yet the declaration of Colone
Bryan implies that he thinks it not onl.
still sound, but really stronger for hav
ing been discredited by events. 1t /
easy 10 understand why he holds thi
view. He is the embodiment of fire.
silver and il is the question above al
others upon which his hope of crafty
ing his political ambition rests.
Not a single plank of the Chicag
! platform has been indicated by tn
; events of the last three years. Not
fact in existing conditions justites on
doctrine or declaration of that revolu