Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-06

SOME QUESTIONS FOR COLONEL BRYAN
Colonel William Jennings Bryan is to
close the speaking campaign for the
fusion candidates of sham reform with
series of homestretch talks today.
While enlightening his admirers on the
questions of the hour, perhaps he will
find time to give the answers to few
interrOgatories.
Colonel Bryan and his democratic
and populist friends in the last con
gress boast that they forced the presi.
dent into the war with Spain for the
sake of the suffering Cubans. If so,
must not the democrats and populists
be charged with the responsibility for
all the ills which they assert have
grown out of the war?
Colonel Bryan resigned from the
army to go to Washington to lobby for
the ratification of the peace treaty,
which would not have secured the con.
stitutional majority in the senate eX'
ccpt for Senator Aliens vote, cast for
it under Bryan's influence. That treaty
annexed the Philippines to the United
States and placed the sovereignty un-
der the stars and stripes, entailing on
the president the duty to maintain the
authority and supremacy of the flag in
those islands. If the war to suppress
the Filipino insurrection could have
been avoided, did not Colonel Bryan
and the Bryanite senators who took
his advice make it necessary and are
they not justly chargeable for It?
Colonel Bryan outlines as his policy
for the Philippines the REIMBURSEMENT
of American sovereignty and the es
tablshment of an American protecto-
rate. AT the same time he rails against
the niquity of miltarism and decries
the maintenance of an army sufficient
in numbers to cope with the Filipino
insurrectionists But would not an
American protectorate impose upon the
United States the duty of protecting
life and property, especially of citizens
of foreign nations residing there and be
maintaining peace and order just the
same as If it exercised the sovereignty
itself? Would it not require just as
large an army to establish and uphold
the responsibilities of protectorate as
now to suppress insurrection and main
tain order after its suppression?
When the president called for volun-
teers in the late war, it is said ten re-
sponded to every one whose enlistment
could be accepted. Are not the dangers
| of drafting and impressment into the
army pictured by Colonel Bryan so re-
mote rs to make such talk absolutely
ridiculous and to stamp it as pure polit-
ical demagogy?
After all, what has the Philippines,
| Imperialism, militarism, free trade or
| free silver to do with the choice of n
| judge of the supreme court of Ne
braska? Are not the people of this
state interested chiefly in securing for
| their highest judicial tribunal man
| of demonstrated legal ability, of proved
! judicial experience and of tried integ-
| rity and trustworthiness? Would
Colonel Bryan, as Il lawyer, for mo,
ment deny that in point of professional
| ability and judicial qualifications Ma
| noah B. Reese so far eXcels Silas A.
| Holcomb that no comparison is to be
| made between them?
If Colonel Bryan would answer these
questions honestly and without evasion,
| he would give the best of reasons why
| every voter in Nebraska should cast
| his ballot for the republican candidates
| tomorrow.