The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-09-08
Bryan and "Other ISIS ues"
From Harper's Weekly:

From Harper's Weekly
The great interest which is manifested
by leading democrats as to Mr. Bryan's
present views on the silver question is
chiefly important as showing strong
desire on the part of many members OF
the party that the contest for the presi-
dency next year shall turn on some
other issue What that other issue is
to be is somewhat doubtful, Some OF
the leaders think 1t ought to be trusts,
while others regard expansion as the
momentous question, Some OF the
democrats who hope that the party will
not repeat the declaration of the Chi
cago platform of 1896 in favor of the
free coinage of silver at the ratio OF 16
to then supported MIR. Bryan and re-
main in the party even under the mar
row construction sought to be given to
party loyalty by Senator Tillman.
Others who are urging change of base
have been read out of the party by the
strict constructionists because they OPP
posed Mr.. Bryan three years ago.
Mr.. Bryan himself appears to be de-
sirous of going some way in the path
that leads to the harmonious meeting
of the party elements. But he finds it
difficult. The moment he suggests that
other issues may be at least Temporal
rily more important than the silver
question he recalls the stern and unre-
lenting character of his own former
declaration and the strength of the sill
yer vote. Thereupon he assures his
friends and followers once more that he
will never abandon their silver issue.
So he staggers between his desire to win
new friends and his hope to keep those
he has. But the country is not to be de-
ceived, or even mystified
Mr. Bryan is the leader of the forces
of discomfort. He believes that silver
ought to be coined free at the ratio of
16 to /, for the same reason that he
would advocate, should the time ever
come, the printing of an indefinite
amount of paper money. Indeed, there
is hardly any room to doubt that he
would prefer the paper money to coin OF
any kind. He is the representative OF
those who want cheap money-that is,
money which inevitably means high
prices for everything but labor. 1t is
perfectly true that among Mr.. Bryan's
followers are men who are justly dis
contented, who have been oppressed by
exacting creditors and who have suff-
cred from. hard and unset entific econ.
omic and industrial conditions. There
are others who follow him, because
they are democrats, without believing
in what was, three years ago, the prin-
cipal plank in his platform. But in
addition to all the honest and all the
honestly misguided men who have voted
for him and will vote for him are the
Observation-Disclosures who want to agitate
for agitation's sake; those who want
the law of the United States to compel
employers to pay them more than they
can earn In fair obedience to the laws
of ind ustry; those who want the govern.
ment to build their houses and barns,
and to advance the m money on their
growing crops; those who notwithstand-
ing our experience with the crudity of
government methods in dealing with
the subjects of private business, want
the government to own and operate the
telegraph, telephone, and railroad lines;
those who would enact statutes for
harassing the exceptional individual,
and for limiting the range of his facul-
ties within the horizon which bounds
the efforts of the least capable. To
these dreamers and socialists must be
a dded all the enemies of sound currency
those who hate banks because they
are banks; those who believe that that |
which makes for the good of capital !,
does not also make for the good of those |
who borrow and employ capital; those |
who have lost more than they ever own |
ed In speculation and want to pay fifty |
cents on a dollar without frankly going |
into bankruptcy; those who are not in
solvent and want to attain the same OBJ
iect because of their inherent dishon-
esty; those who want to cheat the public
creditor; and generally those who want
20 turn existing society upside down in
he hope that in the scramble they will
make more than they have been able to
make by their own industry.
These are all included in the 10 toll
ssue. 1t does not express simply the !