Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-09-16

they couldn't make one. They were
so awkward about the business from
the start that they disturbed business
men, made them UNHAPPY, caused them
to take in sale and delay enterprise.
and by the time the reformers got
their tariff started business was bad
and the result was disastrous. This
happened so recently everybody ought
to remember it.
The Democrats are not talking about
changing the tariff just now, because
they are afraid to do that, knowing
how strong public feeling is that there
is very little sense in the Democratic
party leaders on that subject We may
be sure, however, they will do just as
badly as they can. If Bryan is elect
ed president, there will be a Bryan
house of representatives and there is
good deal of eccentricity, individual
ity and mugwumpery twisted up in
the senate which could be carried for
some very peculiar measures of the
misunderstanding sort. This observa-
ton applies to what may be done in
changing the laws in respect to money,
and there is the risk of double calam-
ity altogether of terrible proportions.
The calamity howler who exceeds all
men is Mr. William Jennings Bryan,
and he is the greatest failure among
the politicians of the ;country in his
prophecies of evil.
He has not been so oracular as eXpli-
cit in telling things he thought he
knew would take place if he didn't
have his way and the facts have hit
him hard every time, so much so that
his name has become a synonym for
false prophecy.
When we add to this his declaration
of war against Europe on behalf of
Aguinaldo. if he should himself be in
augurated so that he and Aguinaldo
could both be presidents at once there
is triple threat of calamity and a
multitude of reasons why the people
should pursue the paths along which
they have found prosperity.
There have ben a lot of laws to
regulate trusts. The subject is of ex-
treme difficulty. Very real questions
have arisen as to the constitutionality
of the laws. The Republicans propos-
ed in the last session of congress to
amend the constitution so that the
wisdom of congress might be applied
to the trusts. The Democrats refused
to consent that the law be passed. 1t
came up at an advance time of the
session and was obstructed by Dem
ocratic minority on the ground that it
interfered with the sovereignty of the
states. If there is anything that ought
to be done the Democrats will not al
low it to be done if they can help it, as
rule, because they are wire-edged
on the subject of the construction of
the constitution. They are in as bad
fix about the trusts in congress as
Mr. Bryan is in his Philippine enter
prise, because he advocated the confir-
nation of the treaty with Spain. 1t
is the silver trust that tried to buy the
presidency, and are probably organiz-
ing to try it again, so that they could,
according to the theory of Mr.. Bryan,
double the price of silver, which would
be worth to them about $4O,OOO,OOO
year. AS for interfering with the poor
by the oppression of trusts, putting ex-
tortionate prices upon the necessaries
in life, the worst case of it in the his
tory of the country was that of the
Tammany ice trust gotten up by the
bosses of the Democratic party in New
York.
MURAT HALSTEAD.