Evening star., 1900-10-13
ROOSEVELTANSWERSBRYAN
REPLIES TO QUESTIONS THE LAT
TER PROPOUNDED.
Call for Volunteers, the Trusts and
Imperialism Discussed Asks
Some Questions, Too.


at Evansville last night, making two
speeches to large audiences. He made
reply to a speech delivered THURSDAY by
William ]. Bryan. He said, in part: MY.
Bryan yesterday attempted to answer what
/ said about his attacks on the United
States army. He says that the President in
his message Of December, 1898, asked for
an army Of 100, 900 men two months before
there was any war in the Philippine
Islands. He asks: Does Mr.. Roosevelt
know thisT OF course 1 know 1t: and let
me also add that Mr.. Bryan ought 20
know, what every well-instructed school
boy knows. that at the very time in De-
cember the Philippine insurgent army was
threatening our outpost, and COLLISION
was imminent any moment. Aguinaldo ct
that time was trying to organize the rem
nants of the Spanish followers In conjunc
ton with his own army in a war against
us. The bill in which the increase In the
army was provided itself explicitly set
forth the conditions in the Philippines as
a reason for keeping the army up. Every
intelligent observer knew there would Ds
trouble in the Philippines If the treaty was
confirmed.
THE bill for the temporary increase.
which Mr.. Bryan apparently seeks to per-
suade his hearers is a permanent increase,
was introduced by Senator Cockrell Of Mis-
souri, a democratic supporter of Mr.. Bryan.
and the bulk of the patriotic democrats In
both houses voted for it-for at that time
the Kansas City platform had not sought
to make the dishonor of the flag national
ISSUE and the democratic conventions in
Colorado and California were in their pat
forms calling for the retention OF the Phil
ippine Islands.
What the Record Shows.
"The record therefore shows that this
present temporary army Of $1,000 regulars
and 85, 600 volunteers was called for in
December because of the threatened
trouble in the Philippines. Any statesman
with the slightest pretension to the name
could not but see that this trouble was
threatening, and would have been crimi
nally derelct in his duty to the nation
had he failed to provide for it. The trouble
was certain to arise, having in view the
attitude of Aguinaldo unless he rejected
the treaty. and, indeed. the outbreak oc-
CURED just before the treaty was accept
ed. When Mr.. Bryan did his part in work
ing for the acceptance of the treaty by
the Senate he estopped himself from any
right to criticise the carrying out of the
pledges to which he became in honor bound
when he advocated that treaty.
Now. l have answered Mr.. Bryans
question on this point, as l will gladly an
swer any question he can put to me. Now,
let him show equal frankneSS and readi-
ness in answering these questions:
Il. If elected, Mr.. Bryan, will you pay
the obligations of the nation in gold or
silver?
%. VIII you refuse to accept the cleo
toral votes of North Carolina because OBJ
tanned without the consent OF the gov
erned, and will you now at once denounce
the action of your party associates who
helped to nominate you for establishing
by the constitution in North Carolina the
doctrine that one man is good enough to
govern another without his consent?
Question as to the Trusts.
'3. Will you denounce your party asso-
ciates in Congress who voted In June last
that the national government should not
be given the power to control trusts?
You say that all trusts are bad will you
denounce as hypocrtic your party asso-
ciates who support you on that platform
and yet themselves are beneficiares Of the
cotton bale, whisky and ice trusts? This
question is not to be met by saying that
there trusts in which republicans are
interested. The point is a question of good
faith or hypocrisy. If all trusts are as bad
as you represent, then what right have
you to be supported by and accepting the
support Of Senator Jones and Mr.. Croker,
who, to public denunciatiOn of trusts, add
private membership in them2
Yesterday at Nashville. Mich. Mr. Bry
an propounded certain questions to the re-
publican party, as follows:
Question If a trust is a good thing,
why did the republican platform denounce
trusts?'
"Answer-Any sensible man knows that
and yet that this may not mean general
and sehseless destruction OF all corpora
lions and conditions of our modern indus
trial development.
"'Question 2-If the trusts are a bad
thing. why did the republican administra-
ton allow more trusts to be organized than
during all previous history Of the coun-
try?
"Answer-The republican administration
did not allow more trusts to be organized
than during all previous history Of the
country. Incidentally, the Standard Oil
Company, the American Sugar Refining
Company, and all the other more import
ant trusts came into existence long before
the present administration. But Mr. Bry-
all knows perfectly well that the national
government cannot prevent, with its pres
ent powers, these trusts. and that 1t was
the action of his own party associates in
Congress on June 1 last which prevented
the passage by Congress Of the constitu-
tional amendment which would have given
the national government the power sought
for.
Good Trusts and Bad.
"'Question 3-If some trusts are good and
| some bad. you tell the difference be-
tween a good one and a bad one?'
"'Question 4-Do you know Of any good
monopoly in private hands?
"'Question 5-Do you know any man good