The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-01
4 PRACTICAL ANSWER WANTED.


In the current number of The Com
moner Mr.. Bryan makes a question asked
by wage-earner, during the delivery Of
a speech by the President at San Fran
cleo recently, the subject OF an article.
! The President was addressing laboring
men, and was congratulating them on
their prosperity" and "contentment." 1t
was expected that there would be a strike
the following week, and in the midst of
the Presidents remarks one of the labor
ers called out, What of next week?' This
question of the laborer is the text OF Mr..
Bryans article In the course OF it he
says: 1.-THE administration is living in
the present, with no thought or plan for
the future. 1t might be well for the
President to consider the simple question
prOpounded by the California toiler."
Mr.. Bryan then goes on to say that the
railroads are consolidating, shutting out
competition, issuing watered stock, and
making watered securities dividend pay
ing by the exercise of arbitrary power
in the fixing of rates. The trusts are
swallowing the industries, building up
enormous fortunes, and levying tribute
upon the entire country. They may be
willing to contribute largely to the Re
publican campaign fund to-day. but what
will be the effect upon Industry"
These and similar questions Mr.. Bryan
asks, but he does not give satisfactory
answers to any of them. In fact he
does not attempt to answer them. He
asks them, with the purpose, apparently,
of creating discomfort Occupying the
position of a leader, he ought to under
take to lead. One of the first things he
should undertake to do is to answer sat
lsfactorfly the questions he asks.
1t is undoubtedly true that the rail-
roads are being consolidated, and that in
dustrial plants are being combined into
trusts but how are these consultations
and combinations to be prevented? That
is the problem that awaits solution. Any
body can make the statements which Mr..
Bryan makes and ask the questions he
asks. but there are few, IL any, who can
answer them satisfactorily.
How. for instance, would he prevent
railroads from being consolidated? Would
he enact laws that would prevent one
road from purchasing another road? IL
so, what would he do with the weaker
road when 1t became bankrupt? 1t is
certain that the weaker roads, under the
fierce competition which prevails, will be-
come bankrupt. 1t is only a question of
time when the weaker roads cannot pay
expenses and fixed charges.
Perhaps Mr.. Bryan would say reor-
ganize them. after squeezing, the water
would go on, and the time would come
again for bankruptcy proceedings. There
was a time when conditions were such
that unlimited competitor did not mean
bankruptcy to the weaker roads, but the
situation is altogether different now.
The railroads appealed to Congress for
legislation that would make consolidation
The appeal was unheeded.
If We are not mistaken Mr.. Bryan was a
member of Congress when the appeal was
made. Neither Democrats nor Republicans
would undertake to do what the railroads
wanted done And yet the roads only
asked for a privilege that would relieve
them from the necessity of consolidating
their interests to save themselves from
ruin.
There is no doubt about Mr.. Bryan's
sincerity, but does he take a sufficiently
broad view of the questions which he
asks and discusses so eloquently?