Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-11
BRYAN and the Poor Mans Party.

One of the most vicious features in
the whole program of Organism has
been it's constant attempt to arouse
class hatred, to array the non-property
ing class. There has never been n
political division along these lines and
there can never be since the property
holding class is too large and the means
of acquiring property in this country
too many. And yet in his Augusta
address, and in all the speeches of his
New England tour Mr. Bryan spoke of
the great struggle now being waged
between plutocracy and the Democ-
racy," as though he We're the leader OF
the poor mans party with all the pluto
Gratis, or rich men, arrayed against
him.
Now, the United States census of 1900
shows that there were in that year
Il 900 families in the United States
and that 6,065, 900 of them, or nearly
half. owned their own farms and
homes. AS they were property owners
they must be counted as belonging TO
the prescribed class that Mr.. Bryan
designates as plutocrats. But does he
wish to be understood as asserting that
none of these "plutocrats'' voted for
him in 1900? In the southern states the
Of ha
are Democrats and they voted for Mr..
Bryan in 1896 and again in 1900. In the
North and West more thousands of
property owners voted for Mr.. Bryan
ana so proved that there is no party
which can be pointed out as made UP
Of plutocrats, or property owners.
themselves active Democrats, as is
proved by the mention of such names
as Mclean, Nixon, German, Belmont,
Paine, Whitney, Hearst, Pulitzer Tom
Johnson Clark of Montana and many
others.
The Philadelphia Press has compiled
eoiiit istlhS figures WHICH DedT
on this point. There are 1907 savings
banks in the United States, the total
number of depositors in which is $685.
12S. and with total deposits amounting
to $3.50. ,o34 $50. an average of s40S. 80 to
each dcpositor. There are also building
and loan associations in the country
y,-ith t,l -
ings of people who must be classified
as property owners-a total of s3.179.-
00o,n00. In 1860, when the Democracy,
or non-property holding party, as Mr.
Bryan would call it. went out of power.
there were 27S savings banks in the
country. with 693,S7o depositors and
with deposits of $149.2T,504. an average
of S215.13 to each depositor. The assets
Of building and loan associations then
in existence were too small to be worth
mentioning. During the forty-two
years since 1860 the party which Mr..
Bryan specifies as the plutocracy has
been almost continuously in power.
ASi oiiS wv ulu tile democracy
have undisputed sway. But from 1860
to 1902 the number of savings bank
depositors have increased nearly ten
fold and the total deposits nearly
seventeenfold. As thousands of these
depositors must be Democrats it is evil
dent that they have Jared we'll under
what Mr.. Bryan declares to be the rule
of the plutocracy.
1t is not worth while citing any mora
facts and figures to show the error OF
Mr.. Bryan's reasoning and to prove the
impossibi!ity of dividing political par.
ties in this country on the property and
non-property holding line. In disussins
this phase Of Mr.. Bryan's speech. thu
New Orleans Picayune, a newspaper
whose Democracy cannot be impeached