The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-04-14


took this ground at Jacksonville, Fia.,
February 16, 1904, in speech dellv-
cred there. which was published IN
The Commoner March IL, under the
title of 'sThe Wisdom of Doing Right.
THE speech was reproduced in TIE
Commoner because, as Mr.. Bryan
says. cit is impossible Tor him TO go
into every community and make q
verbal protest against the plans OF
the reorganizers.
His words arc addressed TO the re
organizer" but nevertheless they
show Just where Mr. Bryan STANDS on
all the political issues OF the day. MI.
Cleveland is in the habit of talking
very piously when he discusses poilti-
cal issues and Mr.. Bryan seems 10
have adopted his method.
Coming to the tariff question, MI.
Bryan says: During the time that
we have had a protective tarlH we
have had the laws written on tnat
subject by the men who received Inc
benefit of the laws
Does Mr.. Bryan think that English
men who do not receive the benenI Oh
our tariff laws ought to write them!
Does he think that majority OF the
American people who vote for pro
tective tariff, aught to write 9 tariH
for revenue only? Who should write
the laws of nation, those VINO are
benefited by them, or those VINO are
not benefited? Those who cOnstltnte
the majority Of the people or tnosc
who constitute a minority!
If majority of the people shoiid
vote for a tariff for revenue ouiy,
would Mr.. Bryan allow the minority
who voted for protection only, 70
write a tariff law for revenue oni: !!
There was time, before the civil
war when a majority Oh the peofie
voted for tariff for revenue only, anu
this same majority wrote the .srln
law of 1916 (which was a tariH ICE
revenue only. Does MI. Bryan tninh
that the minority who voted against
that law aught to have written tnat
lawq Does he think that the minority
who voted for protection ought TO nave
been allowed to write law LOT pio-
lection. although defeated at Tic
polls? .:,
There was a time, after the ciVll
war when majority voted for a
tariff for revenue only. Among she
majority elected was William ). BY
an as member of congress and Gro
yer Cleveland as president. Does MI
BRYAN think that the friends OF pro-
lection ought to have been allowed 10
write the Wilson bill, which became
law in 1894. and (as it left the house
Of representatives was intended TO
give the people a tariff for revenue
only? What would Mr. Bryan have
thought if the republicans had N
sisted that they should write tarlu
for protection only instead OF a tariff
for revenue only?
The republicans write protection
only when they carry the elections;
and the democrats write revenue only
when they carry the elections.
We must not conclude that pro-
tectiye tariff is immoral because those
who are benefited by it write it.
Mr.. Bryan points to the manufac-
turers as those who are benefited by a
protective tariff and who vote aEd
work for protection and who contrl'
butte to the campaign funds OF the re
publican party. He also assumes thai
manufacturers only are benefited by
protection and that they get rich al
the expense of the farmers.
It may be that, in many cases, farM'
ers pay more for manufactures, on &C
count of a protective tariff, but If the.
do. they as often get more for thtil
products. Who can say how much tht
farmers of the Mississippi valley would
get for their wheat, corn oats, ETC., j
there were no manufacturers in thl!
country? II we had no manufacturer
the price of every farm product woi.lt
he fixed abroad. As rule, the close
the market the letter the price will be
But suppose that a protective tarif
does not increase the price OF farm
products, ii certainly has tendeno.
TO keep them from failing. II ais'
makes more work. and more wor
means more wealth. N increases tn
number of our industries. makes town
and cities. and these make n marSt
for everything the farmer has TO sell
II II was not for protective tariffs
tatle wouldn't be great city In ths
country. except on the seaboard. from