Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-04-24
TO Be Reformer? Asks William J. Bryan
in Public Opinion.
Eminent Democrat Reviews the Conditions Con-
fronting the President, Showing that Great
Moral Courage is Required to
Meet them in the Interest
of the Public Veal.

I ly to stand together. remembering the
strength that there is in union. AS the
president pr oceeds he will find that there
is no middle ground on the trust ques.
| ton.
! Every policy must rest on theory.
and that theory must be a defensible
one. 1t is impossible to draw line be.
tween two private monopolies and de.
clare one to be beneficial and the other
destructive. A good and wise king may
bring blessings upon his people, while a
foolish and bad president might bring
evil upon his people, but the virtues OF a
benevolent monarch C IN not be used in
defense of a monarchy any more than
the vices of bad president can be used
as an argument against a republic. Gov
ernments must be defended upon the
principles which govern them. No
benevolent trust magnate-if it were
possible to consider man benevolent
who first secured money by wrong doing
and then gave art or even all OF 1t
I away-can redeem d private monopoly
from condemnation, and no progress can
be made toward he determination, of
the trusts until 1t is clearly understood
that "a private monopoly is indelensble
and intolerable."
Before one goes far into the trust ques-
ton he recognizes that it is intimately
connected with the tariff question, and
therefore any genuine reform is likely to
involve a reduction of the tariff sched
ules as we'll as railroad regulation and
the elimination OF private monopoly.
The trusts hide behind the tariff wall
and prey upon American consumers,
while they compete in the free markets
OF the world. Every year finds an in
creasing number Of American manufac-
turers bidding against European manu-
facturers in competing markets where
the Americans not only derive no benefit
from protective tariffs, but must pay
J freight charges which they do not have
| to pay when competing upon American
soil.
Here are three great reforms. and all
so entwined together that it will be eX-
deal comprehensively with one OF the
reforms without considering the other
two. And the president will probably
find it necessary to urge fourth reform
the election of senators by direct vote OF
reforms Ia II anv wonder that the
president,s noliticaI friends. as we'll as
his political opponents. are asking them
selves whether he has the courage to he
reformer? the question will be ans
wered within the next three years, and
upon it's answer will depend the presi.
dents place in history.
What qualities are required for this
| rafn fhQrn
sympathy with the people as against
those who have profited by the plunder.
ing of the people. Has the president
this sympathy? II not, nothing can be
expected IN the way OF reform, Tor no
man VIII undertake go gigant!c TASK
uniess MS heart Is really IN MS WORK
unless ne leeis tnat the producers oI
wealth. are not enjoying thelr lu'l snare
OF the products Oh tnelr TOLL.
second, ne must nave lnIormatlon az
TO the extent OF the ABUSES ana tne
necessity Tor remedy. ana II may pe
added that no one is likely to look ior
Information until his symPatnies nave
been aroused. Inc presidents utter
ances Indicate that on some OF the ques'
.h .io, "S '0"'v' 'a ";s s',,,,. "r,.
Wy. ,m oooo' x;",'. a ,,'n,, "no ,,aat;o,, tha
p pn" o,et o ~ ho r;l't't M ~, % o,ifars ,rhan ha
ato a a ap. w. y; ss Hn G.me's wmom nh
,"n tho , .las ,a;,,,o.;S, '"' '"0s"
" 'o''" 'io 'o"' '''o"''o''
Third, moral courage is necessary; and
assuming that the president is in sym.
pathy with those who suffer from railroad
discrimination, trust extortion, and tariff
robbery, and assuming that he under
stands the situation, the whole question
turns upon his courage. No one doubts
the presidents physical courage. He
J has an abundance, if not superabund
ance, OF this quality; but there is wide