Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1906-10-19
BRYAN'S LETTER DEMOCRACY
1t is a Plain, Comprehensive and Patriotic Epi.
tome Of Political Duty

IL Is PLAIN, comprehensive and Patriotic tp'.
tome of Political Duty
No Presidential letter has been read
with greater interest or attention than
will be accorded to the inspiring words
with which William ]. Bryan greets
the great party which looks to him
for leadership in national affairs.
In this formal statement his utter
ance on the money question, which
has divided the party in the past, will
be first sought. That question, he
declares, has been settled by causes
for which neither branch of the party
is responsible.
The bimetallists wanted more metal
money. 1t has been supplied by the
great increase in the output of gold,
and they are satisfied. The gold men
are satisfied because monometallism
prevails.
Both sides being satisfied, he sum.
mons them TO contest of zeal and
endurance to restore to the people the
rights taken from them by the trusts.
"The paramount issue is the trust
issue," he declares. Their demoroliz.
ing influence upon legitimate business
has long been known. Exposures of
the past year have revealed their bale.
full influence upon politics. The
money with which the Republican
party has corrupted the electorate and
controlled elections has been traced
home to them. He would disarm
them OF this lower for evil by making
it impossible for any corporation to
contribute to political fund.
But Mr. Bryan makes no war upon
corporations. Most OF them, he says.
are engaged in legitimate business.
Their assets and their profits belong
to their stock kholders, and the corp0r.
alton officers have no right to use
them to promote their individual
political opinions. If these officers
want to contribute money to the cam
paign funds OF either party, let them
take it out OF their own pockets, but
not a dollar Of corporation money
should be used in politics.
"Poiitics should be honest" There
fore, he would not have his party ac-
cept dollar OF campaign money from
any source which it feared to make
known, or from any persons suspected
of desire to get tfavors in the party's
legislation.
By impartial enforcement OF the
Sherman antitrust law, and by new
legislation when necessary, he would
protect business, as we'll ss the con-
sumer, from the oppression Of preda-
tory wealth. H does not agree with
young Rockefeller that the public
welfare is served by strangling ninety
nine small business or industrial con.
Germs to make one great trust, just as
one perfect beauty rose is made by
pinching off ninety y.nine other buds.
The antitrust law should be enforced
against all unlawful monopolies, not
only against a few, and trust officials
convicted OF violating it should be
sent to Jail. They cannot be corrected
by fines, which are mere trifles by
comparison with the gains they mako
by violating the law.
Corporations engaged in interstate
trade should be required to take out
Federal license, and license should be
denied to any combination controlling
more than q fair percentage of the ar.
ticles which they produce.
While q low tariff would not abso.
lutely prevent the formation and oper.
alton OF trusts, they would be greatly
restrained If the President had the
power to place on the free list any ar.
ticle manufactured by q trust.
By selling more cheaply abroad than
in the United States, many OF the pro-
tected industries have demonstrated
their ability to compete with foreign
man ufacturers in the markets of the
world. and Why should not American
consumers have the benefit of such
competition?
Bryan is for peace, and he would
promote our commerce abroad BY let.
ting the world know that our navy il
not to be used for the collection oil
debts claimed by our citizens in for.
eign counties. In his travels abou.
the world he has found that Ameri.
cans are shut out Of many profitable
enterprises by the fear that our navy
might be sent to collect losses alleged
to have been suffered by them.
Bryan is for the election of United
States Senators by direct vote, and for
an income tax, which is a permanen.
part OF the fiscal systems of the most
conservative countries of Europe.
He is for public ownership of public
utilities, including the ownership by
the national Government of the rail-
road trunk lines, and by the States ol
the branch lines within their borders
but he does not say that the time is
yet ripe for this change.
He declares himself an individualist
He believes no more in the academic
communism which would paralyze in.
dividual effort and ambition than he
, does in the very practical communism
which gathers up the peoples money
|: by the billion of dollars, to be waste
, fully spent by the Government ir
Washington.