Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-08-11
WHY BACK TO BRYAN.

Cedar Rapids Republican. = The
iowa democrats in common with their
brethren everywhere were shouting
and marching, and resolving and en-
dorsing for Bryan Tuesday. 1t seems
passing strange to us that this should
be the case. granting as we do willing
ly. that Mr.. Bryan is personally a very
lovable character
But the democrats who were doing
this marching and shouting and resolv-
Ing are engaged in the serious bust
ness OF putting forward a man for
president Of the United States. The
influence of the presidential Office has
grown with the years until it has come
about that the president of the United
States has more power than the head
OF any other government on earth.
The proposition is, therefore, to make
Mr. Bryan the foremost man of all the
world for the time being.
In order to be considered for this
exalted station man ought to have
achieved something substantial. Some
OF the things for which he has con-
splcuously stood ought to be recog.
n1zed as being forever true. What but
failure has Mr.. Bryan stood for politi-
cally and in the world of statesman
snip! Mr.. Bryan leaped into promi-
nence IN the days of populsm. Popu-
llsm is as dead to day as Know-noth-
lngism is. Those who were carried
away by it's heresies either laugh at or
scorn them today. Bryan went to con-
gress as demo-pop in 1892. He made
a three hours speech in favor Of the
Wilson bill. In the course of this
speech he denounced the protective
tariff as the sum Of villainly, and he
likened 1t to the upas tree whose
touch Is death. And when at last the
house Of representatives passed this
measure, which later drove the nation
to the verge Of bankruptcy and turned
millions OF laborers into the streets
with no other occupation than to walk
them, Bryan was one of the enthusiast
tlc dozen who seized the author of
That measure, bore him aloft and car
rled MIN IN triumph from the chamber
OF the house. In 1894 Mr.. Bryan's
constituents in common with the rest
OF the country concluded to leave free
traders at home. The Nebraskan then
abandoned his profession, the law. and
went to writing editorials for popu-
list newspaper
Dropping the tariff as the chief root
OF all evil, Bryan took up the free sill
yer crusade, and after Mckinley had
been nominated and the gold standard
endorsed by the republicans, he wrote
This comment: 1T is amazing that a
man for whom the people of this coun-
try entertain such high regard as
they do for Mr.. Mckinley would con-
sent to become the standard bearer
OF cause that has brought upon us
all our woes, and the continuation Of
which will make prosperity impossi-
ble." Shortly after penning this splen.
did prophecy, Bryan went to Chicago
and delivered his Gross of Gold and
crown OF Thorns" speech. He told lis
that If the gold standard should be
fastened upon this country that prices
would fall as surely as the sparks fly
upward. Every utterance made by Mr.
Bryan in that campaign has been
made ridiculous by subsequent events
Though he prophesied continuously
from the day Of his nomination untfl
the day of his defeat and for year or
SO afterwards concerning the evil sure
to follow the establishment of the gold
standard, not one of his prophecies
has been fulfilled. In 1900, still cling
ing to his fetish, but with new para
mount issue, his third in a career Of
eight years, he again made the race
for the presidency. This year he dwelt
mournfully upon the evil effect of mill
itaryfsm and imperialism. According
to this prophet of evil we were about
to have fastened upon us a military
system similar to that which burdened
Europe, while the effect upon our
Ideals of the possession Of foreign ter.
rltory was to be demoralizing to the
extent that every former ideal would
be destroyed. Again was the prophet
discredited at every point. We have
no burden Of militarism and we are
truer to our ideals of liberty than we
ever were before. Our conquest, if
conquest 1t may be called, has been
conquest OF the schoolmaster We have
carried the light into dark places. We
nave banished the oppressor, and are
leading a race long in bondage out
Upon the highway of freedom and
it self-reliance and preparing
t for self-government.
And now we are to have Bryan as
presidential candidate for the third
line. There are no new paramount
ssues in sight and therefore Mr.. Bry-
IN has elected to go back to his first
series of prophecies Once more the
ariff is to be depicted as the author Of
III our woes, the upas tree, whose
ouch is death.
We do not believe that Mr.. BRYAN
will be taken any more seriously in
BOG than he was in 1896 or 1900. 1t is
unbelievable that he will have as much /
Il hearing as he had then. The peo- h