The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1906-09-19

NVW II THE TIME TO COMBAT IT.
The Richmond News Leader has this
comment:
Discussing Mr.. Bryan's proposed
southern tour. The Montgomery Ad.
vertiser expresses the hope that for
South. and for the protection and
maintenance Of our Institutions. there
will be but few Democrats in the
oDu'e M oMnerss,p his rai
roads. We think our contemporary
Is needlessly and prematurely alarm
ed Aside from the fact that Mr.. Bry-
this subject are personal, and he does
not seek to impose them upon the pars
~, government railroad ownership will
be an academic auestionSo long as the
railroads do not 10 to the extreme OF
forcing. the masses to make II prac-
tical one. And. we rather opine, the
roads will take a long think sbefore
committing that blunder. 1t Is IN
the Greek kalepds
We do not admit that there Is any
premature alarm about 1t. When we
SO plainly see q disposition on the
to political ruin we think it time to
speak out. We have little patience
with those apoIoeists of Mr.. Bryan
who try to lessen or glaze over his
mistake by saying that he only ex-
presses his own individual opinions
when he speaks IN favor of govern-
ment ownership If an avowed can
didate for the Presidency should go
about the country proclaiming his be-
lief in protective tariff. or any other
Republican doctrine, and the Demo-
Gratis should nominate him, would not
that be a virtual endorsement by the
Democrats Of the doctrine of protec'
tion, or other Republican doctrine, ands
would 1t not be argued by its oppo-
nents that the party favored that doc
trine2
1t Is Just so ir the case of railroad
ownership Mr.. Bryan believes the
governments, national and State.
should own the roads, Ind plainly
says So That he attempts to qualify
and explain 1t by saying that 1t is only
his own personal opinion doesn't help
matters at all. II he continues to pro-
claim that doctrine and is nominated
ii will not be necessary to put 1t In
the platform in order to fix the onus
of it on the Democracy at large. No
human power could prevent the BELIEF
going abroad and obtaining a firm hold
on the people of the country that the
Democracy stands for government
ownership of railroads. Does any
well-informed man believe that the
Democrats can elect O President with
that milestone about his neck? We
hold it to be the duty of Democrats
to combat the idea and save the party
from what we consider a most dan
gerous doctrine
Since writing the above we have
been reading Mr.. Bryan's speech of
last Monday at Raleigh. N c., and
will repubiish one paragraph. Referr-
ing to the rate law and its probable
effects. he said.
President Roosevelt himself In two
messages said that II this law were
ownership to come and that did not
create any cofnmotion in the country
! merely went a step farther and said
that from ny observations I did not |
believe it wouldSe effective
Ahefe Is q ucHnite assertion tnat Nc
had no confidence in the law passed
by Congress-an assertion made be-
fore the law had been tried-and a
further exploitation of his own prefer
ence for government ownership 1t Is
useless to attempt to defend or ex-
plain away his words He believes in
the ownership policy and believes that
1t should be take,. up by the Demo-
cratic party. That's the plain truth