Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1906-09-13
BRYAN WEAKENS ON
RAILROAD OWNERSHIP
Softens Attitude on Government
Ownership.
IN DIFFERENCE TO THE SOUTH
A Change of Front on the Question Of
His Speech at St. Louis-Twenty
Thousand Auditors Cheered-Folk
Not Presidential Possibility.

Not a Presidential Possibility.
ST. Louis, Mo-, Sept. 12.-The most
noticeable feature of the great Bry
an reception Tuesday was his softeneC
attitude on the question of govern
ment ownership of railroads.
1t is government supervision which
| stand for FIRST" he said.
'If that fails, then we must try more
radical measures"
The twenty thousand auditors cheer
ed, for they understood that Mr.. Bry
an, their ideal, has heard the protest
ing voice of the south and has heed
ed it.
In many respects the meeting was
the most remarkable in the history OF
| western politics. Mr.. Bryan practi
cally invaded the territory supposed
, to be the private preserves of Joseph
Wingate Folk, who was not at The
meeting, owing to illness. 1t may be
set down as a certainty that Bryan
has eliminated Folk as a presidential
possibility. Mr. Bryan said in part:
You have cheered enough tc
| make my heart and l am glad to be
| here. l have been trying to find
home for more than a week, and
have found it so homelike everywhere
that l can hardly tell where l live
Nov, | want to show you it is
| better to trust the democratic prin
| ciples to one man whose party de
nounces him for following them.
want to remind you that the most
popular act of Mr. ROOsevelt's admin
lstration was his bringing peace be
tween two nations. He settled the
| coal strike after a loss of $4,000, ,00C
to employers, employees and the pub
lie. 1t was grand act. l applaud
ed him for it.
But where did he get the doctrine
in the Republican platform? No
He got it from the democratic plat.
form and l wrote the plank myself
If he could gain popularity by settling
one strike that cost $99,000,000. why
ought not our party have some cred
1t for proposing plan which, if put
into a law, would have made the
strike unnecessary? Why hasn't the
republican party, followed it up by
making national law that will make
1t unnecessary for a man to starve
his Wjfn and 0hj16rnT1 IN, h
Justice? If the president can become
the only popular man in the Republic.
an party because he does sometime
spasmodically along Democratic lines
what should be the popularity of the
man who does something and has al
ways been a Democrat? Where did
Mr.. Roosevelt find his mandate for
his action regarding the rate bill? He
had to go to the Democratic platform
The most important part of the Ell
kins bill is the penitentiary sentence
for its violation.
The railroads have been the most
corrupting influence in politics in the
past twenty years. By the use of
passes they have packed conventions
This law was suggested by the Demo.
cratic party. I shall soon have oc-
cas1on to talk on railroads again, but,
tonight | want to impress it upon you
that the railroad question solution was
the product of the Democratic party.
The president has now been in of.
fee almost five years. How many
trust magnates are in the pentten.
tiary? We have a great many tursts
in this country violating the law. My
friends, l ask you to figure out on the
basis Of the number of trust magnates
imprisoned during the past five years,
how many generations will it take to
solve the trust question:"
Mr. Bryan left for Louisville, KY, at
p. m.