Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-25
BRYAN IS SENSITIVE
Democratic Leader Seems to
Resent Suggestions.
CANNOT STAND CRITICISM
Expects His Followers to Be Loyal
Without Question.
INTERESTING CORRESPONDENCE
Arrogant Treatment of Friends Who
Endeavored to Argue Public
Problems With Him.
INTERESTING CORRESPONDENCE
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald
Mr.. William J. Bryan is becoming ex-
tremely sensitive to criticism and seems
to resent suggestions that do not conform
to his own ideas. After his speech in New
York a certain gentleman who for years
has been one of his most intimate friends
and loyal supporters, who has always be-
!ieved him to be a political messiah and
has contributed generously to all of his
campaigns. took the liberty to warn him
that the American people We're not yet
ready to take up seriously the question
OF government ownership, and that he
should not have advanced such a PROPOSE
ton without explaining how the govern
ment could raise the billions of dollars to
pay for the railroads and other property
which, under Mr.. Bryan's new gospel, IT
must acquire without increasing beyond
reason the burden of taxation. 1t was not
critical letter, but merely friendly eau
ton not to crowd things too fast, but Mr.
Bryan took offenSe at il and proceeded to
eXcommunicate his correspondent from the
democratic party ard Danish him from his
own friendship This gentleman tells me
that Bryan's reply to his suggestion was
that he expected his supporters to stand
by him in advocating the principles he
had proposed, and that he considered such
communications as evidence OF disioyalty
Those who are not with me are against
me, he wrote. and, judging from the OBJ
Jections you raise, 1 am convinced that we
cannot regard the subject in the same point
OF View.--l am therefore reluctantly ob iged
to request that YOU will not address me
again concerning this matter.'' -
demonstrating With Bryan.
Not long ago, in Paris. ! was shown some
interesting letters of a similar character
which passed between Mr.. Bryan and an
American who has been one of his most
ardent admirers and one of the most lip-
era4 contributors toward his propa ga ndas
But this gentleman, like many other demo-
Gratis, thinks Mr.. Bryan made an unfortu-
nate MISTAKE In advocating federal owner:
snip. and did not hesitate to tell him SO in
the following communications:
Dear Mr.. Bryan: have received your
circular letter dated February 3, and / in
close herewith my check to The Commoner
Tor $leQ. which / think will cover all nv
subscriptions for some time to come 1
cannot say, however, that this remittance
Is an assurance that / approve of Inc Com
moners course in all respects / doubt very
much, for instance, whether federal owner
snip OF railroads would give the people of
the country that constantly improving
service at diminishing prices which the
think that YOU must have found in your
travels abroad that there was generally
less comfort and speed the railroads
over there than at home. Railroad tariffs I.
as you know OF course, are much lower In
the United States than abroad and there
is constant tendency 10 reduction, while
over mere they are stationary. l was sorry
to see you indOrsing so gratuitously Roose-
velts crude scheme of governmental fixa-
ton or rates, simply as a means of reduc-
In, In mem, without even an attempt to prove
IN! !hal exlstlns rates-already the lowest in
the world-are actually unreasonable Sc
cret rebates are of course iniuuitous and
should be made impossible by existing or
by supplementary legislation. l believe you
were long enough in France to find out
now inferior the telephone service there Is
In government hands to what 1t Is at home
with private companies.
As to National Banks.
SO with regard to banks. 1 think YOU
follow too closely in the footsteps of An
drew jackson in his hostility to them
winch was certainly founded in part on
prejudice He wrote to Nicholas Biddle: I
90 not dislike your bank any more than
all banks. but ever since | read the history
or the South Sea Bubble l have been afraid
OF banks II was upon this kew that the
legislation of his time proceeded with the
result that the country was deprived of a
properly secured circulating medium which
was replaced by wildcat CURRENCY that
resulted In perhaps the most ruinous manic
ana the hardest times over a period of
years ever known in our history The
bankers are no longer merely money chang
erS, as you once characterized them IN me
In conversation but they are the custo
dams of thousands of millions in private
deposits which are a species of investment
10 nu nuns OF thousands of the humblest
as well as the wealthest of our citizens
and you cannot strike the bankers hard
without running the risk also of hitting our
i .i 1e the common people. as Jackson did
in,n Il
feelings of personal hostility to the hank
ing class which has so persistently and
wlckediy malfgned you and your motives
wrong on all currency questions
The banks fought the national hank act
ana II was months before the First National
Bank OF New York was admitted to the
New York clearing house. They did not he
iieve In the possibility of the resumption of
specie payments when it was fixed for Ian
uary J. 1879 think it was Mr.. Happen,
president or the Gallatin Bank who said
when the resumption bank act was passed
| that he would give large sum to be at the
head OF the line at the subtreasury on re-
sumption day. Yet Mr. Tappen was not
only most excellent man in nrivate ljfo
but an accos plished and able banker as re-
CARDS ordinary banking operations and con-
quot. he was sincere and patriotic and
ever ready to help the community or the
government in time of financial need but
he. like nine-tenths of his profession did not
understand the science of money. The men
as measure of value but as value itself
| mistakfng the shadow for the substance
Tariff Reform
Il note that in your circular you put tariff
reform almost the last in the program of
public questions which the Commoner is to
! advocate. think it should be the first, for
the burden of the tariff upon the common
people and the robbery of the people COM
nlitted under that scheme of private profits
by public taxation which the so-cailed pro-
tective tariff has degenerafed into should
now be self-evident to any intelligent and
| fair minded person. This is what the coun-
try and its industries are suffering from,
and the need of remedy is most urgent,
while Your other reforms can be worked our
more slowly. There Is no general oppres-
sion of railroad rates. for instance. but, II
| there were. the first step to enable the rail-
roads to reduce their rates should be to
free them from :he necessity OF having to