The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-02
Would Mr.. Bryan Preach Suicide to
the Democracy? ~ a.. ., ,

Would MIR. Bryan Preach Suicide to
the Democracy a. DO p
In his speech in Madison Square Gar
den Mr.. BRYAN ~irrevocably committed
himself, and strove to commit his party,
o merely to a glaring blunder in expe-
diency and strategy but to a virtually
complete surrender Of Democracy's vital
and sacred principle. When he declared
himself in favor Of Federal ownership Of
the great trunk railways he avowed him.
self a Federalisti I'M isguiss and invited
the Democratic party to forfeit the major
8 for it's existence by accepting a
programme that. involved, the abiuratiOn
Of its basic principle, the doctrine OF
State rights. When the grim Significance
Of his proposal is driven home to the
popular mind and the proposal Ia repu-
dated even in those Southern States
which have formed the Gibraltar of
Democracy. Mr.. BRYAN will find that
he has strangled with his own hand his
political fortunes in the veryhour Of their
ostensible rebirth.
Mr.. BRYAN was confronted by the
difficulty of discovering or inventing an
issue Of profound and national import
which should separate him sharply from
Mr.. ROOSEVELT on the one hand and
Mr.. HEARST on the other. He foresaw
that il the Presidential contest in 1908
should pivot on the question Of the
means Of controlling. Trusts all he could
offer would be promises, whereas the
Republican candidate could point to
actual accomplishment. Should he turn
to the issue Of Federal regulation OF
railways, there too he would find the
ground preempted by the Republican
Chief Magistrate. n he should fix his
gaze upon the urban element Of the
Democracy, concentrated for the most
part in the great cities Of the North,
there also his way would be barred by
Mr.. HEARST, whose newspapers are the
most vehement advocates OF municipal
ownership OF public utilities.
With perverted ingenuity the Nebras-
kan finally hit on a platform which
Mr.. ROOSEVELT, imbued with Federalist
Nprepossessions az he il, has thus far
\ sternly refused TO stand, and on which
even the reckless Mr.. HEARST has
hitherto turned a hesitating eye. II
Mr.. BRYAN finally decided to plant him.
self on a platform Of Federal ownership
fof trunk railways it was because he saw
The could claim it rs Of his own manu-
facture and because he counted on los
commencing itself strongly, to that ele-.
ment Of the urban population which is
already infected with the socialistio
virus. In that calculation he was doubt
less justified, but he has plainly failed
70 give due weight to the indispdtsbie
fact that individualism lies at the root
OF American Democracy and that. his
proposal IL carried ont 70 it's logical and
inevitable results would prove q fatal
solvent Of the Democraoy's essential
principle, State rights.
We do not mean to assert that Mr..
BRYAN overlooked this objection to the
capital feature Of his programme. He
makes the admission that the operation
Of all the railways by the Federal Gov
eminent would result in, o. Capitalization
that would all but obliterate State lines.
He does not recognize that by this
admission he gives away his case. He
Processes to believe. that by surrender-
ing only the trunk lines TO the Federal
Government, and retaining local lines
under State control, the tendency toward
centrallzation could be e~fectually COM
bated. Such an assumption Is irrecon-
[ cilable with the laws Of nature and With
the instincts OF common sense. What
possible constraint could local railways
owned BIZ individuals OF. State Govern
mcnts exercise on the trunk lines?
The safeguard which Mr.. BRYAN would
Offer against the peril which not even he
dares ignore would prove utterly illu-
sorry. The Southern States and all other
States that cherish what is left OF their
sovereign State rights would quickly find
themselves condemned to speedy and
irreparable engulfmeRt in the central
Government. The one faint hope that
IL left to the Democracy would be that
they might happen to be in control Of
the Federal Administration when the
economical revolution should occur, for
a political party once possessed Of the
~stupendous leverage that the ownership
OF trunk lines would give could never be
disIodged from domination. -