Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1906-10-06
BRYAN ON ISSUES.
TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING
SAFER THAN THE TARIFF.
Would Be Glad to Use War on Wealth
and Government Ownership Of
Railroads as Substitutes for
the Always Dangerous Ad-
vocacy of Free
Trade.

One-Iwelfth of Mr.. Bryan's speech in
Madison Square garden on the night
of August 30 was devoted to the tar.
iff The other eleven-twelfths were
taken up with the effort to frame is
sues that may override the tariff
issue in the campaign of 1908. With
the tariff as paramount issue, the
Democrats have not Jared well in
presidential elections. They would
greatly prefer some other issue. Mr.
Bryan has been trying to find one.
In his search he has uncovered some
rather dizzy substitutes for the tar
If as an issue. War on predatory
wealth" and death to plutocracy" is
one OF them. Railroad rate regula
ton through United States govern
ment ownership of other than trunk
lines is another issue which Mr.
Bryan hopes may obscure the tariff
issue. Both propositions are suffi-
GENTLY radical to divert attention
somewhat from the Democratic par
tvs hopelessly bad tariff record pro.
vided the party can be induced to
stand for so radical a departure in
the direction of socialism and cen
tralization. But there are unmis-
taxable signs of revolt, especially
among the predatory plutocrats and
the southern Democrats. Already Mr..
Bryan perceives his blunder, and is
Fastening to give assurance that these
Il
ly, and not intended for incorporation
in the national platform.
So, in time, Mr.. Bryan will be COM
PEELED TO get back to the tariff. There
will be little else left to talk about,
for the Republican party has shown
that railroad rates can be regulated
without confiscation or government
ownership, and that trust evils can
be remedied without disturbing pro-
lection to American labor and indus
try. The Democratic nominee for 1908
promises to consider the tariff ques-
ton more at length at an early day.
Assuredly he will. Being compelled
to abandon some of his startling radi-
calisms lest he brighten away the sup
port that was unanimously bis prior
to his speech of August 30 he will
have no choice but to fall back on
the tariff. Here he will be on IA
miliar ground. Always a free trader,
always an enemy of the policy of pro-
lection, and always certain of a sym
pathetic hearing on the subject. he
can safely launch his rhetorical thun-
derbolts against any tariff designed to.
foster domestic industrialsm and do
nestle wage paying. Mr. Bryan's
line Of procedure on the tariff ques-
ton was distinctly marked out when
in his speech at Madison Square gar
den he said:
The tariff question is very closely
allied to the trust question, and the
reduction of the tariff furnishes an
easy means OF limiting the eXtortion
which the trusts can practice. While
absolute free trade would not neces-
sarily make trust impossible, still
it is probable that very few manufac-
turing establishments would dare to
enter into a trust il the president were
empowered to put upon the free list
articles competing with those con-
trolled by trust. While / shall take
occasion at an early day to consider
the tariff question more at length,
cannot permit this opportunity to pass
without expressing the opinion that
the principle embodied in the protec-
tive tariff has been the fruitful source
of a great deal of political corruption
as we'll as the support of many of our
most iniquitous trusts.
ut is difficult to- condemn the man
for uniting to take advan-
tage of high tariff schedule when
the schedule is framed on the theory
that the Industries need all the pro-
lection given, and ii is not likely that
the beneficiaries of these schedules
will consent to their reduction SO long
as the public waits for the tariff to
be reformed by it's friends.
But one of the worst features Of a
tariff levied not for revenue, but for
the ayowed purpose of protection, is
that it fosters the idea that men
should use their votes to advance their
own financial interests.
THE. manufacturer has been as
suued that it is legitimate for him
to vote for congressman who, what
ever else their opinions on other sub
jects may be, will legislate larger div
idends into his pockets; sheep grow
ers have been encouraged to believe.
that they should have no higher aim
in voting than to raise the. price eff
wool; and laboring men have been,
urged to make their wages their only
concern. For generation the fat
has been fried out of the manufac-
turers by the Republican campaign
committee, and then the manufac-
turers have been reimbursed by leg
islation.
with the public Conscience stia-
Gated to believe thar this opea, pur-
chase of legislation was entirely prop
er, no wonder that insurance COM
panies have used the money of their
policy holders to carry elections-no
wonder that trusts have fastened to
Inn