The Washington times., 1906-08-18
PARTY STATESMEN
FEYERISHLY AWAIT
BRYAN'S KEYNOTE
Tariff, Railroads, Trusts
One of These Expected
as Leading Issue.

Plans for the Congressional campaign
are all tentative. and will remain so
until after Mr.. Bryan shall have come
! home and made his big speech In New
York. and the subsidiary speeches that
are TO be scattered about the adjacent
regions during the succeeding days of
his festival of talk IN what was once
/ the enemy's country.
The Democratic Congressional com
mittee doesn't know where it is going
20 stand; it doesn't know what will be
the issues: II doesn't have an idea what
II must meet. whether IL viii be on the
defensive or the offensive. whether il
viii suddenly mud money coming more
easily or viii run into financial
squeeze. It doesn't know, for Instance,
whether Mr.. Bryan VIII spring Gov
ernment ownership 81 railroads. or tarlH
revision. as tho Ois issue. II has
horrible suspicion that he viii say
enough about the railroad issue at least
20 compel the party TO recognize II ana
divide attention between Il and tariH.
Maybe Mr. Bryan VIII make neither or
these problems paramount. but Just &"
IN for a general trust-L 1sting program
Really. it isn't so psessingly important
what he VIII DO as that he should do
il as soon as possible and let the cam
paign work go forward
More RadictI Than Ever.
Mr.. Bryan has seIu word that he IS
more radical than ever and sum-
mary Of hts revised views on Govern
ment ownership Of railroads has been
cqhled and widely circulated without
NJ "
may be coming sent the shivers uD and
down the backs of the Democratic man"
ayers IN CONGRESS. They don't want the
Government ownership issue toreea
They have been sitting at the feet or
John Sharp Williams TOO long lie mas
at last got them into pretty good dis
clpline on the tariff issue, though II 20
4Iwavs hard 20 keep the lineup firm
AIr Williams doesn't believe 81 Gov
crnmeut ownership. and before he start
ed FOR Europe a few weeks ago ne de"
clared that ne expected 90 see Bryan
and tell him IN the most emphatic Terms
he could muster that Government
ownership program would cost iii nm ne liis
support 5f the South. and would rum
the finest outlook the party has known
I'm many years. in this View Mr. w III
lans is backed by almost al the 5oulA'
ern Democrats in bo'h houses or On On
gress The Hearst wing. OF course
wants tae Government ownership pro
gram.
Did Williams Faill
Knowing that Mr. Williams went
abroad determined 10 head on lie
threatened movement for new raai'-d
policies. washington has been on the
Out vIye since Williams and Bryan met
IN England. What passed at that con-
ference? Nobody knows. Not word
has been given out. But IL IS siSniH-
cant that not long ufterward the ap-
parently authorized statements Of Mr,
Bryau's new views on the railroad Ques-
ton was cabIed here. II may be con
strued therefore, as indicating tla- Mr. .
Williams failed iu his purpose o. flde- /
tracking this issue.
tt is the general agreement that lhe /
tariff issue promises best results for the /
Democrats this fall II is, for one thing, I
altogether too late 10 cnange TO 80 i'm 4
mense q proposition as would be opened /.
by the consideration Of the public own /.
ership issue. That needs long cam /
paigu of education II it ever comes, I
public men say. it viii be after another 4
campaign such as that OF 1886.
It Might Do, Later.
The people who are praying that Mr.. /
Bryan viii spare the party an injection 4
Of this new idea this fall are not so /
sure that 70 Will be bad politics two 4
years later There has never Dee1 a /
test of public opinion on this question .
of public ownership Of railroads in This .
country. 1t is well known that senti- /
ment IN favor Of IL has been growing .
very fast Of late years and that In 9TH
er countries where anything Ike a pie
biscite has been taken on the question
Il has always developed unexpected /
strength
1t may bs a winning ISSUE. " said a .
Southern Senator but 10 isn't for this
year. and what we want now is 20 7vln."