The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-09-28
Mr.. RAYNER
ON BRYAN
Baltimore SUM-

reference to Mr.. Bryan's candidacy
for President and the speech of Mr.
Bryan in New York. The Senator an
swered as follows:
Il think the Democratic party would
do better to nominate man of con
victions and principles rather than a
figurehead or a nonentity. / would
would rather have a man wrong if he
is honest than to have swimmer with
the tide who is afraid to buffet the
waves, and is simply making for the
shore.
Il had, during the late Presidential
campaign, striking illustration upon
this point at one of the largest Demo
cratic gatherings l ever attended.
was summing up before the audience,
in pursuance of the Democratic plan
of battle that had been outlined to
us, everything that we were opposed
to. A man in the audience evidently
of intelligence, who was somewhat I'M
der the influence of spirits, arose in
the rear of the hall and politely said
to me: May interrupt you for a
moment?" Certainly" I replied,
WELL he said, you have told us now
everything that you are opposed to;
will you be kind enough to tell us
anything you are in favor OFF
st will not do" continued Senator
Rayner, ito wage negative campaign.
If We have no issues, we might as well
say so and make the contest upon the
character of our candidates. My own
Judgment is-and it is a deliberate
one-not formed under sudden impulse
or momentary enthusiasm, that Bry-
an will perhaps poll as many Demo-
cratic votes as any other man that I
know of in the party. I know Mr..
Bryan we'll personally, and I care not
what others say who have never come
in contact with him. I know that he
is not obstinate about his opinion. He
is always willing to confer and modify
his views unless it is a matter of
absolute conviction with him, and he
will fight it out. win or lose.
Il do not think, in reading over his
speech, that he has come to an unal-
terable conclusion upon the subject of
Government ownership of railroads.
He regards it as a question for the
future; so do a great many other peo-
pie. but he makes no imperative de-
mand that it must be placed in the
platform or accepted as the policy of
the party. This is a matter that re-
quires thought and investigation,
and some of the greatest political
economists of the present day have
devoted profound attention to it.
"The problem is not new one. As
a matter of recreation, when | could
obtain a little leisure l have been
studying it for years with all the sta
tistics that l could gather in connec-
ton with governmental ownership of
railroads in Germany, Austria-Hun-
gary, Russia and Australia, where the
system prevails 1t has been prac
tical failures in all these places. The |
Prussian Diet in 1879 authorized the
Government to begin the purchase OF |
the entire railway system of Prussia; |
in Hungary the State owns 81 per
cent. of the railways; in Russia up |
ward of So per cent. What is the re-
suit?
Germany today, with its agricul-
ture. it's manufactures and its trade,
rests upon the waterways and not up
on the railways. The Government has
reduced the railways as feeders to the
rivers and canals. In Russia there is
the same condition, with resulting re-
course to transportation by river In
Australia under the system it's export
and import trade is virtually confined
to a single seaport city. Won Miguel,
as great a man almost as Bismarck.
Prussia's Minister of Finance from
1890 to 1900, openly proclaimed that
ownership was a disaster
and a calamity.
1.-The great city of Bremen, Stats
tics show, lost large part OF its
trade and commerce under the system,
and in 1900 the Chamber of Commerce
Of Posen, port on the Oder, near the
Galician frontier, stated in a memorial
to the Prussian Minister of Railways
that under governmental ownership '
the Galician oil fields were farther {
from Germany than were those OF the ]
United States. In five years, ending |
with 1901, more than so per cent. of I
he shipments that Austria-Hungary t
sent into the Elbe territory of Ger
many, which by rail comprises Berlin t
and Hamburg, consisted of what is t
Known as neighboring tariff. 1t will t
lot do to rush over this field; it must /
4-l;a5 o15 ;nuoetfoofod in 0rdor | I,