The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-09-01
MIR. BRY VANS NEW PARTY
Leading Ed Sin yesterday -: Times
says Son1e Startling Things GoncernIng
Bryan's Madison Square Garden Speech
IrI-rEEsREsTING READING FOR EVERYBODY


Is sterday's New ork Times, the
Foagest among conservative Demo
cratic papers published In New York
city ~ IS well Yorth the while for
very one 10 take time to read 1t. The
Times says:
Returning to his native land Mr..
sfyan presents himself to his cuHn-
men no longer as Democrat bnt
the founder and leader of new
Iiarty; the exponent of a pew National
policy. and the advocate of new and
1utionary principles. In his judg
sfnent .tthe overshadowing evil Of the
DAY Is the Trust with the plutocrattc
Tendencies that result ulerofrom, :.
nnd, believing that the Trusts are
fostered and sustained by private mo
nopoly in railroad transportation, he
attacks the evil by proposing National
Ownership 81 the trunk-1ine railroads.
and state ownership of local ilnea.
Mr.. Bryan recently said that no was
more radical than ever. This Is his
tadicalsm. It is not DemncracY--
that is certain. Government control
over Interstate commerce, corpora
lions is Republican doctrine as well
as Democratic doctrine, for II ID :Ar-
bedded in the Constitution. But pub
lie Ownership Of the railroads has not
4 up to the present time been an arti-
Gle OF faith with either party. and b.
portending the placement of State
: lines It stands In irreconcilablc con-
htet with that centuEy-oid foundation
principle of Democracy that Insists
upon state rights and the limiting OF
The Federal perogatives. That he en-
I poets to make himself the leader Of
new party made up from the memoar-
Z ship Of both the old parties Ia the
plain meaning Of NJ. Bryan's speech,
and he says SO in words of ;unmlstAka-
BILE import;
dc not know what the sentir'ent
y OF the people in this country may be;
s 1t do not know Whether tho people
nave vet reached the point where they
are willing to corsider Government
ownership Of railroads. ] do not know
neither majority of the memIoers
of the party to Whit !: have the honor
TO belong believe al the Government
ownership of railroads, but NJ the
Dry is that no man can call 81 mass
convention to decide what he himself
1 shall think, l have reached tie con.
clusion that there will be 10 pri'gia-
nent relief on the railroad question
from diScrlmination between indiyid-
uaIs and between places, and rl"m cx
{ tordonate rates. until the railroads
are the property of the Government
5sand operated by the Government In the
interests of the people.
Inasmuch as Mr. Bryan's speech.
makes 1T evident that If lie shall be a
candidate for the Presidency in 1905
THE great issue will be between Gov
$ernment ownership and Government
regulation, it is Interesting to examine
his new position from the point of
view Of political principle and of par
ty tactics. Mr.. Bryan, like MIR. Roose-
welt, has become convinced that the
tariff is not the father of the Trusts.
His studies have impressed him with
the belief that the great private mo-
nopolfes have been in the main 'built
up and sustained by railroad discrim-
nations. Petroleum, steel. sugar.
( salt, and coal are among the commo-
tiles of necessary use which have been
made the subject of these discrlminat.
II 4y,r. s5,4,.a ~ tnos nnorr, 0urIy onrI0hfpr
those who produce them, and thus,
4 through an unjust and unequal dstri-
button of wealth, creating plutocracy
upon the one hand and poverty below
the reasonable standard of comfort
upon the other. He would abolish all
DETERMINATIONS and all chance Of
them, forever put an end to rebates.
and establish perfect quality of oppor.
tunity between small and great pro-
ducers by transferring the railroads TO
the ownership and operation of the
Government. The distinction he
makes between trunk lines that are
to be taken over by the Government
4 and local lines which the States are
to own and operate is, of course, llogi.
cal, impracticable, and fantastic. Prob
ably it is a weak concession to the
public Inpreparedness for, complete
duplication of his doctrine.
To the inevitable question, Why
need the Government own and operate
the railroads, why is not remedy
for the evil to be found in Government
Z regulation? Mr.. Bryan's answer is a
confession of want Of confidence in
the Executive, in the Congress, and
in the courts. He insists that as tho
railroads have controlled the Senate
they will control the Interstate Com
merce Commission, and even away