The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-09-07
tlENt YORK; ~ g = Aflps 9 l9s
some PRETTY STRONG TALK
TO- w. 9. RRYAr4!.

peace are as old as the hills. But his
plan. for the transfer Of all the rail-
roads in the country to the Federal
and state Governments is new, yet
he does not explain how the moment
GUS change is to be brought about,
presents no plan even in outline, tells
us nothing about 1t, in fact, save that
It ought to be done. If Mr.. Bryan
wishes the country to take him and
his public ownership plan seriously
he must without any further delay
come down to specifications.
when he accepted the Democratic
to the Presidency ten
years ago and began to. advocate the
free, unlimited, and independent coin
age of silver at the ratio of 10 to 1,
his writings and his speeches abound
ed in detail and explanation. He told
the country precisely what he meant.
Everybody understood that under the
coinage laws as heEwould shape them
man having 100 ounces of silver
could take the metal to the United
States mint and get it coined into 129
silver dollars AS silver could at that
time be bought in the open market
for about CT cents an ounce, every
mind could grasp in an instant the
meaning and scope Of the change pro-
posed by Mr.. Bryan in our financial
policy and currency laws. His sup
porters could understand him, his
opponents could get at him. They
did get at him. for in the course of
his manifold expositions OF the free
coinage policy he propounded so many
false doctrines that his ignorance was
exposed day by day throughout the
campaign, and the rufnous effect of
lhfs policy was made so plain to the
country, or at least to the thinking
men of the country, that his defeat
followed.
"Mr. Bryan now asks the Democrat
ic party to accept him upon plat
form of government ownership and
operation of the railroads, but he does
not even in a general way tell us how
the Federal and state Governments
are to come into possession Of the
thirteen billions worth Of railroad
property now privately owned. Alb
surdftfes are not fnfrequent in politics,
and celebrates sometimes behave as
liz they were deprived of reason and
without foresight. But there is
limit, and Mr.. Bryan is pushing him
self and his unexplained new doctrine
IDerilously near to the verge of tolera-
tion. II he has not already passed it.
'If Mr.. Bryan had returned from his
tourneytngs with the news that the
"overshadowlng evil' that now besets
this country was lack OF room and
opportunity for our National develop
ment, and had advocated as an Inn
mediate cure-the only possible cure
the building Of bridge to the moon,
lit is conceivable that an audience
might have been brought together in
Madison Square Garden that would
have applauded the idea of lunar
brtdge. Those Americans who real
Nv believe in Mr.. Bryan believe In him
so unreservedly that we are Inclined
10 think that they would accept from
his lips almost any policy "unstght'
unseen" as the boys say in their jack
knife trades. But, really, there are
not enough Americans to form party
who would consent to embody IN
nlatform the demand for bridge to
1.-The moon until Mr.. Bryan had favor
ell them with further details They
would ask to see his plans, to know
1.-The names OF his engineers, to exam
inc their computations of strain and
stress, and. above all, they would be
moved by deep and legitimate cur
iosity about the cost of the structure
and the means proposed for raising
the money Mr.. Bryan might deliver
the greatest Grafton of his life'in the
attempt to set forth the advantages
of access to the moon. He might dem
onstrate that our population would
soon need large tracts of lunar terri
torlty as an escape from terrestrial
overcrowding: he might point out
that the opening up OF vast new
source of raw material would be the
greatest possible boon for our manu-
featuring interests, and that the util-
Iizing OF the undeveIoped resources OF
1.-THE moon would broaden and extend
through uncounted ages the promise
Of our prosperity. All this would an
lswer no questions. The public would
still clamor for shop drawings and
financial prospectus.
"In practical politics a bridge to
the moon is useful only as an illus
tration. 1t does illustrate, we think.
the entire linreasonableness Of Mr.
Bryan's present position before the
American people. The undertaking
he advocates is SO snIaatic that the
unaided Imagination cannot supply the
,,iAs{,,o, details tEnT1ndv Rxcant Mr.