Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1906-11-16
WASHINGTON LETTER

Special, Washington, Nov H. The
failure of the rank and file OF the
Democratic party to enthuse over Mr..
Bryan's government ownership propo-
sition has set politicians in Washing
ton to wondering what the versatile
Nebraskan will next adopt as his par
amount political issue. When he first
entered public life free trade was his
one hobby. He was one of those
Democrats who professed to believe
that the repeal of the Mckinley
tariff law was the only thing that
could prevent the country from going
to the dogs. When the enactment OF
the Wilson-Gorma law, which Mr..
Bryan helped to frame, had demon
strated that the adoption of his free
trade ideas was the quickest way of
running the country Mr.. Bryan put
the soft pedal on his free trade talk
and took up free silver. When this
had been repudiated by the voters
and the country once more began to
prosper under protection, the gold
standard, and Republican admins
tration, the Nebraska opportunist
took up the cry of anti-imperialism.
His overwhelming defeat convinced
him that no votes were to be gotten
by that issue, and he is now begin
ming to realize that his government
ownership idea will be equally barren
of electoral results if tried at the
polls. What he will turn to next it is
impossible to predict, but he can be
counted on to have new paramount
issue of some kind by the time the
Presidential campaign opens.
1t has often been said that the iron
and steel trade is the barometer of
American business. If that is true
there is no present business reason
for predicting a recession of the tide
of prosperity, for the barometer was
never higher. From all the centers
of iron and steel production come re-
ports of demand in excess of supply
and the scarcity of foundry iron has
become so great that foreign makers
have had to be called upon during
the first eight months of 1906 for 2O3,-
165 tons valued at S6,s92, ,2S9, a larger
amount than was imported in any full
year since 1903.
The organization OF the peoples
Lobby" in Washington marks an en-
tirely new departure. The men who
are back of this movement propose to
attempt to influence Legislation in
Congress along lines that they con-
ceive to be to the interests of "the
people," They propose to attempt,
by public criticism, to coerce Senators
and Representatives into supporting
the policies advocated by their organ
ization. 1t does not appear just how
these constituted guardians of
the public veal haye obtained their
commission to speak for the people of
the United States. 1t is not improb-
able that they will be found support
ing policies that are obnoxious to the
majority of the voters, and they will
be fortunate indeed if they get
through a single session of Congress
without haying their organization in
volyed in some disgraceful scandal.
They will accomplish little, for they
will find that the corps of Washing
ton correspondents, representing
newspapers of every possible shade
of political belief, are attending to
the publicity part of their programme
very thoroughly, and that Senators
and Representatives with the conf
dence of their constituents will care
very little for either the condemna-
ton or the approval of the peoples
Lobby"