Live Oak daily Democrat. (Live Oak, Fla.) 190?-190?, 1906-09-05
WHAT BRYAN REALLY SAID.

opinion the Ultimate ownership Oh the
railroads by the Government would
be the only relief for abuses practiced
by the roads, has precipitated
mighty discussion throughout the
country. Many Democrats think 1t
was an unwise and impolitic declare
ton and that Mr.. Bryan has serious
" impaired his prospects for the
presidency by it. There is much mis-
apprehension as to what he really
said on the subject and We give be-
low a stenographic report of his pre-
else words taken from the New York
Times, which shows him to be any
thing but the blatant radical on this
issue he has been charged to be. He
does not seek to commit the Demo
cratic party to government owner
ship and speaks of it, only as a pos
sibility at some indefinite time in the
future. And undoubtedly it is, al
thought it is out of the question now
or even in the near future. Here is
his language:
Il do not know what the sentiment
of the people in this country may be;
l do not Fnow whether the people
have yet reached the point where they
are willing to consider Government
ownership of railroads. l do not
know whether a majority of the
members of the party to which 1 have
the honor to belong, believe III the
Government ownership of railroads,
but my theory is that no man. can
call a mass convention to decide what
ne himself shall think. l have
reached the conclusion that there
will be no permanent relief on the
railroai question from discrimina-
ton between individuals and between
places, and from extortionate rates
until the railroads are the pro-
perry of the Government and oper-
ated by the Government in the in
terests of the people.
l believe believe that there is
a growing belief in all parties that
this solution, be it far or near, is the
ultimate solution. But, my friends,
to me the dangerous Capitalization
is a danger that cannot be brushed
aside. The greatest danger of a re-
public is the consolidation of all DOW
er at the capital remote from the peo-
pie, and because. | believe that the
ownership of all the railroads by the
Federal Government would so cen
tralize power as to virtually obliter-
ate State lines, instead of favoring
the Federal ownership of all rail-
roads. | favor the Federal owner
ship of trunk lines only, and the
State ownership of all the rest of the
railroads.
Some have said that it would be
impraetieable to allow the local lines
to be owned by the several States. ]
did not believe the argument weighty
before / went abroad, and my OBJ
servations in other lands have con-
, WINGED me that the State ownership
of local lines is entirely feasibSe..- In
Germany almost all the railroads are
owned, not by the empire but by the
several StateS-nOt even the trunk
lines are owned by the Federal Gov.
, eminent, and yet they have no diff
ticulty about interstate traffic. II
one travels from Constantinople tC
/ Vienna, he passes through Turkey
and Bulgaria and Servia and Hung,
airy and a part of Austria, and every
State owns its own railroads, and
} they speak different languages on the
: different divisions, and yet you ira,
vel without change of cars and dom
know when you cross a line. NORWAY
and Sweden lie side by side. Eact
owns its railroads; and yet, although
the political relations between the
two nations are strained, their com,
mercial intercourse goes on, anC
there is no interruption of the inter
State traffic
L have simply mentioned this be
cause you cannot we'll discuss the
trust question without discussing tn,
railroad question, and while regard
the railroad question as it now pre-
sents itself as a part of the trus
question, and not the paramount is
sue, l would not in frankness with
hold my view on this subject, anC