The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-25
Bryan Most Conservative.

NN' &'@OoS conservative.
indeed, if the truth is told it is prob.
aple tnat Bryan is the most conserva-
tive OF the three men whose names
are most prominent before the people
OF TINS country today William R.
Hearst IS probably the most advanced
OF all OF the believers in public own
ership, 1T is only a step from the
theories enunciated in his municipal
ownership campaign-a campaign which
VIII hnger long in the minds of those
who witnessed it becduee of the an.
parent white heat of the economic in
tensIty of the Hearst followers-an
economic intensity that his Independ-
ence league campaign last fall did not
arouse. Indeed, the municipal owner.
ship people and the men who favored
the public ownership of utilities ac.
cused Hearst over and over again last
tall of dcserting them 10 accentuatc
the principles of political independence.
But III the final analysis Hearst is prob
ably nearer socialism than either Roose-
welt or Bryan, though Hearst repeat-
edly declares that he is for Ameri-
canism and not for socialism. The
chief difference between Roosevelt and
Bryan when 1t comes to question
like the public ownership of RAILWAYS
is that Bryan accentuates state rights
He would have the Federal government
govern the trunk lines-he would have
the various states govern the local
lines. And if the New York Sun,
which is supposed TO be Republican
organ, is any kind of an authority.
Roosevelt is the ~reater anarchist Of
the two. first, because he was respon-
sible for the railway rate agitation;
second, because he does not allow for
even the restraining influences of the
legislatures of the different states;
third, because his opportunities for agi-
tatlon are greater than Bryans,
Hearst Forced Roosevelt's Hand.
In this connection 1t is recalled that
the New York Sun even went so far
as TO inquire whether the President
OF the United States (Theodore Roose-
Nelt) was crazy to interfere with the
railroad magnates when ii came to
tho coal strike quarrel four wears ago.
The most interesting thing in connec-
prompt settlement by the railway kings
is that IT was in reality William r.
Hearst who forced the hands of the
President. Up TO this time Mr. Hearst
had never appeared in public life
had been regarded as a newspaper man
pure and simple, Hence the incident
did not attract the attention that it
otherwise would have attracted. The
neoplc. however. in this entire Eastern
country had become very much fright
ened because of the threatened coal
famine II was even feared that
enough coal could not be secured to
insure steam heat in the apartment
houses of New York The largest man
ufacturers Of the North Atlantic states
threatened to suspend operations. Just
at this crisis w r. Hearst. in his syn
dIcate of papers, asked his readers
to ask the President If he would not
please enforce the criminal sections of
the antitrust act against the coal
barons and the railway magnates. Car
load after carload of the petitions COM
menced to roll in on President Roose.
welt. and for the first time he learned
how unpopular certain railroad man
agcmcnts had become. And from this
incident dated the Crusade which
RooscveIt is believed to have com
mcnced against the railroads. On the
occasion Of this coal strike Roosevelt
notified the railroads they must settle
II or he would,