Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-05-08
Wednesday, May 8. 1907.
The "Broadenine" of Mr.. Bryan.


Daigns for the presidency. is the COM
plete somersault which he appears to
have turned upon the money question.
1t is evident that the fact has gradual
ly dawned upon the Nebraska states
man that 80 cent dollars will never be
popular with the American people who
are pretty unanimously Of the opinion
that dollar worth 100 cents is none
too good for them. 1t is interesting
to note the manner in which Mr.. Bryan
undertakes to explain away his for
mer advocacy of a cheap currency. He
begins by asserting that the issue
upon the money question in the two
Mckinley-Bryan campaigns was the
issue of more money 1t is needless to
call the attention of voters blessed
with fair memories to the fact that this
assertion is absolutely unfounded. The
issue vas not the question of more
money but question of the quality OF
money. The Republican party was
not opposed to an increase in the vol
umc Of the currency, but it did demand,
and demand emphatically, that this in
crease Should be in dollars every one
of which should be worth 100 cents in
gold, while Mr.. Bryan insisted, in sea-
son ANA out. that this increase should
be secured by the free and unlimited
coinage Of silver worth, at the then
price Of silver bullion, about 80 cents
to tie dollar. Fortunately for the
country the Republican policy pre-
vailed. 1t may he noted in this con-
ncctiOn. that nom Of the calamticS
predicted by Mr.. Bryan came to pass.
In his campaign Of 1896 l.e had predict
ed that if the Republican party was
successful at the polls the price of
agricultural products would fall so low
that no man could make a living by
farming; that interest rates would be-
come SO high that no man in debt could
borrow money; that the wages Of labor
would be reduced to a starvation basis;
that our foreign exports would fall off.
that our shipping would rot at the
wEarvcs and that our interstate COM
mcrcc would dwindle to such an extent
that many of our railroads would be
come mere strcaks of rust. The sue
cess Of the Republican party in the
campaign speedily demonstrated the
utter failure of Mr.. Bryan as a prophet.
Instead Of the price of agricultural
products falling they advanced to an
extent that was not anticipated even
by the most sanguinc believers in the
future of the republic. SO prosperous
were the farmers that the mortgages
which had formerly cncumbercd many
Of their farms under the Wilson tariff
law were paid off and they could show
surplus Of savings in the banks as
grcgating many millions of dollars.
In fact. following the defeat Of Mr.
Bryan the agricultural interests of the
country entered upon the most prosper
Gus era in their history. Instead Of
interest rates advancing they remained
practically stationary, and the wages
of labor which he predicted would fall
of were advanced to the highest scale
In The history Of the country. our
shipping, instead of rotting at the
wharvcs, was proftably employed in
Transmitting the country's products,
and instead Of our railroads becoming
streaks of rust across the country they
entered upon 4 period of unparalleled
prosperity.
SO much for Mr. Bryan's predictions
and their utter failure to materialize in
the life Of the nation. Certain Demo-
cratic papers are now pluming them
selves upon the fact that Mr. Bryan
has ''hroadened out" since those days.
This is doubtless true. He would have
been a Ounce indeed had he failed to
learn something from the lessons of
experience. One indication Of this
growth on his part is the frdnkness
with which he now admits that the
Republican policy was right. that we
have today 30 per cent. more money
per capita thar we had in 1896 when he
was making mis- dismal prophecies of
TIE calamitics that would befall the
nation in the event of Republican sue
cess and that. best of ALL every dollar
of this increase of money in circulation
is worth 100 cents in gold. All these
things that Mr.. Eryan now affects to
rejoice in have come about as result
of Republican success and the applica-
ton of Republican policies to national
affairs They have come in spite of all
the GOleful prophecies he made upon
the stump in 1896. and it is pleasing to
know that Mr.. BRYAN himself has
shared in this Republican prosperity.
and that all the dollars he has ac-
cumulated in these intervening years
aro worth 100 cents each Does any