Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-08-09
Defining the Issue.

w. y. bryan letter TO Iammany
defining the real issue between the two
national parties is beautifully simple
platform. He would direct attention
to the fact that the tariff, the trusts,
and the railroad regulation are all one
question in essence, namely, whether
the government shall be administered
in the interest of few favorites or in
behalf of the whole people.
On that platform it should not be diff
ticult to make winning fight in the
next presidential campaign, because
the people understand the issue, they
have had personal and painful demon
stration of the workings of tariff and
trusts, and they are ready to support
the party that will make sincere, de-
termined effort to revise the tariff and
abolish trust monopoly.
AS between the democracy and the
republican party there is no question
which the foe; nor is there t any do adaa
as to which favors tariff for the bene-
fit of the trusts and monopolists. In
deed, the identity of the republican
party and the favorites Of the tariff is
so perfect that it is automatic.
Under trust control of the tariff the
cost of nearly every article which en-
tiers into living expenses has been adj
vanced beyond all reasonable bounds.
Part of the advance has been doled out
to labor under pressure, the larger part
has been added to trust dividends on
inflated stocks. Scarcely an industry
has escaped the monopolists, and the
common man depending upon a salary
or fixed income finds himself robbed on
every hand. Yet the republican party
Stands pat' for the trusts, and will
continue to favor them.
is urged by the republicans that
the national administration has shown
its determination to restrain the trusts,
and that it is accomplishing more in
this direction than could be hoped fol
from democratic president and con.
gress. Such a plea is futile in the face
of the record. The beef trust was
prosecuted and some of its members
fined. The people are paying the fine,
small as it was. The paper trust was
forced to desolve it's illegal combina.
ton; and the price of paper is highe,
today than it has ever been, while the
members of this illegal combination arc
doing business at the old stand, un
harmed and unafraid. When any trus
is prosecuted it has nothing to fear O.
simple fine, because it can add that tt
its price any time and still retain it's mo
nopoly. There is no way to really reacl
trust which has established monop
oily Of the American market through
the tariff except by revising the tariff
except by revising the tariff to permi
competition on reasonable basis.
The American people are the mos
patient nation on the broad footstool
but when they reach the limit of pa
thence they have an unpleasant way o
letting the fact be known. They hav
been robbed by an unjust tariff TO
years and stood it with equanimity, be
cause they were enjoying a period o
unparalleled prosperity in crops and il
industry; now the trust benefciarie
who are enjoying more than their shar
of the national profits, have put on tn
thumb-screws unendurably and tn
people will tolerate it o longer.
Mr.. Bryan's outline of a campaig
declaration comedies exactly with tn
temper of the people, and on such
platform the democratic party can win
Salt Lake Herald.