The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1908-09-25
FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER rs. 1908
TAFT ON BRYAN.

The telling blows which Mr.. Bryan
is directing against the republican
platform are evidently having some
effect.
Not being able to meet Mr. Bryan
on a comparison of platforms, or to
answer the arguments advanced
against the fimsy makeshift of plat
form on which the republicans have
nominated him, Mr. Taft has turned
his batteries against Mr. Bryan him
self. So far, Mr.. Bryan has made his
fight purely on principles, and devot-
ed himself to explaining the great
democratic principles comprised in
the splendid platform on which he
stands, challenging Mr.. Taft to de-
bate the subject with him, comparing
the two platforms Mr.. Taft answers
the challenge by that he stands forHis
chief criticism seems to be that Mr.
Bryan has accomplished nothing. has
<'done nothing except to make prom
ises,'' forgetting that Bryan has had
no opportunity of doing anything else.
Mr.. Bryan's former free silver theor-
les are held up to ridicule, but Mr..
Taft evidently overlooks some facts
in connection with that matter-pri-
marily the enormous increase of gold
production, which has had the effect
of causing almost as great an in
crease in the amount of money in cir
culation as if the free coinage of sill
yer had been effected and which has
been a very potent factor in chang
ing conditions since Mr.. Bryan ad-
vocated free silver. He apparently
does not remember the magnificent
increase in all kinds of products since
the time when Coxey's army made
1t memorable march, which has
brought a prosperity to the country
that even bad laws could not disturb.
He evidently does not know that
there have been more laborers out OF
work since the great panic Of last fall
Ia distinctly republican panic, and
utterly inexcusable-than there were
out of work when Coxey. with the
wheels in his head" marched on
Washington. He also seems to have
forgotten that President Mckinley
laimself when a member of congress,
WAS strong advocate of free silver,
and that many other prominent re-
pubIicans were equally as strongly in
favor of free silver. The fact that
Mr.. Bryan many years ago assisted in
framing a tariff that was neither a
democratic nor a republican tariff.
but a compromise between thetwo, one
which Mr.. Cleveland himself admitted
was a compromise, and which he al
lowed to become a law without his
approval, is held up against the dem
Sycratic candidate by Mr.. Taft, but
matter of ancient history like that,
which has no bearing upon present
conditions is not of sufficient import
ance to have any influence on the sit
uation today. 1t is not even a ghost
to the democratic conscience. Anti
Imperialism as advocated byNIr Bryan
during his last campaign today has
almost as many republican advocates
as democratic. AS the nation counts
the millions and even hundreds of
millions that anti-imperialism has
cost and is costing this country, in
maintaining a government over the
far-away Philippines with no returns
whatever, added to the constant
dread of that one weak spot in the
American armor, in the event OF war
with Japan or with any nation that
has interests in the Orient, the ma
jority of the people would doubtless
subscribe heartily today to the anti
imperialistic doctrine which Mr.. Bry-
an formerly advocated.