The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-09-16


Cincinnati. Ohio. Sept 16.-As,
,seft.ng that his official record. his
apeetb Of acceptance and subsequent
utterances are ample indications OF
his own political position. William II.
Taft today repller TO Mr.. Bryan's com
ment on the Roosevelt letter by
switching the spotlight Of inquiry
back TO Mr. Bryan's own political
record and making an analysis there
of. THIS Is Mr.. Taft's reply:
! "In my notification speech. and In
other speeches made since. ] attempt
ed TO make clear my position on all
1 the issues of the campaign II Mr.
Bryan has been unable 10 understand
them / can not make them clearer. u
stand on my record in Office and what
have said. Mr.. Bryan should devote
a little time TO his own record. from
which he seems TO be struggling toI
separate himself with all the adrolt-
ness acquired In twelve years hunt
for an issue on which he can be elect
ed president.
Merely an Ofiiccscclcr.
The readiness with which Mr..
Bryan a.- successive presidential cam
palgns passes from one paramount Is
sue 10 another shows that the chief
consideration which has affected hts
selection of an issue has been It's
plausibility in attracting votes.
lie presents the remarkable spec,
tacie OF one who has been seeking
the presidency for twelve years with
out success and without Official re-
spOnsibility and without the oppol
tunity. TO test the various propositions
which he has advocated for reforms.
and yet of having demonstrated what
a colossal failure he would have made
IN each instance had he been permit
ted to carry his proposals in the pol
icies of the country.
Bryan's Dead issues.
lie does not now say whether he
h stan IN favor of the free coinage Of
silver. tie does not now answer the
question whether. II he were presi-
dent and an Sigency should arise in
which he would be called upon 10 ex-
erclEe discretion afirmatlvely to
maintaining the parity between gold
and silver. he would exercise that dis
erection.
"He has not permitted himself to
d.scuss in this campaign the issue of
antl-.mperial!sm. which was the par
amount issue in 1900. as he declared.
and In respect TO which the policy of
the Republican party has been vindl-
Gated by the event. so that tranquil
lty and a good government exist in
the Philippine Islands. and even the
independents prefer Republican vic
tory 90 Mr.. Bryan's promises.
His Railroad Fallacy.
He now says that he favors the
more rigid regulation of the railroads
In 1896 he expressed the view that
the railroads could not be regulated
because the railroads would own the
regulators appointed by law. and.
therefore. ne was In favor OF govern
ment ownership. We hear nothing
from him on this subject. Instead. by
describing his platform. not only as
an announcement Of principles. but
as protection against uncomfort-
able issues. he has attempted to give
bond 10 keep the peace with respect
10 government ownership. which. by
its mere announcement, showed its
lack OF the vote-catching quality.
He Processes to have been the
father and now to be the heir. of the
Roosevelt policies. and yet in no cam
paign OF three In which he has taken
part, and two of which he himself led
did he make them the paramount is
sue Indeed. in the Parker cam
paign he took occasion 10 charge Mr.
Roosevelt with militarism and with
being completely subject to the in
uueGce of corporations. only to see
him win the greatest peace triumph |
of the world and secure such an et
fect.ve stamping out OF corporate
abuses as TO elicit the admiration Of
the entire country
''Mr. Bryan processes TO be the
great friend of labor. and yet he was
one OF the chief supporters In the pass
age of the Gorman-Wilson bill that
made labor helpless for four years.
He then proposed as remedy for
the disasters to which labor was thus
exposed the issuing OF a 5O-cent dol.
lar. which would have cut in half
such wages as there were. and would |
have led to the hardest kind of strug> |
gle on labor's part to restore its
wages 10 its proper equivalent under
the gold standard.
THE country has been most fortu-
nate that the faliacy of Mr.. Bryan's
railroad propositions has been ex-
posed without the cost OF putting
them into actual governmental prac-l