The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-09-30

erery Wednesday Morning
by tie Iiirer Press fublish-
iny COHtpony.
TAFT ON BRYAN.

Campaign oratory is in full blast ia
some OF the eastern states, and through
the medium of press dispatches the
voters in all parts of the country are
being Informed upon the subjects dis.
cussed by the rival speIIbinders. In
one of these dispatches appears an
interesting review of MIR. Bryau's
political record by Mr.. Taft. 10 reply
to an attack made by the democratic
presidential nominee, which says in
part:
"Mr. Bryan should devote a little
time to his own record, from which be
seems to be struggling to sepsra ate
himself with all the adroitness &C.
quired in a 12.years' hunt for an issue
on which he can be elected president.
The readiness with which Mr.. Bry an,
in successive presidential campaigns,
passes from one paramount issue to
another shows that the chief consider
alton which affected his selection of
an issue has been its plausibility in
attr acting votes. He presented the
remarkable spectacle Of one who has
been seeking the presidency for twelve
years without success, without official
responsibility and without the oppor.
tunity TO test the various propositions,
which he has advocated for reforms,
and yet of having event demonstrate
what a colossal failure he would have
been in each instance had he been
permitted to carry his proposals into
the policies of the country.
"He does not say whether be is still
in favor Of the free coinage of silver.
He does not answer the question
whether il he were president and an
exigency should arise in which he
would be called to exercise his dis.
erection affirm atively to maintaining
the parity between gold aud silver. he
would exercise that discretion.
He has not permitted himself to
discuss the issue Of anti-imperi alism
which was the paramount issue in 1900,
as he declared, and in respect to which
the policy of the republican party has
been vindicated by events, SO that
tranquility and a good government
exist in the Philippines and ever the
independistias prefer republican vic
tory to Bryan's promises.
HE now says he favors more rigid
regulation Of the railroads. In 1896
he expressed the view hat the rail-
roads could not be regulated because
the railroads would own the regulators
appointed by law, and, therefore, he
was in favor Of government ownership.
We hear nothing from him on this
subject.
"Mr. Bryan processes to be the
great friend of labor, and yet he vas
one of the chief supporters in the pas.
sage of the Gorman.Wilson bill that
made labor helpless for four years.
He then proposed, as a 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 a struggle
or labor's part to restore its wages
to its equivalent under the gold stand.
ard.
1.-THE country has been most FORUM
ate that the fallacy Of MIR. Bryan's
propositions has been exposed with.
out the cost of putting them into &C.
tual governmental practice and it will
be fortunate indeed il the danger of
four years depression to which it
would be exposed in case Of MIR.
Bryan's election may be averted and
ii by republican success in November
and subsequent prosperity and by q
clinching of the Roosevelt policies he
may be again shown to be a prophet
without honor"