The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-09-16
TAFT IS DODG|NG,
BRYAN DECLARES
TO EVENING STAR
Democratic Standard Bearer
Boldly Challenges His Re-
publican Opponent.

"Mr. Taft is lodging. He cannot
escape from the issues. He will not
be permitted to run away from them.
He has accepted the nomination of his
party. Now let him take the people
into his confidence and interpret his
platform so that the public will know
where he r.ands and what he intends
to do
This peren1ptory challenge to the Re-
publican candidate for the presidency
was last night issued by William j.
Bryan who was interviewed on the
train on his way to Trenton by an
EVENING STAR reporter regarding
the utterances OF Judge Taft published
in the newspapers yesterday morning,
The Nebraskan carefully read the
statement of his opponent and then
directed the following retort:
"Mr. Taft is lodging. Instead of de-
filming his position on public questions
he is inquiring about my record, and
in his inquiry he shows that he knows
as little about my record as he does
about the public questions which he
has attempted to discuss. He accuses
me of being changeable and of aban-
doning issues. Let me refer To the
questions which have been discuss
ing:
Public Records Compared.
"First--I began with the tariff qucs-
ton twenty-eight years ago, and
have been a tariff reformer all these
years. Mr.. Taft is just beginning to
see the necessity for tariff reform.
"Second-The election of Senators by
the people. / began advocating ii as
early as 1890. and ] have been advo-
eating it ever since. In his notification
speech he announces that he is per-
sonally inclined to this. This, so far
as know, is his first utterance in
favor of this reform, and he makes it
eighteen years after ] began to work
for it.
"Third--The income tax. I helped
to draw the income tax law Of 1894,
and have been an advocate Of the
principle ever since. He now admits
that the principle is sound. Thus he
comes to my position after fourteen
years of waiting.
Heavy Cost of Imperialism.
"Fourth--I said in 1898 that the Fill
pinos ought to have their independence.
We declared ii to be the paramount
issue In 1900, and have ever since in
sisted upon ultimate independence of
the Filipinos and of an immediate dec
laration of the governments intention.
Mr.. Taft has this year admitted THAI
the people must ultimately have inde-
pendence, although he postpones the
day of it for at least two generations.
have maintained my position. He has
come around TO it.
II have also discussed the Philippine
question in this campaign and called
attention TO the fact that Mr. Taft
made mistake of S114,000,000 in his es.
innate of the cost of Imperialism. In
his notification speech he put the cost
at sc, ,0O0, 900 a year, whereas the increase
in the army and navy alone amounts
to more than $120,000,0 ,00O0.
"Fifth-On the railroad question he
has expressed himself as strongly as
have. He has said, and the President
has also said, that government owner
ship will follow, IL the railroads prevent
regulation. have said the same thing.
do not desire government ownership.
I hope that the railroads will permit
regulation. Our position only differs in
that he has more faith than I have in
ths willingness of the railroads to be
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