The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-02-29
A Question Box Opened.

York City, William J. Bryan submitted himself to
serious of questions from the audience. The
plies he gave were the best part of the entertain
ment although his address upon the subject "Thou
Shalt Not Steal" of his choice produc-
tons.
Among the pertinent queries propounded was
in relation to the tariff in which the fear was e1l-
pressed that revision of the tariff amounting to
free trade would flood the country with foreign
goods causing domestic industries to suffer-he pro-
duct evidently, of the thought of protectionist.
But Mr.. Bryan exercised the hoodoo by replying
that no one was advocating free trade-that the
American producers "now selling abroad in Compel
on with the world could put restraint upon the
flood by selling at home cheaply as they sell
abroad" There was very little left of the argument
of high tariff protection in the mind of the interoc-
utor after he had digested the reply.
Mr. Taft had been asked at Cooper Union to
solve the problem of the unemployed in relation to
the government and had replied, God knows; |
don't" One of the Carnegie Hall audience requested
Mr. Bryan to deal with the problem, and he said
I approach the question with some hesitation, for
I do not want to say anything that would put me in
the class to which it has been committed by the Sec
rotary of War. Temporarily we must provide tor
every human being in need. [ will not admit that
any man in this country should be allowed to starve
to DEATH no matter how careless he may have been
in not providing for the future. But while we must
make temporary Tor the necessities OF those
who actually suffer we must make permanent pro-
vision against the recurrence OF such conditions, and
the best to prevent recurrence OF these Cond1-
tons is to change the laws by which few men have
been able to unfair proportion of the results
of the toll of all the people There is no d1flculty IN
this country about production. We produce and con-
sumo something like three times the amount per
capita produced consumed by any other people
The trouble is with the distribution, and L believe
that the way to reach the difficulty is to withdraw
privileges and favoritism, and to enact laws that
will secure open door to every mans labor and
a reward for his toll.
There was nothing of the spirit of the demagogue
in the reply. Yet statesman of another class dodge
the issue with plausible philosophy fearing the effect
of plain spoken terms the powerful influence to
which law gives an unfair proportion of the results
of the toll of the people"
Mr. Taft presidential aspirant, committed the prob
lem to God confessing that to himself not given
the inspiration that would permit him to come to
the relief of the great orty that is being depleted
in substance for the benefit of few. Mr.. Bryan's
fearless sense of right assisted the God-given in
telect that enabled him to point out the evil and
apply the remedy.
Evidently the audience was interested 1t con-
tinued the question shower. Asked if he favored
Immediate and radical tariff revison, he said that
today would be better than tomorrow and yesterday
better than today-he would institute immediate re-
vision reducing the duties and placing on the free
list all articles that came in direct competition with
articles controlled by the trusts.
AS to what was radical, he could not say for the
radcalism of today became the conservatism of to-
morrow He had been considered dangerously rad
cal by people who considered him inexcusably
slow In closing the subject, Mr.. Bryan said:
would proceed as rapidly as possible to make
such reductions as would be necessary to put our tar