Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-19
Government Guaranty of Deposits.

government "uuTuhAS VI DNpOShh"'
OMAHA. Sept. 1S.-To the Editor Of The
Bee: l respectfully ask publication in The
Bee of a short extract from a purely pri-
vate letter recently received by me in an
swer to an inquiry in respect to the feel
ing of the people in a large and rich farm
ing district of Nebraska on the question OF
government guarantee of deposits. The
writer Of 1t is a man of high standing in
his section and in the growing and pros
porous town. to whose business successes,
which he has fully shared, and whose
prosperity to moral forces he has been a
heavy contributor for many years. The
Bee and it's thousands of readers cannot
fail to be impressed, as I am, by what my
friend says of the apparent, but not real,
apathy which confounds leaders in their
efforts to understand it. He Is the only man.
so far as have seen, who has inte!ligently
accounted for the seeming apathy and in
difference, 1.-THE small amount of discus
sion in a presidential election" The sim
plicity, clearness and perfect candor and
freedom from any prejudice which marks
his forcerul and lucid statement Of his
views of the situation and his criticism of
Mr.. Bryan relieve what he says of any
ground for i'll will or resentment. He says:
For my own part. ! believe this govern
ment guarantee question is much Ike the
silver issue, natural and proper for Mr..
Bryan to advocate, In that II mas all the
superficial taking qualities to be embraced
by those who are mere surface thinkers,
that never read between the lines Mr.;
Bryan is himself a superficial thinker, and
his is capable OF attracting towards him
self those Of like mind In these days,
however, brilliancy and glare does not al
ways capture the public. The people are
reading and linking forming their own
judgments politically on the reasons pre-
scented to them, and l am inclined to be-
lieve that, now as heretofore. the r better
sense, more deliberate judgment will cause
them at the polls to repudiate Bryan's un-
substantial theories and vagartes,
Bryan is a brilliant orator. To be an
orator, a man must be enthusiasts, imagi-
native ana eXtravagant. But an admins
traitor must deal with concrete facts. not
imaginative conditions. Hence history has
shown us that orators must not be trus ed
with authority to perform. Those who do,
and succeed. are silent, and
cative. Bryan would make a bad executive,
as | think Blaine would. No one can tell
what such seething, unbalanced brains VIII
conCoct and try to carry out during such
an administration. our nation would he In
turmoil and chaos, never knowing what to
depend on.
What the writer Of the above admirable
analysis OF conditions carries with it an
assuring note which ascribes seeming, "
but not real, apathy to the readings and
thinking of the people. IS to the new
issue, which is as old as the Safety First
banking in New York, which was a failure
seventy years ago, lis much like the sill
yer issue, natural and proper for Mr.
Bryan to advocate, in that 1t has all the
superficial taking qualities to be en-
braccd by those who are mere surface
thinkers who never read between the
lines" When he adds that Mr.. Bryan
is a superficial thinker, who is capable
Of attracting towards himself those Of
like mind" the Impeachment Of Mr.. Bryan's
capacity FOR wise leadership in the larger
office OF government is complete. And
what this acute and close observer and
thinker says OF the orator is a powerful
statement Of what characteTizes the mere
mounting orator with the administrator
who succeeds only when he is silent. JEFF
fersOn and Marcy, New York's great gov
eTnor and secretary OF war in the cabinet
OF Polk during the Mexican war, illus
trste his truthful statement which he we'll
says is historical. Neither Jefferson nor
Marcy ever made a speech in their life.
But the last three or four lines In which
he says Bryan would make a bad eKScu-