The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-10-06
BRYAN, THE FREE TRADER.

In the record Of Mr.. Bryan's public
career he is officially identified with
just one important measure OF federal
legislation, and that the Wilson-Gor-
man tariff act of 1894. AS a member
of the House Committee on Ways and
Means during President Cieveland's
second administration Mr.. Bryan as
sisted in preparing that measure, and
in its completed form it bore his un-
qualified approval. His advocacy of
the bill drew sharp and clear the div
iding line between the Democracy Of
Bryanism and the Democracy of Gro
yer Cleveland. Mr.. Bryan pronoun-
ced the measure just and honorable,
President Cleveland denounced it as
"the creature of perhdy and dishon-
or" refused to sign it, and it became
law without his approval. The dis
tinction thus drawn between the Bry-
an Democracy and the Cleveland De-
mocracy continues TO this day.
Inasmuch as Mr.. Bryan is posing
this year as the special friend and
champion of the farmers, it is worth
while to point out how their interests
were affected by the only important
law he ever helped to create. The
Wilson-Gorman act repealed the duty
on WOOL On January /, 1893, two
months after President Cleveland's
second election, the sheep in the Uni
ted States according to official statis-
tics, numbered 47,273,553 and were
valued at $125,9Oo,254. At the close
of Mr. Cleyeland's term, thanks to
the baleful influence of the free trade
act which Mr.. Bryan had helped to
force upon the statute book, the num-
Der Of sheep in the country had fallen
to 36,8l8.643, having a value of 500,
020o42. In other words, the sheep
herds had suffered loss of more than
100000, or nearly rs per cent, and
the wool clip Of the United States had
declined in value about $58,000,000, or
nearly SO per cent, all through the op-
Grafton of law which found one Of
its most ardent supporters in the per-
son of "the farmers friend" William
]. Bryan.
In 1898, under the fostering care Of
tariff protection, the wool Of the coun-
try amounted to 303000,0O0 pounds;
in 1895, under the blighting effect of
free trade, it fell to 2O9,O00,00O pounds.
In 1891, with the traiff restored, it
rose to 302,0O0000 pounds and to 316,-
100000 pounds in 1902. During the four
years of President Cleveland's second
term the measure which he denounced
as "the creature of perhdy and dis
honor" but which Mr.. Bryan never
theless enthusiastically endorsed, sad
died the American wool growers with
losses conservatively estimated at
$4OO,OOO,OOO.
But the wool growers were not the
only victims Of the Wilson German
Bryan perfdy. Every branch of
American industry suffered. It lower
ed the duties on imports and manufac-
lures and the eby forced the closing
of important native industries and
drove their employees into idleness.
Wages in every branch of industrial
activity declined, the demand for ev-
cry variety Of farm products fell of,
and the workingmen of the country
were subjected to universal hardships
and distress. The operation Of Mr.. |
Bryan's pet measure robbed the far
mers, brought hunger and misery to
the wage-earner and bankrupted the
Treasury. 1t was indeed, as Mr..
Cleveland said, "a creature of perfdy
and dishonor."
William Jennings Bryan stands to-