The Colorado statesman., 1908-10-24
QUESTION AT ISSUE
CAN THE COUNTRY AFFORD TO
ELECT MR.. BRYAN?
Voters Must Consider the Inevitable
Consequences of Change in Pres
ent Administrative Policies
Last Years object Lesson.

The main thing for voters to deter
mine in choosing between Mr.. Taft
and Mr.. Bryan as presidential candi-
dates is as to whether the general vel
fare of the country will be Best pro-
noted by the election of the one or
the other. That is the broad and the
long of the whole matter. Whether or
not Mr. Bryan's chief political pro
moter, Gov. Haskell, has been secret
agent of the Standard Oil Company
and whether or not the eX-treasurer
of the Democratic campaign commit
tee was at one time connected with
some not altogether creditable Wall
street transactions, these charges
made by Mr.. Hearst have conduced to
the sensationalism of the present cam
paign. There have been other ques-
tions brought prominently into the dis
cussions which may fairly be classed
as subsidiary issues. The question
of paramount Importance before the
voter is as to whether he shall take the
risk of such a change in the admins
trative policies of the national govern
ment as would undoubtedly be in
volved in Mr.. Bryan's election.
Both party platforms advocate and
both party candidates are committed
to proposal for tariff revision. The
Republican party has always stood
for policy of protection to home labor
and home industries. On the other
hand, the tariff policy of the Demo
cratic party has always been and is
NIx-h ~
tical free trade. Only the other day
comment was made upon the great
strike now on in the cotton-mill in
dustries of Great Britain, strike be-
cause of a reduction in wages which
involves 100000 operatives. The rea-
son why the wage cut has been made
should fix attention in this country.
According to the statements given out
by the millowners, the very best cot
ton-mill machinery has been bought
in Great Britain for founding cotton
mills in both Japan and China, and be
cause of Aslatic cheaper labor the
British millowners are afraid that
their home market will be flooded with
cheaper products from China and
Japan Great Britain is a free-trade
country. Can the working people of
the United States take the risk of
having the tariff schedules revised ac-
cording to Democratic ideals?
The people of this country We're af-
forded most impressive object-lesson
last year illustrating how that intangi-
BILE something called business CON
fidence," when it is undermined and
shaken from it's foundations, produces
widespread decentralization and trouble.
1t is now generally agreed that last
years panic was gamblers panic.
1t was brought ON by the reckless
trading in Wall street. Fifteen of the
20 big financial institutions that failed
during the panic period were in the
downtown financial area on Manhat-
tan island. But by the financial
smashes in New York city business
confidence throughout the country was
shaken and a period of industrial de-
preston followed, from which we are
just recovering Is there any person
of well-balanced judgment who does
not foresee that in case of Mr.. Bry-
ans election business confidence would
be given a solar-plexus blow; that the
industries of the country would be de
moralized thereby to the extreme OF
ruinous disaster? The real issue be-
fore the voter is as to whether or not
he had better let we'll enough alone.