The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-04-17

Gently while upon ms eonhhuous s"''-
paign speeehmakins tour, William u
Bryan stopped Of y Kansas City
long enough 10 make an address AZ
that time he took occasion 70 pro-
pound certain questions concerning
William ii. Taft as TO what he stands
for and what he would do in Iesard
10 certain matters Of public policy
Herewith appended are some OF the
Uestions which Mr.. Bryan asked,
/and the answers OF Mr.. Taft, given
in each instance in his public utter
ances before they were prepoundcd
by the Democratic leader:
what does Secretary TAFT stand
for9 saked Mr.. Bryan.
One thing which Secretary TAFT
stands for is well.ordered, well-sate'
guarded liberty against state social.
ism and government ownership Said
Mr.. Taft In his address in Boston on
Dec. 30. last; !.
III tho abuses Of monopoly ana
discrimination cannot be restrained
Il the concentration Of wealth made
possible BY such abuses continues
and increases. and II Is made manifest
,ba, under the system OF individual.
ism and private property the tyranny
and oppression OF an yoligarehy OF
wealth cannot be avoided, then social.
ism will triumph and the institution OF
private property will perish The
administration has been thus lar sue
cessfui in showing that dangers from
indiyidualism can be effectively reg
ulated, and that the abuses in. the ex-
ercise OF private property can be re-
strained. Thus great conservative
victory has been won and the com
inc of socialism has been stayed,
aThe question which you have ul-
t;mately to meet is not whether we
sh.lI ,eturn 20 condition OF unreg-
mated railways and unregulated
trusts, but is whether we shall nam :
tain a strict system OF regulation ol
railways and trusts, or whether We
shall turn the country over to the
advocates of government ownership
and state socialism, Any one who
seeks retrogradc step from the pol
lev Of the administration is blind to
every political sign Of the times"
"What would he do with the
trustsf' asked Mr. Bryan
Mr.. TAFT in his speech at Columbus
on August 10, last said'
T would restrain unlawful trusts
y with all the efficiency OF injunction
erocess and would punish with all
the severity of criminal prosecution
every attempt on the part OF aggre-
gated capital through the illegal
means have described, TO suppress
competition--The attitude OF the gov
ernment toward combinations OF cap.
;tal for the reduction in the cost o.
production should be exactly the
same as toward the combinations OF
labor for the purpose of bettering the
conditions of the wage-workers and
Of increasing his share of the joint
profit Of capital and labor They arc
both 10 be encouraged in every way
so long as they conduct themselves
within the law" t ],
aWhat does he propose on the tar'f
question:" asked Mr. Bryan
Mr.. Taft proposes a revision OF th'
Dingley schedules next year by a re
publican Congress- He believes II
the protection of American wage
earners, and reasonable but not ex
orbitant profits for American manu-
facturers. In his, Columbus speech
referred to, concerning the coming Q
tariff revision, Mr. Taft said;
ut will affect only those person
injuriously who are making an I'm
reasonable profit out Of an excessiv
rate--It now seems to me that eve'
most of the extremists in the matte
of tariff are Of the opinion that !
would not only be pnwise, but unsafe
zfor the party to fail in its next nation
4 al platform to pledge itself to a re
vision Of the tariff as soon after TIL
next presidential election as possible
Those Of US who favor immediate Re
vision can we'll afford TO wait unit
after the next presidential election i
order to secure substantial acquie
scence by all republicans"