Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-22
Travennx Men and Bryan.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Ia. Oct. ITO the
Editor of The Rec; Among the continued
reports from the democratic camps that
the majority Of the commercial travelling
statesmen are supporting the Peerless
Leader, is a report Of which rs per cent
of the old veterap commercial statesmen
are objecting to.
A few Of the old veterans are the same
that drifted through those strenuous times
OF 1898 to 1897, when the merchant did not
come to the train to give his order, and
after you had spent a half day TO sell a
few Items, II was a question II you would
get your money for the goods as easy as you
had sold them. A few of the young bloods
might be influenced by theories and false
promises, that are impossible to fill, but
the man that Is working for his own inter
est and the best interests of his house
car, readily see that such unsound methods
will not assist either him or his house.
Thoy remember Mr.. Bryan's error Of
Judgment in 1896, when he stated that the
only relief the people had was A dishonest
dollar, n even goes so far now
as to say that a change in the
monetary system at that time was
a myth, or, in other words, that
II he had been elected, and II he would
have passed the l6 to / bill, 1t would have
ruined the country. Why did he not talk
free trade In 1896?
No. Mr.. Bryan is too smart a man for
this. He knew that II he had mentioned
free trade in the face Of the populace who
were living on sour. diet, caused by this
Identical free trade measure that he is
talking today, that his proteges would have
taken him out and mobbed him. Time has
softened the minds of his standard bearers
in twelve years, and after trying TO be-
conn president or every Issue that he could
think of, he has fully decided that free
trade is the panacea to cure all human Ills
He is not sure of this measure to DO the
business, so he states in that great speech
Of his, the cream de lux speech of the cam
paign delivered at Des Moines. when
he stated that as we elected our congress
every two years and our president every
four, and that II It didn't work, we only
had to bear Il four years at the most. But.
thanks to Mr.. Bryan. SOUP is all right for
one meal. but would get monotonous 1,469
days successive.
Mr.. Bryan is also an advocate OF low
prices and smaller profits on all commodi-
ties Daring lectures and subscriptions on
| political magaEines) so he states in this
same speech. Here are his exact words:
"A reduction Of the tariff will reduce the
extortion that Is now practiced because OF
the high schedules. A reduction in price
will enable more people to buy, and this
larger demand for the goods will put more
people TO work and increase the number
OF industries. a lower price will greatly
stimulate exportatioU and manufacturer
who are crippled by a tariff upon what
they use will be better prepared to enter
the contest for supremacy In the worlds
trade
Here he contends that prices on all COM
modities are too high; that II they were
sold for less money more people would be
able 10 buy. This Is the same contention
that Cleveland made and put in force in
1899. But were the people able 10 buy
Prices we're never less and there was never
a time when more people went hungry ir
the history OF this country. But this Is
not the impression Mr.. Bryan would lii
10 have you take of this. He would likS
10 leave the impression with the farmer hS
should get 81 a bushel for his wheat, and
at the same time have the shop laborei
think he should only pay 80 cents a saeI
for his flour; that milling trusts ar,
thieves.
II you will stop and sum up all hi
theories to a fine point. you will find about
the same judgment in all OF them.
Il Is a hard matter to convince q com.
mercial salesman that his house or factory