Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-30
VBAT WOULD BRYAN poi

WHAT Would BRYAN DOS
Colonel Henry watterson and Hon.
Richard olney, both eminent demo-
Gratis of the old school who are now
supporting Mr.. Bryan with as much
zeal as they opposed him in 1896 and
in 1900. have offended the Nebraska
leader by intimating that he would not,
and could not do the country any
harm, in case Of his election, because
a republican senate would stand be-
tween him and the enactment into law
OF any Of his manifold vagaries. Mr..
Bryan dissents from his sponsors on
that proposition. In a recent speech
at Medina, n. Y. he said:
II ! am elected the house will probably
be democratic and we will have only a
republican senate to deal with; and in
case our victory is a decided one, We will
make gains i'm the senate. Not all the
republican senators will be willing to dis
regard the deliberate expression of opin-
ion on the part Of the American people.
Mr.. Bryan's intimation that the ma
jority OF the United States senate, as
now constituted, disregard the DELHI
crate expression Of opinion on the part
Of the American people" is as unwar-
ranted as his inference that the re-
publican majority would change its
attitude in case of his election as pres
ident. The experiment has been tried
and in Mr.. Bryan's public career. As
a congressman, with a democratic ma
tority in the house, he voted for a free
trade measure. which was promptly
killed by a republican senate, just as
a free trade measure that he and a
democratic house might pass would be
killed by a republican senate, the po-
litical complexion of which can not be
changed during the mex six years.
It is impossible to forecast what Mr..
Bryan would attempt, If he were
elected president, although he could
hardly accomplish much in the way Of
legislation. He has promised so much
legislation that it is certain hat he
would at least burden the con-
gressional calendars with enough OBJ
%noxious and dangerous bills to keep
congress in a turmoil and unsettle bus
mess conditions for an indefinite pc
riod.
Mr.. Bryan has promised that If
elected he will at once convene con
gress in special session to revise the
tariff. He has no specific plan of tariff
legislation except to reduce the
schedules a little at a time until he
has run the list of experimental legis-
lation. He has promised, in other
words, to prolong indefinitely the pc
Rod of commercial and industrial un-
certainty. He would prevent mills
from starting up, merchants from buy
ing except at piecemeal, and unsettle
business conditions throughout the
country during his entire term OF
office. as there is no prospect hat he
would in four years find a senat in
sympathy with his free trade notions.
Mr.. Bryan is pledged to immediate
acknowledgment of the independence
of the Filipinos, a proposition that has
been overwhelmingly vetoed by the
American people, and which could not
secure the sanction of the senate dur
ing his term of Office.
AS a remedy for trust evils and r"il-
road abuses. Mr.. Bryan proposes a po-
litical rarebit dream which even the
democratic members of the senate have
repudiated as vague. visionary and
wholly unworthy serious consideration.
Failure to regulate, which he has al
ways predicted, would pave the way
for his advocacy of government owner
ship of railways.
The country demands progressive
legislation. 1t wants salutary amend
ments to the antitrust law. The hands
of the Interstate Commerce commits
sion need strengthening. Corporation
abuses must be removed and active
law enactment and enforcement are de-
manded along the lines already laid
down by President Roosevelt. Mr..
! Bryan's election would simply call a
halt in remedial legislation and
accentuate industrial inertia, retard
the country's material progress and
alarm business and commercial inter.