The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-10-27

WHEN the late John A. Dix was q can
didate for reelection as Governor of New
York, in the early 70s, a friend happened
to be fishing in Long Island Sound neal
the Governors summer home. Conver'
sation with the boatman drifted to politics,
and the boatman said he intended to vote
against Dix. The friend expressed sur
prise, and asked If he did not think the
General had made a good Governor
Haven't no fault to find with him at all,
said the boatman; "but the fact is fish
amt been bitin' all summer, and think
we need change"
The man who is going to vote for Bryan
because he thinks we need a change Is the
legitimate successor of the Long Island
fisherman.
When conditions are not satisfactory In
any department of life, it is natural to
desire change. But the wise man. before
he makes the change, pauses to consider
whether 1t is likely to bring improvement
or whether it be merely change for the
sake of change. When person is worn
out by July heat he wants change, but
he does not start for Florida.
That present business conditions are I'M
satisfactory needs no proof. That they
are gradually, very gradually, getting
better is the opinion of those qualified to
judge, but no one has yet Yentured to
show how Mr.. Bryan's election could
possibly speed On the improvement.
One of the most grotesque features Of
the campaign has been Mr.. Bryan's at
tempt to saddle the panic on Mr.. Roose-
welt. Admitting for the sake of argument
his contention, the answer is that the
panic did not come until Mr.. Roosevelt
had begun to carry out the policies Of
which Mr.. Bryan claims to be the father.
If the statement be simply 1--WE need 9
change" 1t is the fish proposition over
again, unless 1t can be followed up by
some proof that the change is going to
result In larger haul of fish.
1t is not necessary to predict violent
panic as result Of Mr.. Bryan's election,
nor do we think that such a panic would
ensue, but what would follow would pro-
badly be increased timidity, and, there
fore, increased stagnation for long time.
A business man or a corporation would
be little short of fool to proceed save
with the most extreme caution, until 1t
could be discovered what Bryan was going
to do, and In the nature of things that
could not be ascertained for some time
In fact, until he did it Mr.. Bryan never
sticks very long to one idea, and the fact
that he announced on November that he
was.going to do a certain thing would,
unfortunately, not convince business men
that by March he might not have entire
ly changed his mind Business and
Mysteries do not go well together; he who
intends to vote for Bryan because we
need change should think very carefully
where the change is likely to land him.
A citizen of Minnesota happened to be
in this city few days ago and was asked.
"What do the people in your part of the
country think of Bryan ?" To which he
replied, "We think lot of him as a man,
but don't care to risk him as President !"
If one really believes that Mr.. Bryan
would give the country better admins
tration than Mr.. Taft, 1t is his duty to
vote for him, but let him beware of the
fish Observation-Disclosures Ledger.