Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-24
THE TRAVELLING NEN.

ing men are supporting him In this
campaign than in any of his previous
campaigns. without conceding this
claim, we ask, Why should any com
mercial traveller who has been enjoy
ing the fruits of the last twelve years
of republican rule seriously consider
preferring Bryan to Taft?
Is there a travelling man on the road,
democrat or republican, who is not
glad that the defeat of Bryan in 1895
warded off the menace of deprecated
16 to l currency and put the country
on the highway to industrial revival?
Is there a travelling nan on the road,
democrat or republican, who is not
glad that the second defeat of Bryan
in 1900 kept the republicans in power
and kept the wheels of commerce re-
volving?
Is there a travelling man on the road,
democrat or republican, who is not
thoroughly convinced that Mr.. Bryan's
success in 1896 or in 1900 would have
meant a severe setback TO the country
and would have prevented the CONNER
cial progress we have since made?
Is there a travelling man on the road,
either democrat or republican, who is
not thoroughly convinced that Mr..
Bryan's election, either in 1896 or in
1900, followed by the application Of
the policies he then advocated, would
have sounded his political death knell?
Is there a travelling man on the road,
democrat or republican, who does not
agree with Governor Hughes that, were
IL not for the two defeats of Bryan,
preventing him from tryine out his
political fallacies, Mir. Bryan would not
today have any standing in his party?
What is there in Mr.. Bryar's Denver
platform that appeals to travelling men
su Efficiently to draw them away from
the republican candidate and the re-
publican party? Is It the program Of
piece-meal tariff reduction, which
would as surely p~aralyze industry as
amputating a leg an inch at a time
would kill the patient? Travelling
men representing importers of foreign
goads might reasonably be expected to
favor the free trade statesman, but
even they must be opposed to this
gradual tariff reduction, which, by
promising still lower duties every lit
tie while, would handicap wen the i'm
porting business. Travelling men who
represent domestic producers or job
bers must know that the Bryanite
tariff program, If carried out, would
cut off all their commissions, if it did
not call them in altogether.
Does the Bryanite SO per cent anti
trust prescription appeal to sensible
travelling men? Every travelling man
knows that this proposal is absolutely
unavoidable, and that, instead of rem
dering the trusts harmless by dismem-
berment, it would annihilate Just as
many legitimate and honestly con-
Quoted business enterprises. Every
sensible travelling man knows that the
question of monopolized production is
purely relative and geographical, and
that a factory of small output may
have a complete monopoly in it's own
territory. The so per cent nostrun
could not be efficacious for its intended
purpose even If II were workable, as
every travelling nan knows who han.
dies an exclusive line of goods.
Can it be that any sensible travelling
man is led astray by the deposit guar
anty will-o'-the-wisp? Everyone agrees
that bank depositors should be made
as safe as is possible, but the particu
lar scheme championed by Bryan II
being tried nowhere but in Oklahoma
whose short experience with it has no
yet proved its value, but. on the con
trary, indicates it's doubtful character
Would any travelling man want hi
firm to be made liable to reimburse tn,
losses of every other firm doing bust
ness in the same line? Does he no
know what long risks the other fellow
would take in selling bills of goods /
such a guaranty were in vogue?
Getting back to the main question
however, that should appeal to ever.
travelling man, Would the election o
Taft or Bryan help most to complet
the restoration of business confdenc
in the shortest possible time? If
travelling man were figuring on quittin
the road and going into business 70
himself, investing his own money
would he rather have the assurance O
steady, safe, progressive government
under Taft, or the risky w%eathervan
experiments promised by Bryan?