Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-09
Rrrnn,s Curr-An Devices.


OMAHA. oct. ITO the Editor OF The
Bee; Mr.. Bryan. in his efforts to attract
votes to himself, makes me think of a
fisherman, who first bats his hook with
a worm; that failing, he tries a piece Of
meat, then a live minnow or a frog OF an
artificial fly-anything that ne thinks will
tempt the fish.
In 1899 he was shouting about the inqui-
ties of the protective tariff and the high
prices caused the olaimed) by 1t, and his
associates all over the country, by doing
the same kind Of talking, succeeded in
catching enough suckers to overturn the
protective tariff and enact a tariff for rev.
enue, which In the text four years fell
S262, 100000 short of producing revenue
enough to run the nation in a time Of pro-
found peace.
Then, in 1896, having knocked the high
prices completely out OF the box, to use a
base ball expression, he announced that
what we needed to cure all the Ills with
which we were afflicted was the free coin
age of silver at the ratio Of 16 to /, with
out the aid or consent of any other ma
tion," but in the trail OF talk that he left
all over and round about the country not
a word could be heard about tariff.
Then, in 1900, while still protesting his
love for IS to /. quoting the words of Ruth
to Naomi in his devotion to X, he added
anti-imperialism to his stock of bait, and
tried to scare the country into swallowing
II, but failed again, and the answer to his
fears came in the immediate reduction OF
the army as soon as the Philippine insur-
~rection was quelled, an insurrectlon thai
we would not have had to meet II Mr..
Bryan had not exerted his influence In
favor OF confirming the treaty Of Paris
Not a word about tariff that year, al
though prices had again gone up.
Then he baited his hook with initiative
and referendum, and tried government
ownership OF railways, but he only made
one cast with that, and has been trying
to forget II ever since, for even the solid
south would not follow him in that. Nov
he has got back to the tariff again ant
guaranteed bank deposits, and has taker
up publicity Of contributions as a side line
1 am not a banker, and l never had al
much money deposited in banks as l woulC
like to have, but It looks to me a good dca
like a plan to make the steady. conserva
tive banker responsible for the reckless
speculative one, and without his having 4
chance to say anything about the kind o
speculations his bank must be responsible,
for. 1 cannot anyway see what good II
panicky times a guarantee fund OF / pc
cent Of the deposits would do IL one-hal
or more OF the depositors should want thei1
money at once, as they probably would.
Mr.. Bryan does not say a word about 1
to /, anti-imperialism. initiative and refer
endum or government ownership this year
but no one has heard from him any init
nation that he has recanted any OF theB'
fallacies. On the contrary, four years ago
I think II was, when he was starting on
on his campaign, / heard him say in
speech at Gretna that THE free coinage o.
silver would again become an issue shoulC
the money situation again become acute.
Mr.. Bryan might be entitled this veal
the Great Refuser." He refused to dis
cuss Colonel Gutfey's letter; he refused K
discuss Mr.. Hearst's telegram from Paris
he refused to discuss the Brownsville Incl
dent; he refused to discuss the West Vir
ginia democratic platform. which proposes
to disfranchise the colored voters. He |.
like the Indian chief OF old times, whC
claimed to be able to make himself deaI
at will, and who always became deaf wher
anything was said that he did not want t
hear.
Mr.. Bryan has done nothing for twelve
years but talk, and tax in the gate re
ceipts, and against him stands a man whC
for eight years has said little. but has done
much, and who has been associated with
more permanent constructive and admin
'istratlve work that falls to the lot OF
most men in a lifetime. and who does moi
decline to discuss any public question.
JONATHAN EDWARDS.