Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-10-21
WEDNESDAY ocro PER 81, las.
REPUBLICAN NOMINEES.
NATIONAL ELECTION, NOV. 3, 1893.
FOR PRESIDENT,
WILLIAM I'll. TAFT,
OF OHIO.
FOR VICE. PRESIDENT,
JAMES S. SHERMAN,
OF NEW YORK.
Mr.. Bryan n Free Trader.

In the record OF Mr.. Bryan's puonc
career he is Off ciaily identified with
inst one important measure OF fed
eral legislation-she Wilson German
tariff act of 1874 As q member
of the House com nittee on ways and
means during President Cleveland's
second administration, MIR. Bryan as
sisted in preparing that measure, and
in its completed form il bore his uE-
qualified approval. His advocacy Of
the bill drew, sharp and clear, The di-
viding line between the democracy
of Organism and the democracy If
Cleveland. Mr.. Bryan pronounced
the measure just and honor able.
President Cleveland denounced il as
~'the creature OF perfidy and dis
honor, refused to sign it, and it be-
came Law without bis approval. The
distinction thus drawn between The
Bryan democracy and the Cleveland
democracy continues to this day.
Inasmuch as Mr.. Br, an is posing
this year as the special friend and
champion OF the farmers, it is worth
while to point out how their interests
were affected by the only important
law he ever helped TO crea,e. The
Wilson German act repealed the duty
on wool. On Jan. 1, 1893, two months
after President Cieveland's second
election, the sheep in the United
States, according to official statistics,
numbered Al ga, $50, and we're valued
at s129, 800, 254. At the close Of Mr..
Cleveland's term, thanks to the bale
ful influence Of the free trade act
which Mr.. Bryan had helped to force
upon the statute book, the number of
sheep in the country had fallen to 36, :
SlS,643, having q value of t6O, OF, 942
In other words, the sheep flocks had
suffered loss of more than 10, 900 900,
or nearly Is per cent, and the wool
clip Of the United States had declined
in value about s5s, OOO, 600, or nearly
50 per cent, all though the operation
of law which found one OF its most
ardent supporters in the person OF
<'the farmers friend', William J.
Bryan.
In 1898, under the fostering care OF
tariff protection, the wool OF the
country amounted to 300, 600, 900
pounds; in 1895, under the bhghting
effect of free trade, it fell to 200 600, 900
pounds. In 1891, with the tariff re-
stored, it rose to 302 600 900 pounds,
and to BIC, 200, 900 pounds In 1902.
During the four years of President
Cleveland's second term the measure
which he denounced as "the creature
of peridy and dishonor", but which
MIR. Bryan nevertheless enthusiastic
cally endorsed, saddled the American
wool growers with losses conserva-
lively estimated at $500. o00. 600.
The wool-growers, however, were
not the only victims of the Wilson
German Bryan perfidy. Every branch
of American industry suffered. 1t
lowered the duties on imports of
manufactures and thereby forced the
closing OF important native industries
and drove their employees into idle
ness. Wages in every branch OF in
dnstrial activity declined, the demand
for every variety of farm products fell
on, and the workingmen of the coun-
try were subjected TO universal hard
ship and distress.
The operation of Mr.. Bryan's pet
measure robbed the farmers, brought
hunger and misery to the wage
Garner and bankrupted the treasury.
II was, indeed, as Mr.. Cleveland said,
"a creature of perfidy and dishonor.u
Mr.. Bryan stands to- day as he stood
In 1894-for free trade and all that it
means to American labor and Ameri-
can enterprise. He cannot get away
from the record, and there are no in
dications that ho wants to get away
from it, He ID committed to free
trade % Distinctly - he is to free sill.
ger, and his own words show that he
vim fasten those twin deviltries upon
the country II he gets the chance.
II aIackad ha linden Taft has ahown