The Washington times., 1908-11-01

tionaI rights have from tho court
constituted by Mr. Bryan7
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bin was passed By the Legislature of
New York without any inquiry what
ever into such facts, but as purely
arbitrary act Of power hiking the rate
without any reference 20 the question
whether il would amount 10 c0nnSca-
tiCu Of railroad property or not Mr..
BTyans disappTOVal OF Governor
Hughes course, therefore, was an ap-
pToYal Of a practice under which the
people who travel on the railroads OF
the United states shall fix their own
fares by legislative enactment Ia aC-
CUrdanCe with what they wish 10 pay
without asCertainiug or caring whether
the fare so paid will furnish reason
able return To the railroad 10 enable
il 10 pay ITS labor buy its materials,
rolling stocks and still make reason
able profit; and 20 regulate rates IN
and return any profit whatever TO the
capital invested
Mr.. Bryan proposes in his latest plat
form that all articles entering into com
petition with trust-COntrolled products
shall be placed upon the free list.
How 1t Works.
Mir. Rryan's plan Is that soon as II
IS discovered that some manufacturing
concern has got what he calls con-
troll Of some article, the article
shall be put on the free list. taking off
all protection whatever and running
bota the trust ana all its competitors at
the same time; for. as general rule,
American manufacture cannot pay Amer
lean wages and compete in cur markets
with European manufacture, paying
European wages, without some prOtec-
ton. The necessary effect Of such
proceeding would be 10 close the Amerl-
e.HIH# ga
wOTkmen out Of employment and COM
pei our people 10 make all their pur-
chdses OF the particular articles con
Cemed in Europe. This would not mere
~ be ruinOus 10 the competing Amert-
can manufacturer as we'll as TO the
trust, but would be most disastrous in
its effect upon mercantile trade. The
products. OF manufacture are distributed
by our mercantile houses the whole
saIer buys from the mill. the retailer
buys from the wholesaler and all over
the country there are large stocks Of
goods kept at the points where they are
available for the consumer. Under Mr.,
Bryan these merchants would be obliged
continually to face the danger that the
value Of fheir stocks OF goods might be
suddenly greatly decreased by de
CislOn Of some officer somewhere that the
articles which they have on their
shelves are TO he Classed as trust CON
trolled articles. and are to be put on
competition brought in TO underseIl
them.
For Revenue Tariff.
Mr.. Bryan's platform declares that IS
to all articles IN which American man
ufaCturers compete with foreign manu-
facturers the tariff must be reduced To
"a revenue basis; that is to say, that no
duty shall be imposed with a view Of
protecting American manufacture. Lit
tie attention is being paid 70 this sub
Ject in this campaign. but that Is what I
Alr. Bryan proposes to do and will do
IF elected, and in electing him the
American people would commit them
selves to the abandonment Of the policy
OF protection.
Mr.. Bryans platform proposes that
any manufacturing or trading corpora
ton engaged in interstate commerce
and all the large ones are engaged in
interstate cOmmerce-shail be required
TO take out a Federal license before 1t
shall be permitted TO control as much as
% per cent Of the products in which K
deals. and that these licenses shall re-
qutre all the concerns which hold them
TO sell to all purchasers in all parts OF
the country on the same terms after
making due allowance for cost Of trans
Rortation- All the leading concerns
making or dealing in any of the tens
of thousands Of particular kinds Of arti-
cles made and sold in this country are
10 be SUBJECT 10 lllS limitation.
How 1t VIII Be Done.
] Will not dwell upon how the facts
are 10 be determined for the purpose
of enforcing such a provision. That
must necessarily be by some executive
officer in Washington, for manifestly
it would be impossib bic that the courts
should perform such an enormous task
relating to all the great business of
the country. ! will not dwell upon the
tremendous Capitalization of power in
Washington which would be involved
n this: but 1 point to the fact that
such a proposal would destroy the
right of private contract on the part
of the great producers and merchants
Of the country, and would impose upon
all business the same limitations
which are properly imposed upon com
mon carriers in the performance of
their public duty of transportation,
for which they have received fran
chises from the public.
Gives Eight Reasons.
have now given eight specific in
stances in which Mr.. Bryan has become
known Il Us as the advocate Of meas
ures which the plain, common sense Of
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