The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-06-04
DEMOCRATS NO LONGER
HAVE CORNER ON PAE|Cs
Bryan Says That Taft Is an HonorabIe
Gentleman, But He Certainly Is
Not Reformer and President
Made a Big Mistake.

Omaha, Neb June s.-The weeks
speech-maklng tour of w ]. BRYAN
'hioush northern and western Nebraska.
ended with a rear platform speech at
columbus this afternoon and he arrived
IN omaha tonight. Mr.. Bryan made a.
speeches and nearly that many infor-
NAL talks since he left home last Tues
day. In nearly every speech he pointad
Out what he regarded as the weakness OF
me currency measure passed by Con-
eress during its closing sessions The
largest meeting today was at Lexington
"here business was suspended during the
stay All the principal buildings were
decorated in honor of his visit and scbooI
was dismissed at noon He addressed an
open air meeting at the high school
grounds, where large crowd represent
ing both city and country population
gathered on the common.
When Mr.. Bryan arrived in Omaha IN
night, he expressed himself as delighted
with his trip and with the reception he
mad received everywhere He remained in
Omaha tonight and will go home Thurs
day morning
lafollette EuIoezed.
In his speech at Lexington Rrvan
eulogzed Senator Lafollette for his on
position to the emergency currency bill
and said
Senator Lafollette is in sympathy with
the masses and has made a great fight
against great odds. They put him out OF
the last republican convention and can
rot predict what they will do to him In
the next one.
when the President picked up Mr.
Taft for the candidate of his party for
President, If he was looking for an hon.
orable gentleman, he could not have done
better; but if he was looking for a
reformer, he made a great mistake.
'Mr. Taft says to extinguish trusts
means to extinguish industry. Every
farmer and every man who labors knows
better than that. Take for instance the
harvester trust. 1t does not care whether
the farmer buys or not. 1t does not have
a corner on everything the farmer buys.
hut it soon will have, left alone. If you
were to extinguish that concern it would
destroy every other concern that manu-
factures farm implements.
Power of Congress.
Congress is vested with power over
interstate commerce and could control
these trusts If the business of the har-
vester trust was reduced so per cent there
would be competition which would result
in cheaper implements for the farmers.
Business would be increased by the sale
of more implements, and more men would
be employed Thus competition would
help every element of society
when you exterminate trusts, you re-
vive business instead of destroying it."
Reverting to the financial situation, Mr..
Bryan said:
"The recent experience through which
we have passed affords lesson. During
the 10 years it has been in power the re-
publican party has permitted to be issued
$40, coo 900, 900 of fictitious or watered stock
by great corporations. Recently the work
of squeezing the water began. Banks
became cautious: and when the great
concerns could not pay back their loans
western people woke up one morning to
find notice from the banks that they
could not have their money to use in
their own business.
Corner on Panlcs.
"a railroad president does not make his
fortune by saving his salary. With a
salary of 100000 a year he would only
receive 5000, 900 in so years, hardly enough
to buy a respectable foreign title. That
amount doesn't go far in Wall street 1t
used to be said that the democratic party
had a corner on panics but recently the
republican party has threatened to put t
out of the panic business.
Now comes Congress to the relief of
the banks with an emergency currency.
When the campaign began to procure this
law, the big bankers refused a greenhack
currency because they knew they would
lose control of the issuance of money.
The law will not furnish relief. What is
required is confidence, the same kind OF
confidence our republican friends were
demanding 12 years ago. This condolences
can be obtained, in my opinion. only
through a bank guaranty fund to pro-
tect depositors against loss In failed
banks. The big banks fight shy of this
idea, because they fear if the little banks
were sound they would get all the de-
posts. But this is the only relief and ths
system has already been Wind Gated by
it's success in Oklahoma"