The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-09-11
BRYAN AS PROPHET
FAILS TO QUALIFY
Disasters lie ForetoId Never Come
to Pass.
OPPOSITE is ALWAYS TRUE.
Gold Standard Does Not Stay, Nor
Does It Write Future In Blood.

AS a prophet William Jennings Bry-
lamities which he has foretold would
cave brought unlimited disaster to the
country II they had ever been realized.
But they never came to pass. The har-
cowing pictures which he painted were
merely Pigments of bis Imagination,
based on absolutely no foundation
whatever.
1t is well to have Americans remem-
her that prophecies uttered by the ora
tor Of the Platte must be discounted
fully 100 per cent, for all signs indi-
cate that he feels the fates once more
and is about to begin prophesying
cgain. A male Cassandra, Mr.. Bryan
might by this time have learned that
the forecast Of evil will never be be-
lieved by those who have found that
in the past his Vaccinations have been
but empty air.
Driving Country to Ruin"
For instance, when Mr.. Bryan was a
member of the House Of Representa-
tives in 1892 he was absolutely certain
that protection was driving the coun-
try headlong to rack and ruin, and in
his speech delivered March 16 of that
year he drew the following agonizing
pictures:
Protection has been our cannibal
tree, and as one after another of our
farmers has been driven by the force
of circumstances upon that tree and
has been crushed within its folds his
companions have stood around and
shouted, Great is protection
Thus in every State, so far as these
statistics have been collected, the pro-
portion of home owning farmers is de-
Creasing and that of tenant farmers
increasing. This means but one thing.
1t means a land of landlords and ten
ants, and, backed by the history Of
every nation that has gone down, say
to you that no people can continue
a free people under free government
when the great majority of its citizens
are tenants of small minority. Your
system protective tariff) has driven
the farm owner from his land and
substituted the farm tenant"
How far this picture portrays the
America of to-day or the America Of
any year since he made that speech
any American can answer. Even in
M hn find
answer right at his doors, for the farm
lolds of Nebraska have doubled in
value.
"Murderous Gold Standard"
But during the four years succeeding
that speech Mr.. Bryan's agitation grew
no less nor did the demon which lie
had raised in his own imagination hide
with diminished head, for In 1896 he
again saw restitution threatening the
country. He had remedy for 1t,
panacea, fetch which he held up for
worship-free silver. Here are some
OF the things Mr.. Bryan said would
happen If the gold standard were con-
tinued:
81 reply that If protection has slain
It's thousands the gold standard has
slain Its tens of thousands. From
speech at Democratic National Conven-
tion, July, 1906.
do not let the Republicans beguile
yo,: about the future The future Is
written In blood crushed out of you by
gold."-From speech at Erie, Pa, Au-
gust, 1896.
"Ah, my friends, there 10 another
reason why people have gone into the
cities and left the farms. 1t Is be-
cause your legislation has been caus-
ing the foreclosure Of mortgages upon
the farms. Mark my words
II the gold standard goes on and peo-
pie continue to complain, the gold stan
dard advocates instead Of trying to i'm
prove the condition Of the people will
be recommending that you close your
schools so that the people will not real
lie how much they are suffering
From speech at Monmouth, ILL.,, Octo-
Der, 1896.
But whom has the gold standard
slain? What future did 1t write in
blood? What district schools did 1t
close? Again the condition of the
country makes a calm reply confuting
the imprisoned orator.
Campaigning again in 1900 Mr. Bry-
an decided that Imperialism was an
other danger to the country. II 1t were
continued the Fourth of July would be
forgotten by all Americans and the
spirit Of '78' would become thing
of the past. Speaking at Lincoln, Mr..
Bryan said:
Sees Death of Patriotism.
'"The fight this year will be to carry
out the sentiment Of that song we have
30 often repeated, My Country, Ills of
Thee II we lose, our children and
our childrep's children will not succeed
to the spirit Of that song, and celebra-
tions Of the Fourth Of July will pass
swoy, for the spirit Of the empire will
10 upon Vs."
70 there any spot in these United
States where the spirit Of 1776 10 dead