Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-09-23
Tact EXPOSES the FAl,. !.
lAclts7 Of BRyANIsM,
CONTINUED from Page One.)

tnG issue OIL pTOleCtIOn ana Tree traQe,
of tariktrf revenue, which now so at
tracts MN. and he went into the busi-
ness of trying to persuade the people
of this country to resort to the dishon-
est method of paying their debts by
issuing a debased money which would
be equivalent to the payment of what
tbeanation and people owe at the rate
Of so cents on the dollar. Reputation
always has an attraction for those who
are laboring under debt.
In that campaign Mr.. Bryan prophe-
sled that the continuation of the gold
standard meant uncertainty in sem-
ployment of labor and hardship to the
wage Garner; that it would send down
the price of farm products-wheat be-
low so cents; corn below 30 cents and
oats to five cents. He did not have
to live two years to see every prophesy
that he made in that campaign refuted
bv the facts.
"Then there came on the campaign
of 1900. In that campaign he still ad-
hered to his free silver fallacy and still
went about the country trying to ex-
plain why that the continuation Of the
gold standard had not resulted in the
disasters which he had prophesied. But
lest the issue of free silver become a
little shopworn, he brought out as a
paramount issue that of anti-imperlal-
ism. He announced that If he were
not elected in the next election, patrl-
otism would have ceased to be in this
country, the celebration of the Fourth
of July would become memory and
that liberty would die. His agitation
on this question continued the war
in the Philippines against the authority
OF the United States for nearly two
years longer. and many poor fellow
who lost his life in the service of his
country in those far distant islands,
owes it directly to the inspiration which
the opposition Of the democracy under
Mr. Bryan made to the policy of Mr.
Mckinley in the Philippines. He was
beaten on these issues, and we continue
tn celebrate the Fourth Of July with
fervor.
"At the end of the next four years,
Mr.. PARKER was nominated. Mr. Bryan
still insisted on inserting in the plat
form clause in favor of free silver.
but it was left out. He then joined
with Mr.. Parker in making the para
mount issu. the tyranny of Theodore
militarism. He denounced Mr.. Roose-
ven as completely subject to corporate
interests and held up to the country
the dangers of war to which 1t would
be subjected under u Roosevelt ad-
ministration although the same pol
icy was pursued in the Philippines as
before Imperialism had ceased to be ii
paramount ISSUE,
''1he prophecy which Mr.. Bryan
made with reference to the warllke ten
dencies of Mr. Roosevelt, and to his
subjection to corporate influence ne
had only to wait, as he had to wait
in previous instances when he made
q prophecy, some two years ago 10
find them utterly refuted. For never
in the history of the world has any
chief executive had such triumph IN
making peace as Theodore Roosevelt
in the Russian n-Japanese war, In Cen
trail America. in Santo Domingo. ana IN
Cuba. and never in the history of the
country has there been such complete
triumph over corporate influence as
that which the courage. the honesty
and lhe persistence of Theodore Roose-
welt has wrought during the present
administration.
"Jn the campaign of 1904 and in pre-
vfols camapigns, Mr.. Bryan has de-
mOunced militarism and imperialism,
hut this wear he was advised that the
visit of our navy to the Pacific coast
had aroused such an interest in the
nayy and made it SO popular on that
coast that his Pacific friends persuad-
ed him to approve plank In the plat
form for an adequate navy for the pro-
lection of the Pacific coast. Just what
he means by this Is q little difficult to
tell. What the Republican party means
nv 1t is clear 1t means an increase
in tho forces of the navy. and yet with
characteristic inconsistency Mr.. Bry-
an. as already said. attacks the Re-
publican party for making suitable ap-
p,opriations for the increase of our ma
val force.
'.In 1906. Mr.. Bryanswent around the
world and hisTcturn was heralded win
the statement that In his vIsit around
the world he had so gained information
and knowledge that he became SAFE ano
sane; that he was a conservative. ana
all the Democratic party awaited MS
coming With great interest. Immediate
ly upon his arrival he diSpelled thi2
erroneous impression by declaring tna'
he was convinced that the only soli-
ton of the railroad problem ultimately
would be government ownership. he
had previously declared in favor ri
national initiative and referendum ana
also in favor of the election OF federal
Judges. All these most radical pr"po-
sitions have now been excluded from
the Democratic platform. They 90 not
meet such popular approval as to
Justify them being brought forward as
a means Of acquiring office in this cam
paign, but they illustrate the character
of the man, who proposes them; they
show the instability and variability OF
his views. and they justify the fear
that So many people of this country
have in respect to the danger to "h.cn
the public veal may be exposed Should
he be put at the helm as the pilot.
And now. with the record OF prom
ises and. .psophecies unfuifllled for pc
riod of II years. with this record OF
hunt for an issue upon which I"
achieve the Efesidency, with this rec