New-York tribune., 1908-11-02
THE DANGERS OF BRY4NISM.

THE DANGERS OF BRYANTSM.
Mr. Roots speech Of Saturday night closed
the national campaign as ably Governor
Hughes's speech at Youngstown opened it The
Secretary of State took up the various phases
of the destructive criticism of Bryan and Bryan
ism &c which the voters have listened for the
last few months and brought them all together
In Il mastery analysis of those dangerous quail
ties in the man and in his ideas from which
the business of this country is so openly
shrinking After examining them in detail, Mr.
Root says:
I have now given eight specific instances in
which Mr. Bryan has become known to Us as
the advocate of measures which the plain COM
mon sense of the business men of the country
recognize as measures inconsistent with the
success of enterprise and the safety or invest
Inent These specific measures are the free COIN
age OF silver, initiative and referendum, the gov
ernment ownership of railroads. the enforced
guarantee of bank deposits, the arbitrary fixing
of railroad rates without inquiry into facts, the
putting of trust controlled articles on the free
list to the ruin of American competitors. the
withdrawal of the protective element in the
American tariff. the requirement of federal IL
censes. Most Of these are violations of those
universal laws which control the development
and progress of the business of the world, here
and everywhere.
There il a rake's progress i'll demagogy. The
free silyerite of 1886 is still a free silverite;
but he is something more for he has been busy
trines until now he is plainly disturber in
half dozen ways in which his potentalty of
destruction was not dreamed of upon his first
appearance. Then he stood in the public mind
primarily for another recrudescence Of the old
fat money folly, but now he is the spokesman
Of Utopian reorganization Of industrial society
by man who knows nothing about economics
or industry, either theoretically or practically.
We obtain only glimpses of whittier he would
strive to lead us, for with a mind as restless as
his in seeking new things, uncrticaI in EN-
bracing them and as incapable Of appraising
their utility in detail. there is no knowing where
he would stop once he conceived that he had a
license to readjust society and bring the
equitable distribution Of life's rewards" He
j is allured mothlike toward the flame Of social
ism, and eager to disturb individual initiative
and enterprise by vastly multiplying the scope
Of social Interference Herewith. The govern
ment ownership of railways, the government
regulation OF large industrial corporations, the
government control of the prices of their prod
ucts, are among a few Of the steps he would
have the nation take to bring about that per-
feet justice the lack of which in mundane things
it is his function to supply.
For the achievement of that perfect equity
Mr. Bryan would not only introduce this new
and untried tendency in the management of
business, but would break down the restraints
/
found desirable. He would always give @'the
people, lashed to unreaso by demagogues, ''the
benefit of the doubt" and as Executive sign
any bills popularity demanded, if as time went
on he was able TO pass them, leaving it to the
interests affected to find protection in the courts
Nor would his changes in the fabric Of American
political and economic life to bring about that
equity dear to his excellent heart, but not
clear thinking brain, stop even there; for the
courts to which business. excluded regously
from the benefit Of the doubt" must turn for
protection would also suffer their sea-change
into something rich and strange for they would
be made more responsive to the people" They
would be Informed with a new spirit and
brought into intimate touch with the passions
of the unthinkng so as TO reflect public opn-
ion" and they would probably. too, like the
ideal Executive. give ''the people" the benefit of
the doubt
Mr. Bryan now stands for something vastly
deeper reaching than he did in 1896 We do
not say that he stands for his new doctrines
sincerely, honestly and by force of deep CON
victiOn- On the contrary; but just as in 1896
ne felt that the majority under the pressure of
hard times and debts would welcome his dis,
/ honest method Of wiping the slate clean, SO now
he feels that he is giving articulation to a real
and widespread sentiment for change in the
fundamentals Of American life. Convictions or
no CONVICTIONS, he IS the vehicle Of this senti-
ment, whether he has correctly estimated its
spread or not; and it aQd he are enough to
give pause to every one who has an interest in
things as they and III preserving them from
the sudden innovations Of ofhand statesman
ship and violent disturbances IN Il sentimental
rectihcation of age-lOng imperfeCtiOns In 1896
he merely meant TO wipe out the debts into
which society had temporarily been plunged
now he would strike deeper TO bring on justice
and universal happiness and would reorganize
society itself. The more fundamental his rene
dies the more dangerous he is