New-York tribune., 1908-08-23
AN ryACcEPTED PROPHET.

Mr.. Bryans beated efforts to make himself
the Moses of the tariff revision movement 90
not arouse any enthusiasm among convinced and
consistent opponents of protection. Ihey evil
dentIy regard his zeal as merely another
exhibition of his inveterate habit OF selzlnS on
issues TO suit the exigencfeS OF politlcs' Inc
leader who ignored the tariff issue in 1896 and
1900 will hardly make men who have for twenty
wears been strenuously fighting the protective
system believe in the steadfastness or sincerity
of his free trade principles. ''The New York
Evening Post" which Is the recognized high
priest of free trade, ready as ii is to md fault
with the Republican attitude toward tarln re-
vision and TO see in the Republican policy of pro-
lection the source of every evil that may affilct
the state cannot discover either in the record oil
Mr. BRYAN or of the Democratic party for the
last twelve years any hopeful alternative Tor
the low tariff man to the Republican tariff pro-
gramme unsatisfactory as it may be 10 hlm
Mr.. Cleveland won his second election on the
issue of a revenue tariff, but his party enacted
q law which absolutely betrayed that promise,
and if Mr. BRYAN had been sincere in his anti
protection principles he would, when his oppor-
tunity for leadership came, have taken up the
unfinished work of Mr.. Cleveland. Instead ne
sought to fasten cheap money on the country
Four years later after the Dingley tariff law
had been enacted and all free traders were duty
Mortified Mr. Bryan was still indifferent to the
tariff and sought to gain votes by his anti-im-
perialistic demagogy. In 1904 he supported
Judge Parker in a campaign in which both
practically ignored the tariff though whatever
reasons were TO be urged against the Republican
policy were quite as real and apparent then as
now 1t is a little late. therefore, for Mr.. Bryan
TO win the free traders. who feel, as The Even
ing Post" puts it. that tariff reform has been
betrayed in the house of its friends" His pro-
fessfons leave them cold and his charges of Re
publican insincerity and Inconsistency serve
merely TO emphasize his own
The Brooklyn Eagle" another longtime
Democratic exponent of tariff for revenue, is
equally unconvinced that either Mr. Bryan or
the Democratic party has any right to public
confidence on the tariff issue. 1t recalls the re-
pudiation of the platform of 1892 by the Demo-
cratic Congress, which resulted in the law de-
nounced By Mr. Cleveland as measure OF per
fiiy and dishonor, and says:
The reputation and betrayal of 1893 are not
chargeable against Mr.. Bryan to-day, any more
than they were chargeable TO Mr.. Cleveland then,
but they are chargeable against the Democratic
party which conspicuously failed to redeem It's
pledge They will be recalled in spite OF any
thing Mr.. Bryan say as reason why the
faith once betrayed cannot be restored-noW.
THE Eagle" moreover believes that, even
accepting Mr. Bryans late conversion as gen
uine he offers less hope for tariff revision than
Mr.. Taft. 1t declares:
Both parties are committed to tariff revision.
and Mr. Bryan labors ineffectvely to show that
revision can be better achieved through his cleo
ton than by that of Mr.. Taft. That view as
su1nes public confidence in Mr.. Bryan as q
stable determined and aggressive statesman
which is unjustified by anything so far disclosed
in his record It would attribute to him not only
a sincere desire for reform in the tariff. but the
capacity to use the power of the federal govern
rnent against possibly reluctant House and
certainly balky Senate. His sincerity may De
admitted without denying equal sincerity to Mr..
Taft but his capacity to bring TO purpose the
fruitage of achievement would be qualified, as
would not be the case with his opponent. by the
existence of formidable and Interchangeable hos
tility within the federal Legislature.
If this is the attitude of old line Democratic
enemies of protection toward Mr.. Bryans ap-
peal to them their pet issue, he is not likely
to make much progress with less confirmed free
traders 1t will soon be in order for him to
forget tariff revision aud discover q new topic
for appeal.