The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-01-23
HOPE TO BEAT BRYAN
ANYTHING TO DOWN THE GREAT
DEFEATED.
Indication o. a Concerted Movement
TO Play johnson of Minnesota for
the Nomination Against the Peer
less but UnsuccessfuI NebraslSan.

Upon the following declaration by a
candidate for the Democratic nomina-
ton for President Of the United States
the New York World, leader of
| Democratic thought and very able
| among the Democratic newspapers of
| the United States, bases its appeal for
a grand rally around the flag of true
| Democracy:
| The commercial and industrial de
velopment Of this country has reached
a point where the proper adjustment
| of right has become the question Of
the hour. The present unrest of our
| people is evidence OF the deterelina-
| ton shared by all that the funda-
| mental principles of this government
| shall be maintained. These include
the dignity of labor, equality before
| the law the equal enforcement of the
| laws and entire absence of special
| privileges.
Great corporations, especially those
| exercising at least some Of the pow
| ers of government, must come to the
realization that they are as amenable
to the law as is the individual citizen.
1.-THE trust problem Is still to be
| solved; but while searching for the
| complete remedy, we can at least with
| draw from their grasp the special priv
| ileges they have enjoyed under a high
| protective tariff
Il hn hof
| ent tariff, while mainly responsible for
| the existence OF the trusts, is, in add.
| ton, a tax upon the masses for the
| benefit OF the few.
The farming of taxes in France, be-
| fore the Revolution, was no more mi
| quitous than is our present tariff sys-
| TEN. Nineteen hundred and eight will
| be q memorable year for the struggle
| of equal right and American ideals the
year will see tariff reform accomplish
| ed or well under way. for if the. pres
ent Congress does not ut the present
session make substantial reductions the
| people in November will elect those
| pledged so to do-John A. Johnson,
Governor of Minnesota, St. Paul, Mimi,
December 2S.''
Here is statesman who. in the
time of Louis XIV. would have ranked
high as Bourbon, As one who never
learns and never forgets." He has
never learned that under a protective
tariff the United States Republic has
gained the foremost place among the
nations of the world-foremost in all
that makes for human prosperity and
human welfare. He cannot forget that
for loag stretch of years hatred of n
protective tariff, along with fondness
for human slavery, was the prime test
of Democratic craftsmanship.
/. For him the world has not moved.
Apparently he does not know that pro-
lection is to-day the accepted and the
permanent policy of nineteen-twen-
tieths of the civilized world. Appa-
rently he does not know that his own
party is hopelessly divided on the
question of protection VS. free trade,
and that if the race issue could be
eliminated from politics practically ali
the States of the Union from which
Democratic electoral votes are by any
possibility obtainable would be openly
for protection.
Swiftly and In considerable numbers
have come approving responses from
brother Bourbons-from Democratic
Senators and Representative in Con-
gress, from members of the Democratic
National Committee, from Democratic
editors-all hailing with loud acclaim
the free trade pronunciamento Of the
Minnesota Bourbon.
Anything to beat Bryan. is the undis-
gulsed purpose of the World in thus
projecting into the foreground the
Johnson candidacy. Anything to beat
Bryan, is obviously the controlling
motive of the those who have 20 eager
ly swallowed the Worlds bait, hook,
line and sinker.
or course, the movement will not
succeed. Nothing can beat Bryan
for the nomination. Bryan will be
the Democratic nominee upon a plat
form sufficiently loyal to free trade
and hostile to protection to command
the support of even the World itself.
And BRYAN will, as usual, be beaten at
the polls, unless, perchance, the Re-
publlcans make some fatal mistake
When the people of the United
States get tired of a protective tariff
they will naturally turn over to the
Democratic party the business OF tariff
making. That is what they did IN
1902
From among the Republican re-
sponses to the Worlds Johnson hoo
raw" there are two that are worth pre-
serving:
Senior Ankeny, of Washington
(Rep.) -''This Is no time for tariff
tinkeriAg We have enough trouble
on hand now"
Senator Elkins, Of West Virginia
(Rep)-"I am not in favor Of touch
ing the tariff at this session. We have
plenty of work ahead, both in legis-
lation and business, to keep us busy
for a while. Don't thaw out any
more snakes than you can KILL
There is enough In those two ex-
pressions t. set some people to think
ing for some time to come; enough,
rightly grasped, to indicate the kind of
platform and candidate the next Re
publican national convention should
and should not place before the Amer
can people.-Amerlcan Economist.
Entitled to Respect.
The influence which a protective tar
iff has exerted on the welfare Of this
country has been so great and so widely
recognized that there is abundant rea-
son why the people should continue to
NM tho doonort roSnont and rororn,,ol,