New-York tribune., 1908-07-25
uR. BRYiy AND THE RAILROADS..

No part Of the Democratic platform is more
insincere. considering that Mr.. Bryan himself
dictated its terms than that referring 10 the
railroads The party is pledged TO extend
the policy of railroad regulation, doubtless in
accordance with what MIR. Bryan believes TO
be The sentiment in the West I'VE favor the
efficient supervision and rate regulation of
railroads engaged in Interstate commerce
declares the document. Such an enlargement OF
the powers of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission is demanded as may be necessary To
compel the railroads 10 perform their duties
las common carriers and prevent discrlm-a-
--tion and extortion.' To make public regl-
lation more effective the commission should
have the initiative with respect 10 rate making.
II is TO effect physical valuation of the rail-
road properties of the country, 10 the ehd that
the public regulation Of them may he efficient
Other legislation is demanded all of it designed
to develop and extend the policy of government
supervision
Yet on April 10. 1907. Nh Bryan wrote to
The Wall Street Journal that regulation was
and always would he failure. saying:
For some fourteen years after my entrance
into national politics hoped for effective rail-
road legislation. and was brought reluctantly TO
the conclusion that government ownership 1ur-
nished the only satisfactory remedy for the dis
ordinations rebates and extoruons practlsed
by the railroads, and for the corruption Whch
And again. further on in the same letter. he
declares that he has reached the conclusion
that. in the end. regulation wiz be found
ineffective" If Mr.. Bryan believes, and he
has said that he does more than once, that the
regulation of railroads is bound to be a failure,
why does he stand upon platform OF his own
drafting declaring in favor Of the supervision
and rate regulation of railroads? What sort
of statesman is he who will seriously recon-
mend to the public what he regards as a
worthless expedient? Why is he willing to as
sociate his name with a policy which he has
concluded will prove ineffective? What should
we think of an engineer who was convinced
from his study of the plans that bridge
when completed would fall down and yet who
should seek the contract to build it according
to those plans: OR of any man in any walk of
life who was perfectly sure that a certain prof.
est would be Il failure. Yet who insistently
offered his services to carry it out?
Mr. BRYAN gives the reasons in his letter TO
The Wall Street Journal which undoubtedly
Influenced him to pledge the Democratic party
to carry out policy that is against his convic-
tions The policy is popular. That is all. AT
this time a majority of the people still seem
Ito have faith in regulation. / shall as
.sist as far as I am able. to test regulation
under as favorable conditions as can he ere
"ated" What shall he said of the American
people if. having faith in regulation. they put
the development of the policy into the hands
of man who has gone about proclaiming that
lit was sure to he a failure? Does any man in
his senses ever employ his agent person
who believes the onject of his agency to be
impracticable: If public regulation under
BRYAN failed and the country was hurried into
public ownership. a very likely result would
the nation believe that regulation had been
fairly tried? We have. then, candidate offer
ing to carry out a policy which he is CON
vinced will be a failure and asking the country
10 intrust the administration of this policy TO
one who does not believe in it in preference to
intrusting it TO one who does. Such position
Is the height of the ridiculous.