Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-10-02
Americas, Ga, October 2, 1903.
NO JOINT DEBATE FOR BRYAN

Bryan has vetoed the idea of joint
debate between him and Senator
Bailey of Texas in Atlanta. Bryan
is perfectly wiling to speak in Atlanta
the financial consideration, of course,
not being made public, but he is so
averse to meeting Bailey in any joint
discussion of the tariff question that
the Atlanta committee finds him alb
solutely immovable on this point.
It is to be regretted that Bryan as
sumes this attitude. A man who has
been on the public platform as long as
he has, who has, supposedly, studied
the tariff question from every view
point, and who is assuredly thorough
ly primed to support his convictions
with unanswerable arguments, should
not dodge a debate such as has been
proposed.
There is something inspiring in
debate that is not to be found in set
speeches. Bailey is a fine speaker and
so is Bryan. Each of their addresses
will furnish food for thought and will
undoubtedly be strong presentation
of their respective views. But neither
speech, nor both speeches together,
will attract the attention that a debate
on the same platform and at the same
time would A debate in which one
man delivers his argument and his
opponent follows several days later
with his is not calculated to arouse a
1.-THE of the attention or enthusiasm
that would come from the same men
meeting each other face to face, an
swering the arguments right then and
there, perhaps exchanging rapid vol
ley of questions and replies. Such a
scene is calculated to stir the most
phlegmatic.
1t is pity that Bryan could not be
brought to view this matter in the
right way. The country needs a re-
turn to the old debating days. 1t
would be a grand thing for it if the
leaders of both sides could be contin-
uously brought to meet each other in
debates on the questions of the hour.
1t would be not only an intellectual
inspiration to the country, but 1t
would enable each of the participants
to better show his mettle. 1t would
take away some of the cultured edge
off their speeches, perhaps, but it
would result in their getting down to
the marrow of the subject under dis
cussion. 1t would concentrate public
attention more and more on the sub
jects with which it should be familiar
and it would lead, in all likelihood to
better politics and better government
AS conditions now are the public is too
apt to get only one side of the ques-
ton, to follow the leaders of its own
party, listen to their arguments and
hear little or nothing of the other side
A joint debate between Bryan and
Bailey would have been an excellent
return to old time conditions. 1t might
have been the opening door for a re-
turn to the old methods of public dis
cussion when politicians or statesmen
were not afraid to meet each other on
the stump and face to face beat out
the chaff from the wheat and confound
each other with cold blooded facts and
irresistible logic, as well as With the
stirring flights OF ofatory of which
even now their successors would be
capable under the stimulus of such an
occasion.
Bryan has erred in refusing to meet
Bailey under such conditions. Per-
haps he thought it might lead to un-
pleasant personalities, to some un-
forseen incident that would be regret
table. But the public has been robbed
of pleasure and the country has been
deprived of the benefits that might
have flown from the innovation Allan
ia sought to establish.