The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-06-18
Mr.. RRYAN's ATTITUDE
The Tampa Tribune of Sunday has


une cannot share with the Ocala Ban
ner and the Pensacola Journal the eV-
ident view that any man who dares
criticize William Jennings Bryan and
ventures to suggest that the day OF
his leadership is passed is unfaithful
to democracy and deserves expulsion
from the party"
! Certainly the Ocala Banner does
not go so far as this, for it was itself
guilty of opposing Mr.. Bryan's nomi-
nation for the presidency the third
time months before the assembling
of the Denver convention, and it shall
oppose his nomination in the future.
But he was nominated and this paper
gave him a loyal support and regrets
his defeat.
Mr.. Bryan is not now a candidate
for any Office and any criticism of him
solely because he was defeated, 1t
seems to this paper, is in exceeding
bad grace, because he was not respon-
sible for the turn of affairs.
But the criticism of the Florida
members of congress is not so much
on account of their criticism of Mr..
Bryan as it is because they have join
ed forces with the republicans, and
without whose support the present
tariff schedule-the worst the coun-
try has ever known-would be impOs-
sible.
This paper is radically opposed to
protection for projections sake. 1t is
even opposed to tariff for revenue.
If it had its way about it it would do
away with the whole blooming bust
ness. 1t would close the doors of ev-
cry custom house in the country, and
would let every tub stand on its own
bottom. 1t would give every individ-
ual an equal chance in the struggle
for existence and would then pro-
nounce this sentence upon them:
Root hog or die" 1t would not en-
rich the few at the expense of the
many. But that is neither here nor
there. Free trade is not now before
the country The theory of the re-
publican party is "a tariff for protec-
ton to American industries the
democratic theory is "a tariff for rev.
enue only"
In levying this tariff the republican
party is careful to levy it only on in
dustries north of the Potomac river,
and even limiting it as rule to the
industries of the New England and
North Atlantic states.
1t does seem, however, that if the
republican party is going to pose as
a national party it would remove the
Onus of sectionalism from the tariff
schedules; but to have them do so
we would not abandon the creed of
our own party, fly the caucus and
join with them in riveting these fet-
ters around the wrists of the great
masses of our population, when in
being true to the party creed and
Obeying the caucus the schedules as
proposed under the Aldrich bill could |
be defeated.
Mr.. Claude Kitchen of North Caro- |
lima, in reply to one of his congress
sional colleagues. it seems to us. |
states the case as we would do. and. |
its seems to us, as every loyal abiding
democrat should do.
Mr.. Kitchen says:
Il am not responsible for the gen
tleman'S failure to understand nv DO
sition. | have tried to make myself I
plain, that | do not advocate thing /
as proper and right because it is !
down south and oppose the same
thing as improper and wrong because
it is not down south (Applause). i
In the matter of legislation which af- !
fects a whole people, / want to look
beyond my district, beyond nv state. |
l want to look at 10000 900 American /
people; and, sir, if the people of INV
district want their representative to
vote for a measure which will take. |
not by labor, not for value received |
of dollars from all the people and put
it into the pockets of a very few of !
my people down SOUTH | would saw
to them that they ought to send here |
not me, not a democrat, but a repub-
lican from my district (Applause). |
| wish to ask you, can you, as a dem |
ocrat, justify your position in advo- |
eating protection on lumber because !
it is your home industry? Does not
the gentleman from Pennsylvania. in |
asking for a tariff upon the STEEL
trust articles, put it upon the ground /
that it is his home industry? Do not
the representatives from the wooden
trust districts come here and ask pro-
lection on wooden goods because il is
their home industry? Does not every
member from the districts of the
trusts put their demands upon the
ground that 1t is their home indus
try?"
Since the recent heavy rains quite