The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-09-28
OREGON|AN DEFENDS
BRYAN'S POSITION

Bryan's "catechism'' of prospective
democratic presidential candidates is
delicious. He declares that the
Nebraskan's list of interrogatives is
"impudent." If anything could be
more impudent than Mr.. Bailey's
presence in the United States senate
it would be interesting to hear Of
He ought therefore to be an excellent
judge of what is decOrous and what
IL not. Still in this instance we think
he may be mistaken.
Mr.. Bryan's catechism is not ad-
dressed directly to the candidates
He printed it in The Commoner in
the form of a suggestion to his sub
scribers. Assuming that as Ameri-
can citizens they were interested in
the political opinions of the various
men whom they may be called to
vote for or against in the next presi
Dental election he wrote out a list
of questions which he supposed
None of the readers of The Com
moner are obliged to send these in
terrogatories to Governor Harmon or
Governor Wilson and no candidate
who received a copy of them need
answer unless he wants to. He need
not say boo if he prefers to keep
| ci1pnt n Uiaw of thnco
q little difficulty to perceive where
the 'impudent dictation' which Mr.
Bailey reprobates so fercely comes
in.
There seems to be more or less
ground for the belief that Mr.. Bailey
belongs to a little group, as influen-
name the next democratic candidate
for president. They assert the right
to do this by virtue of their wealth
and their powerful connections, and
naturally they resent the intrusion
of Mr.. Bryan into a field which they
have pre-emptied and to which they
elusive property right. They would
resent with quite as much heat the
intrusion of anybody else not belong
ing to the charmed circle.
Mr.. Bryan's proposition is that the
only chance for democratic success
lies in needing the popular desires
which have already given the party
control of the house of representa-
tives. The questions which he has
formulated relate directly to these
wishes of the people. Any candi-
date who refused to answer them or
who gave unsatisfactory answers
would undoubtedly find himself re-
pudated by the voting masses, while
if he were asked nothing about his
opinions he might slip through with
out difficulty. Hence it is easy to
understand the dislike of politicians
like Bailey and the persons whom he
speaks for to this "catechsm."
1t is pretty searching. We do not
shady politicians. There are nine
teen of the interrogatories and each
one of them goes to the heart of
vital issue. Take the first one. for
example, DO you favor tariff for
revenue only?" Imagine Mr. Bailey
plight were he compelled to answer
yes or no The slippery Texan has
devised most ingenious tariff
theory for the express purpose of
evading questions of this sort. Ask
him whether he wants revenue
tariff or not and he will answer that
| he is cOnstitutiona1ly opposed to
abating the duties on raw materials
until we have free manufactures.
Since tariff reduction must evident
~ begin somewhere, Mr.. Bailey thus
puts himself in position to avoid
action on the subject forever. Be-
tween the duties on raw material
and those on manufactures he
stands like the indecisiye ass be-
starved to death because il could
make no choice.
Or take the tenth question. Do
you believe in publicity of campaign
contributions? Now there is no
"practical politician" on earth who
does not in his secret heart abhor
publicity of campaign contributions.
Mr., Bailey especially abhors it be-
cause his financial refreshments are
drawn from singularly malodorous
refrigerators. A man like Harmon
would not hesitate to say that he did
believe in publicity of contributions
because he is honorable and wants
no success which is not honestly
gained. Nor can we imagine Wood
row Wilson squirming at the
thought of telling who has given
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