The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-09-06
Bryan's Real Service.

teresting communication in the letter
column Saturday criticises in his
usual able and vigorous way a recent
Sun editorial attributing to Mr..
Bryan distinguished ability" great
service TO the country" high ideals"
and pure and reproachless" pri-
vate life. He disclaims knowledge
Of anything wrong in the Colonels
private life. but challenges The
Suns statements with reference TO
the other matters. and wishes TO
Know what are the proofs Of his
ability. what service he has perform
ed anu which of his many ideals de-
serve 20 be termed high.
Mr.. Bryan has shown ability 10y his
keen insight in many public ques-
tions. His speeches on the tariff
were among the best heard from any
public man in the days when he was
His discC ssions of other Government
and sociological problems have been
such as To attract the attention of
men in all countries, so that when ne
travelled abroad a few years ago he
was greeted as no other American
citizen not having held the Presi-
dental Office has ever been greeted.
lie struck the true note in the Phil
ippine question as soon as it got to
be "a question. and no Democrat sure
ly can say that he was wrong about
H.. Democrats believe that this coun-
try had no right to force it's govern
ment upon those people, and that it
should withdraw from the islands as
soon as possible. meantime making
II plain that such was the intention.
Mr.. Bryan has presented his views
with such marked ability on many
other questions that even when he
was wrong, as he has been all too
frequently. he was able to convince
thousands. and among them other
men of real ability, that he was right.
No mere phrase maker" can main
tain himself SO long in the high opin-
ion Of the world as Mr.. Bryan has
done.
He has performed great service to
the country in teaching the people
that the public should know before
election what the candidates had
spent and were about to spend; that
the people should choose their own
candidates for office. unhampered
by boss dictation-in short. that the
people should really rule the coun-
try. He has taught-and was teach
ing II while others were denying
that the Government had the right
to control the great corporations,
and that 1t was its duty to do so. He
has had great deal to do with bring
Ing about the change in public sem
timent in the matter OF taxing in
comes. to the end that the men who
enjoy the swollen fortunes Of the
country should lie forced to pay a
just proportion Of its running expen. i.
ses. He was among the leaders Of
the new thought in politics which is
sweeping over the country. breaking
the grip Of those who have been die
tating elections in their own selfish
interests and enlarging the powers
and stirring up the interests Of the
masses.
His ideals are high. as shown ~
his continued advocacy of clean gov
ernment, his unconquerable belief in
the right of the laborer to the en-
joyment of the fruits of his toll. and
the unfaltering faith he exhibits in
the final triumph OF popular gov
ernment over the ills with which it
Is beset, by teaching the people to
think for themselves and act for
themselves. and by educating them on
public questions that they may think
and act intelligently.
The Sun knows that Mr.. Bryan has
made serious mistakes i'm certain di-
rections. but that does not prove he
IL lacking ability in all. Because he
has shown lack Of equlpoise i'm deal
ing with those who have disagreed
with him recently is not sufficient
reason to forget the high character
OF the man. and the fact that, how
ever he may have lost the way on oc-
casion, his general course has been
toward the right. or toward the right
as he saw it.-Baltimore sun.