Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-05-06
PHOENIX. ARIZONA, MAY 6, 1911
Ma. Bryan Makes the Iesue.

Ma. Bryan Makes the Issue.
The democrats in congress seem to
have approached close to the parting
of the ways. That there are radical
and progressive democrats. we have
all along been aware, but the line
dividing them has been rather shad-
owy, and it was doubtful when it
would become weIl-defined if at all.
But Mr. Bryan is fastening the di-
vision. He has applied the acid-test
of schedule X, or rather of free wool
TO the members Of the majority in
the house. Unless Mr.. Bryan has
lost his potency. concerning which
there is some doubt, there will be a
separation of the sheep from the
goats, the progressives rom the re-
actionaries;; or, possibly, only a sep
aration of the Bryanites from the
-Bryanites. Anyway. we viii note
with interest the relative sizes Of the
flocks.
Associated Press dispatches in
formed us a few dayT ago that the
democratic leaders had admitted the
hopelessncss of removing the duty
from raw wool. II was stated that,
not counting the stand pat repubh-
cans in the house, it could not be
done That is, a majority of the
democratic members were opposed to
it
Hard on the heels Of this news
comes a pronouncement made by Mr..
Bryan on his own motion as the
genius of democracy, threatening the
opponents of free wool with excom-
munication.
His is the most clear cut declara-
ton against the doctrine Of protec-
ton ever made by a democrat of
prominence on the eve of tariff legis-
Iation. There have been academic
declarations in the course of cam
paigns. aimed at no particular indus
try except such as are controlled by
the trusts, but when the subject has
been closely approached the demo-
cratic tariff reformers have "roared
gently as the sucking dove" against
protection in fact, though the Con-
gressional Record bristles with argu-
ments against it in theory.
But Mr. Bryan has cut all the brush
away He has gone to the root of
the matter. and has demanded the
withdrawal of protection from an in
dustry which the trusts do not con-
troll. but which is an important in
dustry Of nearly all those states which
have hitherto supported Mr.. Bryan.
We shall shortly see whether his
uItimatum will be of any effect upon
the democratic house; whether the
house will resolve itself into progress
sives and reactionaries on the issue
which Mr.. Bryan makes foremost and
paramount.
1t is quite possible that the house
will resort to evasion. as it can af
ford to do, and SO escape temporarily
the Bryan communication. 1t may
put the matter up to the nominally
republican senate, which it is gen
orally believed will stop all tariff re-
vision of the present session. Then
if free wool should, contrary to eX-
pectation. pass the senate, the reac-
tionary house democrats, covering un-
der the wrath of Mr.. Bryan, would
entertain the still more substantial hope
that free wool would not get beyond
the White House.
Thus. if the house democratic reac-
tionaries desire to put off the evil
day of a conflict with Mr. Bryan, they
can easily do so.
But again they may decide that
now is as good a time as any to
dump the old man of the sea into
the sea. In that case only one thing
will have been settled, the identity |
of the Bryan democrats and the iden- |
tity of the anti-Bryanites. Who are
the progressives and who the reac-
tionaries win never be exactly deter |
mined. The line dividing them, in |
the whole course of tariff legislation. |
will run through the party with that
want Of directness which characterizes |
the isothermal lines of the weather
map.