The Glenwood post., 1912-03-02
BRYAN nssrArEs FACTS

In his address in Denver Friday
night, William J. Bryan made the state
ment that the present administration
is about to see the consummation of
the three greatest reforms in the his
tory of. the American government, all
brought about during the last three
years, and he declared that President
Taft had taken no part in securing
these reforms, but had opposed all Of
them. He named as the reforms, the
direct election of United States sena
tors, the purifying of politics through
publicity and the income tax.
Mr.. Bryan, when he made the state
ment that President Taft had taken no
part in the securing the Inauguration
for these principles in American law,
uttered statement which he should
have known was incorrect. Mr.. Taft
has been the moving factor in secur
ing all of them. In message to con-
gress he recommended the constitution
al amendment for the income tax. Mr.
Bryan, after having made his sweep
ing assertion against President Taft,
admitted that President Taft had sent
such message to congress, but, he
claimed that in the message, Mr.. Taft
used his (Mr. Bryan language as to
what he wanted Incorporated into the
amendment. This is perhaps true. 1t
is said that there is nothing new and 1t
would be hard for any man to frame
sentence on governmental matters
that Mr.. Bryan has not uttered during
his eighteen years of continuous spell
binding before the American public.
There is some difference between utter
ing sentence and in writing it into
the American constitution.
In regard to the direct election of
United States senators, anyone who
reads the proceedings in Washington,
knows it is President Taft who is
trying to bring the two houses togeth-
er on the wording of this amendment.
The democrats want the states to con
troll United States senatorial elections.
The republicans in the senate want to
reserve the right to supervise these
elections. Any reader of current his
tory knows that President Taft is urg
ing compromise which will give the
states the right to control the ele.-
tions. but the federal government,
hrn, ,(yl, p1n mis- 70 hn
finally pass upon the validity of the
election. Mr.. Bryan claims that NJ
Taft had nothing to do with the puri-
fieation of politics through publicity.
He forgets that Mr.. Taft, before he
was elected, was the first candidate to
announce that every contribution made
to the republican national committee
would be made public whether it was
the law or not. Since he has been
president, he has urged upon congress
the enactment of law giving the widest
publicity to campaign contributions
and to all official actions of men.
Sure it is that Mr.. Taft has not gone
about the country making speeches
every twentyfour hours against our
present system of government and
offering no remedial suggestions. Rath
er has he been content to stay in the
White House, and through the power
at his command, force congress to sub
nit an income tax constitutional
amendment to enact publicity laws,
and before he gets through he will
probably compel the two factions in
congress to agree on direct United
States senatorial election amendment
to the constitution. 1t i'll behooves
man, who has applied for the job three
times and who has been denied the DO
sition on the ground that the other
applicant was best fitted for the place,
to parade himself before the directors
of the business, critieising the man who
secured the position and who is ma king
good. To US, Mr.. Bryan's actions and
words completely Websterize' the
old saying, "Sour grapes