The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-08-13
Mr.. BRYAN'S POSITION
A Southern Editors View of
War and Peace.
By GEORGE F. MILToNl
(By GEORGE F. MILToN.l

day. Mr.. Milton is editor and pub
fisher of the Chattanooga (Tenn.
News, and is one of the leading fig
ures in the Democratic party of hi
State. He has been a delegate tt
several national Democratic conven
tions, and voted for Wilson on ever.
ballot in the Baltimore convention o.
1912. He was an officer in the
Spanish-American war, is interested
in educational affairs, and has writ
ten much about the present great
war for his own newspaper. He has
undoubtedly a wide understanding OF
public opinion in the South and por-
tions of the West. He is one OF
many able and typical men educated
at the University of the South (Se-
vance, Tenn.)
Mr.. Bryan's resignation from the
office of Secretary of State, like
many other incidents in his remark
able career, furnished the signal for
a chorus of newspaper attacks on
him. Probably nine-tenths of these
showed lamentable lack of apprecia-
ton of his reasons and ignorance of
the international situation. Many
editors discovered in the incident an
opportunity to belabor a political
leader whom they had been fighting
since he first appeared in politics,
and even in a grave crisis such as
the country faced they could not re
sist the temptation to wreak petty
political revenge on this adversary,
who they thought at last had been
discounted.
But even some of Mr.. Bryan's best
friends also jumped to unwarrant-
able conclusions and wore sorrowful
countenances, such as are observed
at political funerals.
Now, however, that more than a
month has elapsed it is more easily
possible to reach viewpoint from
which a correct perspective of the
incident may be secured.
MR.. BRYAN'S SO-CALLED mis-
TAKES"
Indeed caution may always be
properly exercised before pronoun-
,ing adversely on acts of Mr.. Bryan,
or so often those at first catalogued |
IS mistakes have proven otherwise.
For instance, the quantitive theory
# money which he defended in 1896
S written into currency law of 1914.
His campaign against Imperialism
n 1900 is bearing fruit in the
ledge of the present administration
or the independence of the Philip
ines.
In 1908 he advocated railroad rate
equation, but predicted that gov
rnment ownership of railroad and
lines probably would be
ecessary 1t is likely this frank
ess lost him the Presidency but the
overnment now is building rail-
Dad in Alaska and also favors the
urchase of telegraph and telephone
mes.
Against intense opposition he Sc
lred the adoption of constitutional
for the income tax and
,r popular election of Senators.
Incident to his course at the Balti-
ore national Democratic conven-
on he was denounced as unwise, a
arty disorganizer and general nui-
ance. This was because he OPP |,
Osed Judge Parker for chairman,
lvored a resolution directed against
yam, Belmont and Murphy, and in
sted that Tammany should not con-
'ol the nomination of a candidate.
ceiling ran high against him, but |,
hen the country had been heard
'om the delegates fell into line for
hat Mr.. Bryan favored and a gold
l era of progressive Democracy be-
Ime possible.
So, experience has very clearly
lown that it will not do hastily to
ass one of Mr.. Bryan's often sur
Using and sometimes radical acts S
that of an unsafe leader. AL
lough at times he has been in er-
r, more often he has been proved p
ght and his courage and leader Il
lip for new things have been of in e
lculable value. u
rs AID TO THE ADMINISTRA- :
TION.
No one, in fact, experienced great =
change of view regarding Mr.. :,
yam than the President himself. :,
ice he wished him knocked into
cooked hat AS time went on,
wever, the views of the two men >,
preached more closely and each 1
me to have appreciation of the
rvices the other was rendering.