Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-24
The Rest of the Country Is Respon-
sible for Whatever Is Done There.
The President Ought to Establish
Zone in Which Mr.. Bryan
Should Not Express Opinions.
BY j. C. HEMPH1LL

hSNsldpbI lOlR ne charged Inem tnat ne
cared absolutely nothing about the editorial
opinions of the papers. but that he was
much interested in what went out from
Washington in the shape of "news", that he
wished they would send out from Washing
ton what the people of the rest of the coun-
try we're thinking about, and that Is what
they have been doing because Washington,
as such, counts for nothing. It has no pollti-
cal standing. 1t has no opinion on any sub
ject that need be considered by any candi-
date for any political office. Its people have
less to do with their own government than
the Fllipinos who are the subject of such
tender solicltude on the part of our very
generous Government
Washington Itself Starts Nothing
Washington is simply the clearing house of
the opinions of the rest of the country as
represented by the chosen spokesmen of the
several States; the opinions of it's own cit-
Eens count for nothing. Washington proper
starts nothing"
THE country" to which Senator Chiffon
would appeal is alone responsible for what
ever Is done here, and the country ought to
be ashamed of much that has been DONE and
of nothing much as of the very sharp
distinctions that have been made by the
majority Of Congress in its treatment of
honest capital and honest labor That there
is honesty on both sides Is admitted frankly
in private conversation but discredted in Of
fetal action, The lobby is right or the lobby
is wrong, according it represents
side or the other. The caucus is right or
the caucus is wrong according 1t decides
one way or another on predetermined pol
icies touching certain questions involving po-
ltical issues
When n manufacturer q ShlDOWner
shows his head the word passes down the
line to hit It. When a case involving the true
rights Of labor has been taken through all
the courts, from the lowest to the highest,
and has been decided according to law and
the evidence the lobby" headed by for
mer Democratic candidate for President as a
paid attorney. appears and backed by the
Congressman holding "union cards." seeks to
sack the treasury to the extent of more than
a quarter of million dollars for the sake Of
those who have been fairly convicted of
violating the antitrust law, the same law
the violation of which by the "men higher
up" in the opinion of the holders of the
"union cards" should subject them to i'm
prsonment in the penitentary. To this base
use has the much-heralded cry of equal
rights to ALL special privileges to none." come
at last.
w HeG LNSi ybOuy OuBHG W hHOW
And this is "ofFical Washington" The
country ought to know more about 1t, fairly
and squarely. The sugar planters in Louis-
ana, the cotton manufacturers and their en-
ployes in the Caroinas, the iron miners and
their aborers in Alabama and Pennsylvania
the beet growers in the West, the railroad
owners managers, engineers brakemen and
shopmen all over the country and the farm
ers ought to consider the question without
prejudice. The President ought to tell the
country about it, that only official Wash
ington" Is to blame for it, and that the
trend of much that has been done here has
| been toward State socialism, which means
| the end of representative government in the
United States.
Mr.. Bryan, who has been much censured
for his neglect of his proper official duties
persists in pernicious political activity. In
| address to the Washington Chapter of the
| American Institute of Banking Saturday
| night he expressed the opinion that the pas
| sage of the Federal reserve act had broken
| the political power of the bankers" and inv
| mediately afterward declared that "if the
| President of the United States, the Senate
| and the House had not been FREQ from finan-
| ctal bias you could not have had this great
| benefit, the reserve act" The President him
| self upon the passage of the act expressed
| his ACCOMPLISHMENTS to the Republicans In
the Senate and House. who are commonly
| accredited with very close political connec-
! tions with the bankers of the country, for
| their highly priced assistance In putting this
| law on the statute books, and the Treasury
| Department of the United States will cheer
| fully testify to the invaluable aid it has re-
| celved from the bankers of the country in
| the measures OF relief it has undertaken for
the benefit of the business interests of the
country; and this was precisely the sort of
! political power the bankers exercised be-
fore the new law was passed.
Bryan Outside His Zone
Not content with his statement. which
could only have the effect of discrediting the
bankers Mr.. Bryan charged his audience
thus: "Don't forget your depositors 1 am
| told that more than s5 per cent. of the de-
| positors is the public, while the remaining
is per cent. are the owners of the bank. One
| OF the failures Of bankers is to forget their
depositors, and for that reason have tried
| 70 have legislation passed which would pro-
| tect them" Government ownership OF rail-
| roads followed the free coinage of silver, and
Government guarantee OF bank deposits Is
the paramount issue now commended to the
people Mr.. Bryan's statement to the bank
ers was utterly misleading and as miachiey-
Gus as il was misleading. Bank depositors
are already amply protected. The law pro-
vides for that The law has provided for 1t
all along. Bankers do not forget their de-
positors. else they would have depostors.
! Not every man can be a banker more than
every man can be chautauqua lecturer.
Banking is a legitimate business. 1t is reg
ulated by law, and under the new banking