The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-09-07
MR.. BRYAN IS STILL BRYAN
ESQUE.

ESNSO II.
William J. Bryan, after making the
rounds of Democratic leaders in
Washington, announces that ne will
take an active part in the coming
campaign. He gave it as his opinion
that one of the leading issues would
be the tax bill enacted by this Re-
publican Congress, which he asserted
takes the burden of taxation off the
rich and places it upon the poor.
This assertion is quite Bryanesque
in that it is wholly at variance with
the facts which Mr. Bryan could cas-
lily ascertain and which he probably
knows. 1t recalls the ridiculous state
ments which he made in his first
Presidential campaign in 1896, when
he asserted the "goldbugs" had slip
ped into Congress and Sin the dark of
the night" committed the "crime of
'73" for the purpose of enslaving the
American people. Mr.. Bryan has
many years reputation of never let
ting facts interfere with his policy of
appealing to the passions of the igno-
rant and malcontents in order to get
their political support.
Mr.. Bryan also indicates that the
tariff may be an issue in this cam
paign. Just what he would have to
say regarding the tariff is a matter
of interesting speculation. He was a
member of the Ways and Means Com
mittee in the early days of his politi-
cal career. AS a member of that
committee, with the Democrats in
control, he helped frame the Wilson
tariff which produced more unemploy-
ment, more soup houses, more dis
tress and suffering among the work
ing classes, more bankruptcies in the
business world and more bank fail
ures in the financial world than any
other law that was ever placed upon
the federal statute books.
Mr.. Bryan made his campaign in
1894 in advocacy of the Democratic
tariff and promised his auditors that
such tariff would bring prosperity
to all classes of people. 1t was the
hard times following the enactment
of the Wilson tariff which Bryan
helped frame and the utter collapse
of his predictions in 1894 that led him
to abandon the tariff and attempt to
have the people forget it by raising
the issue of free silver.
Mr.. Bryans reputation as an au.
thority upon economies and as an ad
wiser of the common people is meas
ured by the slogan which he used in
his Presidential campaign of 1896 to
the effect that the price of wheat and
the price of silver go up and down to-
gether Mr. Bryan failed to humbug
the American farmer then by such
tommyrot, and there is no reason to
believe that he will be any more sue
cessful in attempting to humbug the
American farmer this year by some
new slogan equally as grotesque.
Mr.. Bryan's interviews given out
at Washington were not only Bryan.
esque but Democratic. He frankly
admitted the whole purpose of the
Democratic campaign this year is Il
get control Of the House in order
that they may deadlock the govern
ment, block all legislation and ham
per the President and other Republi
can executives in order that enough
turmoil will be created to give tht
Democrats an issue in 1924.
In other words, Mr.. Bryan's idea i!
not to have definite, forward Hook
ing, constructive program which cal
and should be presented to the peopl
for their decision, but to adopt tn
policy of being "agin the govern
ment" upon all matters, policy o
obstruction and destruction; polio,
of unfair, ignorant and untruthfu
criticism of everything that is at
tempted without offering any alter
native.
Mr.. Bryan's idea, according to hi
interviews in Washington, of runnin
the greatest business corporation i
the world-the United States govern
ment-is to elect a board of directors
half of whom believe in one polio
and half of whom believe in anothe
policy, and then let them engage in
free for all fight while the bushes
of the corporation goes to smash.