Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-17

impotent.
The end OF the war left th" country with
lot Of questions TO bc settled. The leaders
| of Congress, instead Of dcvoting themselves
to a study Of these questions with view
to finding the right answer. spent their time
| with their ears TO the ground In the hope OF
finding echoed there the thoughts of the
voters.
After time they began 70 talk bonus
bunk and farm crop railroad rate bunk
and tariff bunk and deilation bunk and
cntangling alliance bunk and innumcrable
other kinds Of bunk. They were so anxious
TO hold their jobs that they became more
like weathercocks than usual and shifted
their position to meet III" changing gusts of
hot air emitted by the dsgruntled of all
sorts.
The number of those who feed on bunk
began to increase because of the increase in
the supply of fodder, and the inevitable re.
suit has followed. \ lot of men congeni-
tally incapacitatcd to understand anything
but bunk have been elected TO Congress de-
termincd to enact bunk into law.
ne rOnuItlDnS uurlllS tne lI'' Si.N't
porulist agitation in the eighties and nine.
ties We're similar in kind but not in degree
TO those which now prevail. The farmers
Of the West who had mortgagcd their land
wanted a cheap dollar so they could pay off
their mortgages easily. Horace Boies, one
of their prophets. frankly said that the
Wall Street barons' who had lent the
money in the first place We're robbers and
deserved no mercy. He insisted that It was
but right that n tifty-cent dollar should he
used in paying back what these money kings
had lent
Republicans and Democrats alike played
with the free. silver idea for fear that If they
announced their belief in an honest dollar
they would be defeated Then Mr.. Bryan
carried the Chicago convention by storm
with the subimated de.nagogy of his Cross
OF Gold and Crown of Thorns speech. and
the issue had to be met.
Free silver was defeated when those who
knew something about the principles on
which n sound currency system must be
based were forced to abandon bunk and tell
the truth and fight for II,
Bunk tr!umphed In England. however, in
1918, when Lloyd George appealed to the
country on the proposition that Germany
must be compelled to pay the entire cost of
the war. The brilliant Wclshman knew that
/, was impossible for Germany to do this.
but he wanted to remain in Office and he
ployed on the passion and ignorance OF the
voters for his own ends As a result he
has delayed the adjustment OF the financial
problems growing out of the war and has
become responsible for an inestimable
amount Of individual suffering and national
hate.
If It shall appear that We are on the eve
Of an economic and industrial crisis re-
sembing in any respects the financial crisis
which became acute in 1916, the tntellec-
tually honest men in the country will come
TO the front and force the bunk artists to
the rear. They will tell the truth about
railroad rates and dcharIon and the tariff
and the blgatlons Of powerful member Of
the family Of nations, and will appeal to the
intelligence and common sense Of the voters
and will get verdict that will command
the respect Of all thinking mon.
The voters cannot be fooled forever.
They nre essentially fair minded. They
know that special privileges for one group
always involve special hardships for an.
other group, and that if we are to indulge
in an orgy Of class legislation there is no
telling when any man may not find himself
In the group suffering from special hard.
ships.
The country will await with considerable
interest the disclosure OF evidence that there
is TO be an anti bunk campaign and the
rcvelotion OF the identity Of its leaders.