The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-09-23

lean public life depend upon the rawlings of some
nationally famous mountebank, who will stir sane
people into violent reaction? Such is the request of
a very stimulating article by Gerald W. Johnson in
Harper's magazine Bryan. Thou Shouldst be
Living"
Mr. Johnsons thesis is stated in the following
words
Bryan should be living at this hour Or, if not
Bryan then Lord George Gordon, or Cagliostro or
John Brown of observation-disclosures first-class faker
who believes in his own bunk. Phrase making is
perhaps contribution to the intellectual heritage
of the race, but phrase makers do snap us out of
lethargy and frequently out of ingrowing pessims,
which may be worse than frenzy How we could use
one at the moment"
Mr.. Johnson appeals to American history to prove
his point The galaxy of political giants just
fury ago-Calhoun, Webster, Hayne, Clay John
Quincy Adams, Thomas Hart Benton and the like
were called forth by love hatred for first great
perhaps our most spectacular-political mounte-
bank Andrew jackson.
Then came Bryan, who not only brought forth
Roosevelt and Wilson, but also stirred the active OPP
position of like Tom Reed Mat Quay, Mark
Hanna, John Hay, Henry Cabot Lodge, and the like.
Even a part-statesman, part-bunk artist like Roose
welt would be most helpful right now:
HE might not have done as much as Mr.. Hoover,
He knew how to gesticulate He could dance and
yell. The roars emanating from the White House
in the closing days of 1929 had Roosevelt been there,
would have been so loud that they would almost
have drowned the incessant banging of exploding
banks, and so bood-curdling that they would have
distracted attention from the atrocities being perpe
trated on the stock market We are in the dol
drums waiting not hopefully for the wind which
never comes. Roosevelt would have supplied the
wind"
Going even further, Mr.. johnson expresses a doubt
whether any greater mountebank in American history
has defended system more insane and incom-
petent than operated by Mr.. Hoover and
business leaders:
after observing the results of turning the country
over by the magnates Of big business and the
high priests of prosperity there are not few Amer
cans who have decided that if these are the same men,
it might be we'll to try putting the lunatcs in charge
for while. They hardly could do worse, and they
would Go differently, it is within the realm of pos
sibility that they might do better"
There is a lot of sound sense in what Mr. johnson
says shocking as it may be to readers at first
sight In spite Of all the hysterical fear of Bryan
in 1896. it would be easy to show that his program
was far more generous progressive, and statesman
like than anything which be attributed to Andrew
Hoover
Mckinley and his successors down to the Great
Engineer did, indeed press down the of thorns
upon the brow of labor and cruelty mankind
cross of gold, and here in 1881 bad off
materially as in 1896 and far worse off psyche
logically.
Yet it is pretty sad fact for democracy If we
can get active public interest and real leadership
only through battling against demagogs. This
doubedly produces action and excitement, but what
we need in guiding great republic today is deep
thinking and sound planning. Such traits and policies
are rarely the product of the battle of phrases and
parties.
jackson may have created excitement, but he left
no craftsmanship in his train capable of avertng the
Civil war Bryan handed us Mckinley and his hench-
men Roosevelt left us the dominion of Nese Aldrich
and Uncle Joe Cannon.
Wilson passed on to us Harding, the sage of
Northampton and the Great Engineer. There is much
to be said for the assertion that overexcement in
politics soon leaves in the dumps Of imbecility
and lasstude