OCR Text |
Show B0UTELL ON BRYAN. Is His "Shall the People Rule?" 'Simply "a Local Issue." Congressman Henry Sherman Hou-tell Hou-tell of Chicago, commenting on Mr. Bryan's speech In Iowa, sajs: Mr. Bryan's question, "Shall the people rule?" Implies that somewhere . In this country the people do not rule. The only states where the people do not rule are the states that are expected expect-ed to give overwhelming majorities for tho Democratic ticket. Perhaps Mr. Byran thinks that his question is purely "a local Issue." If he Is sincere, sin-cere, Ichallengohlm to make a speech In Vlcksburg, Miss., on "Government by the People." Let him repeal one or his famous antl-lmperlallst speeches, simply changing three words, substituting substi-tuting "Mississippi" for "I'hllllp-pines" "I'hllllp-pines" and "black brother" for "brown brothers." Let him suggest that we have as chairman of the meeting meet-ing John Sharp Williams, leader, of the Democrats In Congress, and as vice-chairman the other niembeisof tlie congressional delegation from Mississippi. And after he had made his speech in Vlcksburg, if he shall have escaped tho rule of the people In that community. com-munity. I dare Mr. Bryan to repeat his oration on popular government In Charleston, S. O., with Senator Till-mau Till-mau as chairman of his meeting. Mr. Bryan's sentiments have a purely geographical"" geo-graphical"" sincerity. His epigrams and startling conundrums are especially especial-ly designed to meet local demands. Of this nature are all his views on tariff and taxation. Mr. Byran's proposition that every time a trust is formed a tariff schedule should be repealed, and every time a trust is dissolved a new duty should be added, Is tto funny even for comlo opera. If on March 4 next Mr. Bryan should become President, with a Democratic Congress in both houses, and should actually place upon the statue books the financial and economio vagaries delivered by him In his speech of last Friday it would plunge the nation into bankruptcy and bring on Industrial Indust-rial chaos If he should begin by repealing re-pealing the duty on sugar to punish the sugar trust, he would upset the national finances by losing 00,000,000 a year in revenues, and would stir up a revolution in Louisiana, Utah, Colorado Colo-rado and Michigan. Then, If he should repeal the duty on cotton goods, because some hustling manufacturer manu-facturer of New England or the Care-linas Care-linas were dumping goods In China in rivalry with England and Germany, he would divert other millions from the treasurer and invite still further industrial ruin. But, of course, Mr. Bryan would do none of these things, any more than he will Invade the solid South and summon the cohorts of Democracy to the defense of the Constitution with the battle cry "Shall The People Rule?" Mr. Bryan simply does not mean what he says. What he utters with Chadbandlan unction in the North he repudiates with Pecksniff Ian duplicity in the South. |