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A TRIBUTE TO MR. CLARK
All domocrallc candidates for congress In the
Ninth Missouri district have withdrawn In order
that Champ Clark may have an uncontested
Held. This gracious act will meet with tho ap
probation of men of all parties. Unquestionably
Mr. Clark mot with a groat disappointment at
Baltimoro and political disappointments are
often vory lcqon. They cut to the very quick the
unsuccessful candidate himself, and they press
most heavily upon thoso nearest and dearest to
him. But such things arc to bo classed among
tho fortunes of war and men of experience and
judgment may sweop them asido as altogether
Inconsequential. Surely Mr. Clark will find con
solation in the assurances of affection that come
from his old time neighbors and in the graceful
act of tho ambitious men of his district who
would probably bo glad of tho opportunity to
servo a term or two in congress. Mr. Bryan
claims a place among those who aro rejoiced by
theso incidents and who would bo glad to see tho
highest sort of happiness enter the life of Champ
Clark and tho life of everyone he loves.
i A PINE TRIBUTE
Tho Now York Sun congratulates tho Ameri
can people that as a result of tho Baltimoro
convention Mr. Bryan has been "beaten, ox
posed, humiliated and discarded;" that "not a
drop of toxin remains in his hidden fangs;" that
ho Is "not even a wax figure Warwick;" that
"ho has been hamstrung;" that "his hollow, in
strument of expulsion Is burst at both parch
ments;" that ho may "curse like Ernulphus but
his imprecations will now excite no emotion
moro than mirth."
Well, even if Mr. Bryan can only "bring a
smllo to the immaculate editorial page of tho
Now York Sun ho will not have lived In vain.
In tho meantime two facts are established in
tho American mind beyond all point of contro
versy. Tho ono Is that the New York Sun is a
brilliant paragrapher perhaps without a rival
, and the other is that censure from such a
aourco is tho highest form of praise.
NATURAL
- ..
Mr. Clark Howell of the Atlanta Constitution
likens Mr. Bryan to a "political trickster,"
Mr. Howell is very indignant because Mr. Clark
was not nominated, but Mr. Howell went to. tho
convention instructed for Oscar Underwood.
Mr. Howell's antagonism to Mr, Bryan is not
due to anything Mr. Bryan did with respect to
Mr. Clark's candidacy. It is due to the fact that
Mr. Clark Howell has been a reactionary for
several years and Mr. Bryan has been unable to
please the editor of tho Atlanta Constitution or
any other member of the group of distinguished
and affable gentlemen who believe the ,&emo
cratlc party should bo democratic in name only.
IN DOUBT
. Tho Springfield (Mass.) Union bets that
Henry Watterson will vote for Mr. Taft. This
Is based on tho mean things Mr, Watterson has
said and is saying about Governor Wilson. That
Is not, however, a good basis. Mr. Watterson
Bald moaner things about Mr. Bryan than he
has said of Governor Wilson, and yet we have
Mr. Watterson's assurance that ho voted for Mr.
Bryan at least In 1908.
Mr. Watterson's pen is an unruly member
and you can no moro understand the depth of
his hatred by the length of his epithet than you
can estimate tho reality of his affections by his
professions of friendship.
OUT OP ORDER
The Commoner
The Sioux City (Iowa) Journal says: "In
writing the platform, Mr. Bryan saw to it that
it would not bo consistent on the part of Gover
nor Wilson to ask for a second term. Four
years hence Mr. Bryan will be of the same ago
tho New Jersey governor is now."
But tho Journal forgets that when 'Mr. Bryan
was in congress twenty years ago he introduced
a bill limiting tho president to ono term of six
years; and that ho promisod in 189G, 1900 and
1908, immediately following his nomination for
4 tho presidency, that, if elected, ho would not
accept a second term. The Journal is, therefore,
out of order.
0'
THE WORK AT BALTIMORE
Dover Delawarean: In our judgment
it is simply impossible to estimate the
debt of gratitudo which the democratic
party and tho country owe to William J.
Bryan for his wonderful work at tho
Baltimoro convention. In tho perfor
mance of public and party duty, as he
saw it, ho was willing to risk and suffer
personal humiliation to- bo misunder
stood and misrepresented, to lose friends
and bear reproach. Other men did ex
cellent work, and had" an important part
in bringing about tho splendid result at
the convention, but it seems only just to
say that except for the work of Mr.
Bryan the result would probably have
been quite different and that the party
and country are in large measure In
debted to him for the ticket, the plat
form, tho opportunity and the averted
danger. Wo say "averted danger," for
it is impossible to tell what would have
been the result if the democratic party
had blundered and had failed to meet
the popular demand. ,
All honor to a great patriot, a great
democrat, a great American.
.
'
PracticalTariff Talks
If there remains any considerable number of
persons who still believe that the Payne-Aldrich
bill was a compliance with the pledge of the
republican party as given in Its 1908. platform,
let them read the indisputable evidence to the
contrary brought forward and presented by Mr.
Taft's tariff board. Two of these reports may
now be obtained from your congressman. One
covers the cotton schedule, the other the wool
schedule. The pledge in the republican platfbrm
'was that there would bo a revision of the tariff,
and that the duties would be measured by the
difference in production costs here and abroad.
Later Mr. Taft said this meant revision down
ward, and that the yardstick defined in the plat
form would be applied in each case to determine
what the duty should be.
VOLUME 12, VNUMBER 28
The Albany (Oregon) Democrat gives this
reminder: There are worse things in the world
than a deadlock; Democrats who are inclined
3o be pessimistic over the situation at Baltimore
kindly remember that the Chicago convention
nominated Taft.
Heretofore, some extracts have been given in
this column from the report of the tariff board
on the cotton schedule. They were to the effect
that difference in production costs were not con
sidered in the making of the new tariff at the
session of 1909. Here is an extract or two,
from the report on the wool schedule: "The
duty on ordinary warp and filling yarns is two
or three times in excess of the difference in
production. In the case of many cloths of plain
weave the American cost of weaving seoms to
bo lower than the foreign cost, due to tho
greater number of looms tended per weaver in
this country. This, reduces the labor cost per
yard, despite the higher earnings per weaver.
In the greater number of cases, tho duties are
greater than the total domestic costs .of spinning
and weaving.!' It is also stated that in some
instances the American mills included in the
.tables presented were old and of low efficiency,
while the English mills were all of a modern
and efficient type.
i
Columns of The Commoner could be devoted
to similar evidence adduced by the president's
own experts. In view of this wealth of material
at hand, it will be interesting to note what posi
tion in defense of the law which contains all
theso extortions and which was signed and ap
proved by the president as the best bill ever
passed the republicans will take, A repudiation
of the law will be an indorsement of the demo
cratic position, while a defense will be impos
sible. In making up these tables the hoard has
assumed that the country is to continue under
the protective system, and has neglected to state
a very important factor entering into produc
tion costs in this country, and that is that pro
tection enhances these costs. The manufacturer
who must pay duty on his raw material, upon
his machinery and upon the lumber and steel
and other things that enter into tho construc
tion of his buildings starts with a handicap that
would be materially less under a tariff for
revenue system.
'Most m,en who have paid at&ntlblf to '-the
tariffvquestibnCare conviheed-that' the" protection
system is nearing its end, for the reason that
the voters are seeing clearly the fallacies upon
which it has rested. With so many great trusts
flourishing and dominating nearly every avenue
of trade it Is idle for a republican to talk of tho
tariff as a necessary protection to infant indus
tries. With the manufacturers drawing moro
and more upon the labor market of .Europe, for
their operatives the pretense that it protects
American labor is impossible, of being main
tained. With many manufacturers reaching the
limits of the home market and with opportuni
ties to enter the foreign markets beckoning
them if they can only lessen their production
costs through lower tariffs on the things they
utilize, another new factor enters.
Perhaps the greatest factor in this disinter
grating process, however, is the realization by
American labor that wherever protection has
raised wages it has also raised the prices of
those things that wages purchase, and that
wherever the tariff vall has., kept out the pro
ducts of European labor it has resulted' in draw
ing to this country the European workmen thus
deprived of employment. When American
labor sees that the only result is to make it less
profitable to it to have the European laborer
live and work here instead of at home, the end
wont be far away. C. Q. D.
SENTIMENT IN VIRGINIA
Mr. Thomas Fortune Ryan and the news
papers that speak his language do not faithfully
represent Virginia sentiment. A democrat sends
to the Richmond Times-Dispatch the following
letter:
"Referring to your editorial of the 28th inst,
commending Congressman Flood's so-called .'de
fense of Virginia' when Mr. Bryan offered a
resolution at tho Baltimore convention to un
seat certain delegates from Virginia and Nev
York, 'as' a voter, a reader of your paper arid
one of the 'common people,' may I -venture the
criticism that the defense most' needed by Vir
ginia was' one against the mejh and methods Re
sponsible for the presence in Virginia's delega
tion of a recognized mbmber 'of 'the corporate
interests,' which appear to dominate 'mbreMor
less, both great political' parties. 'Virginia1 -has
been misrepresented in her preference" fb'r 'the
presidency, her intelligence insulted and her
dignity degraded in the eyes of the- nation, and
the majority of her own people as well, by an
apparent majority of those delegated to express
her wishes and represent her at the national
convention. Such a betrayal should have been
exposed, and if no Virginian was equal to the
emergency, why not Bryan, who always stands
for and fights for the peoplo? Thi's about ex
presses the view of every citizen with whom' I
have talked and there are quite a number 'Of
them. I should be glad if you will, publish this;"
Referring to this letter, Mr. W; O. McCorkle,
of Harrisonburg, Va., writbs to. Mr. Bryan to
say: ,
"The enclosed clearly expresses the true sen
timent of 'the bone and sinew' of the Old Com
monwealth. The Big Four machine's stench in
old Virginia can not well be expressed in polite
language. They are Ryan and you know what
t that means. God -bless you for the puncture.
The best of both parties aro with you.
"Use as you wish. I travel in many counties
of old Virginia."
THE BUSINESS AT BALTIMORE
The Sioux City (Iowa) Journal, standpat re
publican, says: "It is a satisfaction to Mr.
Bryan to believe that he transacted business in
Baltimore in such a way as. to block the plan
of Colonel Roosevelt to make off with anything
like a large asset from tho democratic party.
The most the colonel can do Is to contribute to
the success of Governor Wilson? and that the
colonel is left to this occupation broadens the
smile of Mr. Bryan."
But all genuine democrats are smiling. They
appear to believe that "the business at Balti
more was transacted in good order in spite of
somo turmoil.
i.i?P t Presidential candidate amended
the platform by a telegraph message; this year
tho voters coerced a convention by telegraphic
protests against a reactionary cause.
xnhe .uBur-i" (Iowa) Hawkeye saypr.
When it comes to operatirig a steam roller, Mr.
Bryan is sbmething of ah "engineer, tifmself." f
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