Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1899 — BRYAN'S VIEWS ON THE ISSUES OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BRYAN'S VIEWS ON THE ISSUES OF THE DAY

William J. Bryan recently wrote an article in which he treated various questions of the day—trusts, annexation of the Philippines, the Income tax, the currency, etc. In this article he says: “Standard Oil and the water of life do not mix. “ ’lf a man says love God and hateth his brother he is a liar, for he that lovetb not hjs brother, who me hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen.’ “Thus does John In his first epistle denounce those who' pretend to love the Heavenly Father while they hate the earthly brother. “Christ condensed the ten commandments into two when he said: “ ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ “The first defines man’s duty toward the Almighty; the second his duty toward his fellow men. The fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man are parts of the same gospel and cannot be separated. “There is a wide zone between the affirmative benevolence which religion commands and the rectitude which Government compels.

The ‘ object of Taxation. “The object of this article, however, is not to point out ways in which the Christian may aid his brother,, but

rather to Indicate a few of the ways in which he may be doing injustice to him. The subject of taxation is an everpresent one. It is an admitted proposition that each citizen should contribute to the support of his Government in proportion to the protection enjoyed by him and the benefits received. “If, because a bad system of taxation or because of faulty administration of a good system, taxes are collected in such a way that some pay more than their share and others less, injustice is done to those overburdened and partiality shown to those too lightly taxed. “If the unjust law is the handiwork of those who profit by it and is enacted because of the advantage which it brings to its authors, how shall we describe the moral character of the act? The wrong consists In the fact that money is taken from one person without an equivalent being returned by the Government and given to another without a consideration being demanded, the method being immaterial. “The person who robs by force or fraud is no more guilty from a moral standpoint than the man who purposely secures legislation which transfers to the shoulders of others the public burden which he himself ought to bear. “The advocates of an income tax believe’"that taxation involves a moral as well as a political question, and, believing in equality before the law, they favor an amendment to the Constitution specifically authorizing an Income tax. Can the opponents of such an amendment place their opposition upon moral grounds? “Honest differences of opinion as to the merits of any proposed financial policy are to be expected, but there ought Io be no differences of opinion as to the ideal policy, toward the securing of which every effort should be directed.

“The questions, What money Is sound? and What dollar makes the nearest approach to honesty? may afford ground for dispute, but there should be no dissent from the proposition that the best dollar, no matter what system secures it, is the dollar which Is most stable In Its purchasing power. Absolute stability, if attainable, would give us an absolutely honest dollar, but such a dollar has never yet been devised. “In money, as In other matters, we strive for perfection, knowing that It cannot be fully attained. Every fluctuation in the purchasing power of tbe dollar injures someone. If a dollar rises in purchasing power It benefits those who own money and those who hold contracts payable in dollars, but It injures those who owe money and those who produce wealth.

“A dollar which falls in purchasing power produces the opposite effect. To Increase‘the number of dollars called for in a contract would not be tolerated for a moment; to increase the purchasing power of the dollar, however, has exactly the same effect. The purchasing power of a dollar may be changed by legislation. For instance, other things being equal, legislation which lessens the volume of standard money increases the value of each dollar. Preaident McKinley Quoted. “This Idea was forcibly set forth by Mr? McKinley |n* a speech made in Toledo, Ohio, in 1891. Speaking of Mr. Cleveland’s hostility to silver he said: ’He was determined to contract the circulating medium and demonetize one of the coins of commerce, limit the volume of money among the people,'make money scarce, and, therefore, dear. He would have Increased the value of money and diminished the value of everything else, money the master, everything else the servant.’ “If legislation intended to make money scarce and therefore dear makes money the master, and everything else the servant, can Christians ignore the moral question Involved? “What is the attitude of the Christian toward the trust? “Can he be a monopolist? Can he run a corner In loaves and fishes without breaking the golden rule? “Will Standard OH and the water of life mix? If a trust magnate can purchase religious respectability by liberal contributions to church expenditures, what proportion of his ill-gotten gains should be surrendered in order to atone for the violation of laws, human and divine? No church would extend the hand of fellowship to a physical giant who occupied a mountain pass and enforced tribute fromT all who fell into his hands. “A monopoly does not differ greatly from the giant in method and may be Infinitely more potent for evil. Monopoly is bondage; it unbridles greed and furnishes to avarice a destructive weapon. Human nature has not changed much since the days of Pharaoh; the

industrial monarch is as tyrannical as the political monarch. Can the spirit of the meek and lowly Nazarene be discerned in those who water stock, issue bonds in excess of the value of the plant, drive rivals into bankruptcy by trust methods and then prey upon society at large? “Conditions have become so alarming that church organizations are beginning to sound a note of warning. “The forcible annexation of the Philippine Islands is defended by some on the ground that our nation is performing a religious duty. Without stopping to elaborate the fact that a large number of the Filipinos are already members of one branch of the Christian church, it is worth while to inquire whether wars of conquest are In line with Christian precepts. “Rev. James L. Barton, Secretary of the American Board of Foreign Missions, denies that an American protectorate over non-Cbristian countries will aid our missionaries. "There are some who think that destiny leads us away from the declaration of independence, away from the Constitution and away from the traditions of the past. There are some who even think that our nation is commanded to go forth wltli the Bible In one hand and the musket in the other, prepared to read the former to those who escape the latter. “When we are told that religious duty requires us to deprive remote races of the opportunity for self-gov-ernment we have a right to inquire whether our Instructors have been careful to observe their religious duties at home. “We cannot expect philanthropy and benevolence to inspire imperialists in their foreign policy If wrong, injustice and special privileges have been the fruits of their domestic policies. “If they have sacrificed others for their own benefit here, are they likely to make sacrifices for the benefit of others abroad? “Lincoln was once asked whether he thought the Lord was on his side, and he replied that he was anxious to be on the Lord’s side. We cannot change eternal principles to suit our own convenience or to advance our own plans, but we can strive with singleness of purpose to know the truth, and when we find that which we believe to be the truth we can adhere to it. “Let us not mistake temptation for opportunity. The sight of new territory mar be alluring, the glory of an may bifloating, but the price demanded Is too great.

“W. J. BRYAN.”