Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 55, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 April 1900 — TAKING HIS AMMUNITION. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TAKING HIS AMMUNITION.

Mr, Bryan’s Platform. Mr. Bryan can be fish, flesh or fowl on all these constitutional questions, according to circumstances.—Lincoln Journal. Nevertheless it is evident that be Intends the Nebraska platform to stand as the keynote for action at Kansas City on ' firecracker day.—Ottumwa Press. The platform adopted yesterday at Lincoln by the Democrats of Nebraska reflects the opinions of William J. Bryan, and it is in the interest of the Republican party.—Kansas City Star. He (Bryan) is a rather flighty young man at best, and he may change more than once before the national Convention meets, but he can hardly keep pace with Mr. McKinley in that particular. —New York Evening Post. The platform adopted at Lincoln is substantially the platform that will be adopted at Kansas City, and the voters now know on what issues the Democratic party will conduct the presidential campaign.—Davenport Republican. Taking the platform as a whole it contains no promise of a reunion of the disorganized ranks of the Democracy, but points rather to a further disintegration. The party is in terrible need of new leadership.—Chicago Times-Herald. While Mr. Bryan continues to dominate his party and to snap his fingers in the face of its ablest counselors, Republicans will continue to view his course with interest, but not with alarm. He is doing heroic work In wrecking the Democracy, and hisjopponents are quite content so long as that work continues.—Pittsburg Commercial Gazette. The agonizing shriek emitted by the furious Bryan Democracy in convention assembled at Lincoln, Neb., was expected in view of the recent forinal statutory adoptiqfi of the gold standard by Congress. The action of Congress only emphasizes and perfects that which is the recognized policy of the Government and makes it impossible for any administration in the future to change or impair the gold standard without definite legislation by Congress.—Minneapolis Journal. Republicans Should Do Something. The reference to a special committee of the National House of Representatives of all bills and resolutions relating to the regulation of trusts ought to result in the presentation of a bill for the restriction of the operations of the big combinations of capital that will meet In an adequate way the problem now confronting the people. The Republican members of the House are beginning to realize the necessity of enacting a law, either supplementing the Sherman anti-trust law or standing by Itself, which will meet the trust evil, and they cannot fail to see the necessity of enacting such a law at the present session of Congress. It Is deal’ that the Democrats of all factions are determined to push the trust issue to the front in the coming Presidential campaign—the gold men because they are anxious to dispose of the silver issue and open a way by which they can get back into their party, and the silver men because they, while not willing to abandon free coinage, know that they must have some other leading issue to make even a halfway successful campaign. Therefore it has become necessary for the Republicans to meet the issue. If they can succeed In evolving from the mass of resolutions and bills a practical anti-trust law and put it in the statute book before the close of the present session of Congress, they urny go before the people with the declaration that the pledges of their platform have been kept. With the trust issue eliminated from the campaign It will be impossible for the Democrats to make a decent showing at the polls. The Republicans seem to be determined to do something, and” it Is to be hoped that they will succeed.—Cleveland Leader. Fables of the Fusion Press. The bimetallic press of the country has been telling its patrons that the prosperity of the nation. Including the rise in the price of wheat from 35 cents

to $1 a bushel, was caused by starvation in India, short grain crops in Russia, Europe and South America, says a leading fusion organ. “The bimetallic press” is good, w’hen is meant the monometallic, free silver, fusion press. As to what It has been telling its patrons as to the causes of‘prosperity, there is no doubt of that, and it was as near the real facts as the fusion press ever gets. Starvation now prevails in India, but it is not the cause of the increased demand for American manufactures, and consequent employment of millions of formerly Idle men. Short wheat crops were an incident of three years ago, and our exports of breadstuffs have fallen off since then, but prosperity continues. Cotton is worth nearly three cents a pound, not from starvation In India nor short wheat crops, but from entirely different causes. Protection to American industries and workingmen and the establishment of honest money are the causes of our prosperity. Short crops increase for a time the price of wheat, but the protection and renewed confidence which followed the defeat of the free silver, heresy are responsible for all the rest of the Improved conditions and their continuance.—Tacoma (Wash.) Ledger. Synonym for Failure. Democratic success always means depression in business, ruin to thousands, the closing of factories In this country and increased activity for them In England, and the consequent filling of this country with Idle men and the assembling of vast “Industrial armies;” that Is, masses of men who want to be in-: dustrious but are debarred by Democratic policies. So well Is this understood that some years ago to say that a business enterprise bad “gone Democratic” was recognized as the same thing as saying that it had failed. The experience of the country with Republican prosperity following the long gloom of Democratic business depression all over the country has given emphasis to that saying.—Salt Lake City Tribone. Not Fit to Print. “Protection at best is a demoralizing thing.” So the Times of this city asserts. A paper that makes such an assertion as that obviously ought not to take for its motto, “All the news that’s fit to’ print.” For the statement that protection at best is a demoralizing thing is a piece of news that is unfit to print, since it Is bogus news. If the Times will carefully study the history of the rise and progress of the United States of America it will discover that protection has made It possible to develop our Industries, and by so doing has made this nation one of the most prosperous In the world.—New York Mail and Express. The Fly on the Wheel.

Wiiat They Hepe For. Touching the question of the de- 1 mands for higher wages which, in cer- g tain localities, are being made, there la 1 this to be said: The men are aware 1 of the fact that their earnings are | greater than under Democratic rule, but they hope to have them . made -i greater still.—Philadelphia Inquirer, j Alaa and Alas! That considerable portion of the ”j money power, the deposits of the New York savings banks, grew to the ex- ' tent of about thirty millions last year. Thus, in the mournful language of the Bryanlte economists, do the poor grow poorer.—New York Sun. . ' •'’H

Say, Donk, you're against the trusts, and when I put this resolution through you’ll have a chance to vote your convictions.—St. Paul Pioneer Press.