,-" 1
SEPTEMBER 7, 1008
The Commoner.
MR. BRYAN'S SPEECH IN NEW YORK
At the Madison Square Garden meeting held
on the evening of August 30, Mr. Bryan spoke
for one hour and twenty minutes. The newspaper
dispatches say he was frequently interrupted by
great applause Twenty thousand people partici
pated in the noisy demonstrations. The press dis
patches say that a particularly cordial demonstra
tion occurred when Mr Bryan told his hearers
that he favored thej , government ownership of
irailroads,: advocating the control, by the federal
government ot the trunk lines, and .the. pwnership
of. all other railroads by the state government.
One interruption occurred when' Mr. Bryan , re
ferred to socialism, sjtating that the, man who
. declared ;that ; the trust is an economic growth
. and has gome to stay , is the one.wlio is helping
socialism,: ; ,, .,, ' , t
.- Some one. yelled "three -cheers- for socialism,"
jbut. the, call wast: drowned in. hisses. , ,-
Mr. Bryan quickly. said : "My friends,. I hjiyo
. no , objections to ,any man expressing himself 'in
1'avor of socialism, because the socialist as a ijule
is an honpst mam He- is seeking what he. believes
to;be a. benefit. with argument and not with abuse.
,1 deny that the trust is an institution necessary
.for economic purposes. I deny that it is t,an
economic Institution, at all. It is, not 'economic,
.,it is political It rests not on natural laws, bub
non one man-made laws."
The following is taken from the Associated
Press report:
As the guest of the- commercial travelers' anti
trust league, Mr. Bryan was greeted by more than
20,000 persons, who filled the great structure from
. floor to upper gallery. The streets and avenues
outside the garden were choked- for blocks by
.other thousands, who stood patiently for hours
for the privilege of even a fleeting glance at.the
distinguished visitor. The interior of the garden
, was a waving Bea of color. Every person in the
audience had been provided with an American
.. flag, and every cheer from 20,000 throats was ac
centuated by the waving of 20,000 staffs bearing
the stars and stripes.
.When Mr. Bryan entered the hall the pro
ceedings which had already begun were brought
to a temporary pause while for eight minutes
volley after volley of thunderous cheers rolled
through the great building.
When Chairman Tom L. Johnson in his intro
duction of Mr. Bryan referred to the guest of the
evening as "the first citizen, if not the first ofllcial
of the land," and J"-. Bryan rose, the gathering
broke out in unrcs .ruined cheering while the band
played "Hail to the Chief."
.ii So touched was Mr. Bryan by the welcome
:that as he stood watting for the cheers to subslde
his eyes filled with tears and he strode nervously
from side to side of the narrow platform.
"How can I thank y6u for this welcome
home?" he said. "My heart would be ungrateful
if It did not consecrate itself to your service. It
was kind to prepare this reception. It was kind
of Governor Folk to come here all the way from
Missouri. It was kind of Tom Johnson, that ex
ample of the moral courage we so much need in
this country, to tender his presence here. It
. was kind in you to recompense me fully in being
absent so long from my native land. I thank
you. I return to the land of my birth more proud
of my citizenship than ever before."
Mr. Bryan then began his prepared address,
saying:
"Like all travelers who have visited other
lands, I return with delight to the land of my
birth, more proud of its people, with more con
fidence in its government and grateful to the kind
Providence that cast my lot in the United States.
My national pride has been increased because of
the abundant evidence I have seen in the altruislc
interest taken by Americans in the people of other
countries. No other nation can show such a rec
ord of benevolence and disinterested friendship,
My love for our form of government has been
quickened as I have visited castles and towers,
and peered into dark dungeons and I am glad that
our nation, profiting by the experience of the past
and yet unhampered by traditions and unfetttered
by caste, has been permitted to form a new center
of civilization on new soil and erect here 'a govern
ment of the people, by the people and for the
people.' ,
f'I also return more deeply impressed than
ever before with the responsibility that, rests
upon our nation as an exemplar among the ia
tions and more solicitious that we, avoiding the
causes which have led other nations to decay,
may present a higher ideal than has ever before
been embodied in a national life and carry human
progress to a higher plane tlwa Juts .before
reached. ).
"I desire, moreover, to acknowledge indebt
edness to the American officials, who havo every
where shown us all posslblo courtesy and kind
ness. I do not know that I can bettor show my
appreciation of the welcome accorded mo by my
countrymen than to submit some suggestions
drawn from observations during the past year.
"A Japaneso educator, addressing mo through
an interpreter, said: 'I wish you would find the
the worst thing in Japan and toll us about it so
that we may correct it I commended tho gen
erous spirit which ho manifested, but assured
him that I had not visitod Japan in soarch of
faults and blemishes, but rather that I might find
the l)os.t things In Japan and take them home for
the benefit of my own people, Each nation can
give leBsons to every other, and while our nation
is in a position to make the largest contribution,
as I believe, to the education of the world, it.
ought to remain In the attitude of a pupil and bo
ever, ready to profit by the experience of others.
'The flrst'message that I bring from the old
world is a message of peace. The cause of arbi
tration is making real progress in spite of tho
fact that the nations most prominent in the estab
lishment of The Hague tribunal have themselves
."beenngaged In wars since that court was or
ganized. There is a perceptible growth In senti
ment in favor of the settlement of International
disputes by peaceful means. It was my good for
tune to be present at the last session of the Inter
parliamentary Union, which convened in London
on the 23d of July. Twenty-six nations were rep
resented, and these included all the leading na
tions of the world. This peace congress, as it is
generally known, not only adoptod resolutions In
favor of the limitation of armaments and te
arbitration of all questions relating to debts, "but
unanimously endorsed the proposition that all
questions of every nature should bo submitted to
an impartial tribunal for investigation, or to the
mediation of friendly nations before hostilities are
commenced.
"It is not necessary to point out the impor
tance of the position taken. The embodiment of
the suggestion In treaties would go a long way
toward removing the probability of war. While
the Idea is of American origin, it was heartily ac
cepted by tho representatives of England, France,
Germany and other European countries.
"I believe thatif our nation would propose to
make with every other nation a treaty
providing that all questions In dispute
between the parties should bo submitted
to The Hague court or some other Impartial
international tribunal for investigation and report
before any declaration of war or commencement
of hostilities, it would find many nations willing
to enter Into such a compact. I am sure from the
public utterances of the present prime minister
of Great Britain, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman,
that such a treaty could be made between tho
two great English speaking' nations and their
example would bo followed until the danger of
war would be almost, if not ontirelyt removed.
To take the lead in such a movement would estab
lish our position as a world power in the best
sense of the term.
"What argument can be advanced against
such action on the part of tho United 'States?
Shall we yield to any other nation in the estimate
to be placed upon the value of human life? I con
fess that my aversion to killing Increases with
the years. Surely the Creator did not so plan the
universe as to make the progress of the race de
pendent upon wholesale blood letting. I prefer
to believe that war, instead of being an agency
for good, is rather an evidence of man's surrender
to his passions, and that one of the tests of civ
ilization Is man's willingness to submit his con
troversies to the arbitration of reason rather than
of force.
"Another subject connected with our foreign
relations: I venture to suggest that wo may not
only promote peace but also advance our commer
cial Interests by announcing as a national policy
that our navy will not be used for the collection
of private debts. While protecting the lives of
our citizens everywhere and guaranteeing
personal safety to all who owe allegiance to our
flag, we should, in my judgment, announce that
persons engaging in business and holding prop
erty in other lands for business purposes must be
subject to the laws of the countries in which they
engage in business enterprises. Many profitable
fields of investment are now closed because tho
people of the smaller nations are afraid that an
investment of foreign capital will be made an ex
cuse for a foreign invasion. Several times on
this trip this fact has been brought to my atten
tion, and I am convinced that for every dollar, we
could secure to American investors by an attempt
to put tho government back of their private claims
we would Ioso many dollars by closing tho door
to investment. Mark the distinction between tho
protection of tho lives of our citizens and tho
use of tho navy to guarantee a profit on invest
ments. Wo do not imprison for debt in tho United
States, nolfbor do wo put men to death bocauoo
of their failure to pay what they owo, and our
moral prestige, as well as our commercial inter
ests will bo conserved by assuring all nations that
American Investments depend for protection upon
the laws of tho country to which tho investors go.
"Ueforo leaving lntornnt'onnl politics let mo
add that our nation haw lout prestigo rather than
gained it, by our experiment in colonialism. Wo
have given the monarch iHt a chance to ridicule
our declaration of independence and the scortec
lias twitted uo with Inconsistency. A" tour through
tho Philippine islands has deepened tho convic
tion that wo should lose no time In announcing
our purpose to deal with tho Filipinos as we dealt
with the Cubans. Every consideration, commer
cial and political, leads to this conclusion. Such
ground as we may need for coaling stations or
for a naval base will bo gladly concodod by
tho Filipinos, who simply desire an opportunity to
work put their own destiny, inspired by our ex
ample" and aided by our advice. Insofar as our
efforts havo been directed toward tho education
of the Filipinos, we havo rondored them a distinct
service, but In educating them wo must rccognizo
that we arc making colonialism Impossible. If
wo Intended to hold them as subjects wo would
not dare to educate them. Self-government with
ultimate independence must bo assumed If we
contemplate universal education in the Philip
pines. As soon as opportunity offers I shall dis
cuss the Philippine question more at length, and
I shall refer to English rule In India, for it '
throws light upon our own problems in the Philip
pines, but these subjects must be reserved until
I can speak moro in detail.
"In several of the nations of Europe the
legislative department of .government is more
quickly responslvo to public sentiment than is
our congress. In England, for instance, whore
tho ministry is formod from tho dominant party,
when an election is hold upon any important Ihsuo,
tho government procoedjj to put into law tho
will of the people qxprcss'fd at the poJIs, While
our system is superior In many respects, it has
one defect, viz: that cuugress does not meet in
regular session until thirteen months after the
election. During this period there is uncertainty
long drawn out, which to the business commu
nity Is often more damaging than a chango of
policy promptly carried into effect. Would not
the situation bo improved by a constitutional
amendment convening tho first session of congress
within a few months after the election and com
pelling the second session to adjourn several days
before the following election? Such a chango
would not only protect legitimate business inter
ests and give the public tho benefit of more
prompt relief through remedial legislation, but
it would protect the people from the jobs that
are usually reserved for the short session which
is now held after the election and when many
of the members retired feel less responsibility be
cause of defeat at the polls.
"I return more strongly convinced than be
fore of tho importance of a chango in the methods
of electing United States senators. There is no
ticeable everywhere a distinct movement toward
democracy in its broadest sense. In all the coun
tries which I have visited there Is a demand that
tho government be brought nearer to the people;
in China a constitution is under consideration; in
Japan tho people are demanding that tho mlnistry
instead of being chosen by the emperor from
among his particular friends shall be selected from
parliament and be in harmony with the dominant
sentiment; in India there is agitation in favor
of a native congress; in Russia the- czar haa
been compelled to recognize the popular yolce
in the establishment of a douma, and throughout
Europe the movement manifests itself in various
forms. Jn the United States this trend toward
democracy ha3 taken the form of a growing de
mand for the election of United States senators
by a direct vote of the people. It would be difll
cult to overestimate the strategic advantages of
this reform, for since every bill must receive the
sanction of the senate as well as the house of
representatives before it can become a law, no
important remedial legislation of a national char
acter, is possible until the senate is brought into
harmony with the people.
"1 am within the limits of the truth when I
say that the senatehas been for years the bulwark
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