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OCTOBER 25, ltff
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than -we had ten years ago. ""M
What Is the result? The country Is what' we
said it would be higher prices and better times
and our contention in regard to the quantita
tire theory of money has been vindicated' by
events.
And now I want to show you that even the
republicans havo been bearing testimony to the
correctness of democratic principles.
Ten years ago the republicans came into
power and for ten years they have had the presi
dent, the senate and the house, not to speak of
the United States supremo court. They havo had
everything their own way. They could pass all
the laws they wanted. They could repeal any
laws they didn't like.
Not only have they had tUeir own way, but
they havo been blessed by a prosperity that
has come in spite of them-not because of them.
They have been benefited by the prosperity
that has come from a larger volume of money.
Not only that, but 'they have had good crops
and they have claimed the credit for the good
cropB and suggested that they were in silent
partnership with the Almighty and that God was
emiling on the country because the people voted
the republican ticket. They have had ten years
of power and yet, notwithstanding the advantages
that have come for which they are not respon
sible, they have not satisfied the country.
The people today are not satisfied. The re
publican party today Is not as popular as It
was. I might give you many evidences of it. I
might point to the fact that up in Maine they
had an election. Republican speakers were there
and yet there was a falling off in every republi
can district in Maine and if the falling off con
tinues throughout the country only equal to what
it was in Maine, we will have a democratic ma
jority in the next congress.
Arkansas gave a larger democratic majority
than before in a quarter of a century.
Vermont cut the republican majority half in
two. But I will not depend on election figures.
I will give you something more substantial. I
will tell you the republican party has fallen in
popularity to such an extent that whereas two
years ago they had any number of available men
for the presidency, now they have only one man
who has popularity enough to be elected, accord
ing to republican ideas and opinions, and that
man Is the president himself.
The Republican leaders go down on their
knees to the president and they say:
"Oh, Mr. President, you did say the night
of the election that you would regard this as your
second term and Would not run again, but, Mr.
President," they say, "you didn't know what a
desperate condition the republican party was go
ing to be in." They say: "Mr. President, can't
you take it back? Can't you forget that you
have said it? Can't you forget that Washing
ton refused a third term? Can't you forget that
Jefferson refused a third term? Can't you forget
EVERYTHING, Mr. President, and make your
mind a blank, just to help the republican party
out this once from its desperate condition?"
Now, that is the situation. Where are these
other popular mem? Where are these other in
telligent republicans? For they have men of
great Intelligence plenty of them.- They have
claimed for years that they had all the intelli
gence in the country.
They have twitted us with our Ignorance.
They have said democrats could not read or
write. I have heard them say they could tell a
'democrat just to have him write his "name, and
If he lolled out his tongue when he wrote he
was a democrat.
Yes, they have made fun of us. But where
are these intelligent republicans? Why aren't
they popular? Aren't they well known? Yes
too well known.
And why is the president popular? Now, re
publicans, I want to ask you a question. I want
yon to answer it In your own mind before I do.
Then see if your answer Is the same as mine.
' Why Is President Roosevelt popular today?
I will give you my reason: Because he is
the only prominent republican who has had the
courage to desert the republican platform and
adopt planks from the democratic platform.'
Now, republicans, how does that agree with
your reason? "Have you any other reason?
I say to you that President Roosevelt has
a good element of popularity that is borrowed
from democratic doctrines from his supppsed
advocacy of something that democrats have' 'ad
rocated before.
This Is not the first time I have' tafdJty I
aid it a year ago. I was about to leave home
The Commoner.
and I told the democrats that tho president was
taking our platform, talcing it plank by plank
deliberately. I told them I was almost afraid
to bo gone a year for fear ho would toko the
rest of it while I was gone.
That was not tho first time, either. A year
ago last January I attended a banquet In Wash
ington. It was givon by tho Gridiron Club. Tho
president himself was the guest of honor. From
tho beginning of the banquet to tho end they wore
joking him about what ho was taking from tho
democratic platform. When it came my time to
speak I said I hadn't felt so good In Washington
for years as I did then to soo tho things I had
advocated and been called an anarchist for ad
vocating being made respectable by being advo
cated In hiqh places. Then I enumerated some
of tho things he had taken.
I said I felt Hko the old colored woman who
was sick and sent for a colored physician and
when she got worso uho sent for a white physi
cian and tho white physician examined her pulso
and then said to her:
"Did the other doctor take your tempera
ture?" She said: "I don't know. I ain't missed noth
ing but my watch yet"
I told them I hadn't had time to take an
inventory to sec how much I had lost. I told
them I didn't object to it. I told them we felt
complimented to have them think so highly of
our ideas as to take them without asking for
'. them? I told them it made mo feel so good to
see the republicans getting up on our platform
that if I couldn't take back what I said about
them I at least didn't feel Hko saying It again.
I told them I felt a good deal like tho young
fellow I hoard of a very bashful young fel
low who courted his girl for a year before he
had tho courage to propose to her, and one even
ing he made bold enough to tell her that he
loved her and ask her to marry him. She was a
frank sort of girl, and she said:
"Why, Jim, I have been loving you theso
many months and I had just been waiting for
you to tell me so I could toll you."
Jim was overcome with delight and when ho
went out he looked up at tho stars and said:
"Why, I ain't got nothin' agin nobody."
That is tho way I feel about it, I am Just
jgetting so I "ain't got nothin' agin nobody."
Oh, how pleasant it is to welcome to almost
full fellowship these "reform republicans." I am
willing to take them in on the Methodist planof
six months probation. Yes, it makes us feel
good to see the democrats and tho populists and
the republicans all moving along in the same
direction, all harmonious with tho democrats a
little bit ahead.
Why, they used to say that the democrats
camped each night where the republicans had
camped the night before. They don't say that
now.
We have got it turned around now. The
republicans are following. When a republican
reformer wants to make some prog'ess he is a
little timid about it and gets down on his hands
and knees and crawls around looking for tracks
and when he sees where tho democratic army
has gone he gets up and says: "Come on, boys!
They have been here! This is safe!"
Oh, it is so nice. Yes, tho president hasn't
an element of popularity that he has not got by
being a little democratic. And, my friends, if a
republican president can become the only popu
lar man In his party by being sporadically and
spasmodically a little democratic, what would
be the popularity of a democratic administration
that was consistently and persistently and ever
lastingly democratic?
Well, what has the president done to earn
popularity? You tell me that ho brought about
peace between Japan and Russia. I glory in it.
Wherever I have been they have mentioned the
name of the president as a peace-maker and it
has made me proud of ray nation.
' In Japan I went out to visit a man he
couldn't speak our language and he met us at
the bottom of a hill in front of his house. Lead
ing us up the hill he asked us to be seated and
before we had a chance to say a word he asked
the Interpreter to Interpret for him and thanked
me, as an American, for what our president
had done In bringing about peace between his
country and Russia. Yes, it has been a glory
to him, but, my friends, was he elected as a peace
maker? On the contrary, tho man vrho put him in
nomination at Chicago two years ago nominated
him with an eulogy of war. I have read speeches
"from my bpyhood. My library is filled with books
with speeches In tbem and I never read a speeds,
befforo that gavo an eulogy of war. Yet thin
man, ox-Governor Black of New York, la hi
nominating speech, delivered an eulogy of war.
IIo said mon might preach and women pray, but
at last thoso questions must bo settled on the
battloflold and that there must forever bo the
silent upturned faco.
Ho gave tho lie to Christian history. Ho
denlod tho Christian's hope, if I know what
Christianity moans. In overy Christian heart
there must bo tho hopo and tho faith that the
time will como when wo will not kill because wo
dlffor in opinion," but will settle questions by the
arbitrament of reason. And yet, this man, after
delivering an eulogy of war, presented the presi
dent as a man of blood and iron a modern Mara
to fit his eulogy.
How strange that this modern Mars should
within a year, find his greatest fame in adopt
ing (ho democratic Idea that tho nation's prestige
must rest upon a moral basis and not upon a
great army and a great navy!
What olso mado him popular? Why, ho set
tled tho coal strike. I am glad of It 1 praised
him at tho tlrao. I am glad to praise him yet
Wo had lost, according to the report of his ar
bitration board, $90,000,000. But ho settled It at
last.
But whore did ho get hfs inspiration?
From a republican platform?
No. From a democratic platform. Wo had
an arbitration plank In tho plattrom adopted
at Chicago. It was again in tho Kansas City
platform. It was again in tho S. Louis plat
form. Three democratic national platforms have
demanded arbitration. Not a republican national
platform has demanded it.
I am so glad wo had an arbitration jtfanlc
to loan to tho president when ho ncedcdome
tliing. But, my friends, tho republican leaders didn't
seem to enjoy it. After tho president settled
one strike the republican leader were not willing"
to establish a board of arbitration to make other
strikes unnecessary. Tho laboring man has no
remedy but a strike If ho cannot agree with his
omploycr.
I say to you that it is a disgrace to our
'civilization, a disgrace to our generation and a
reproach to tho republican administration that it
has not givon tho luborlng man a hotter remedy
that it has left the laboring man to fight out
his differences and starve his wifo and children
during prolonged Idleness in order to get Justice
in his domands.
Why haven't tho republicans taken our plank
and used it? They have stolen our thunder
why don't they steal our lightning, and not bo
satisfied with mere noise?
What oIpo made the president popular?
Why, ho has done something on tho trust ques
tion. I am glad he has. But, my friends, every
Btop he has taken has been a step instigated by
the domocrat'c platform, and encouraged by dem
ocratic counsel, and he cannot find authority
in his republican platforms for anything ho has
done on the trust question.
I am so glad that we have a plank on this
subject to let him havo when ho needs some
thing on the trust question.
Oh, my friends, he has not gone far enough!
Ho has not gone fast enough! They don't intend
to do enough. Read tho Qlobe-Democrat If any
of you are so foolish as to read the Globe-Democrat
and what do you find?
On the front page a report of a speech by
Speaker Cannon. Who is Speaker Cannon? Tho
speaker of the house of representatives the one
man power that dominates congress. In the
headlines you will see it says that Cannon says
you must not destroy the trusts just regulate
them. Yes, my Mends, they are very careful
not to destroy the trusts. Why don't they regu
late tho trusts? Because the trusts regulate
them. That is the reason.
They talk about reforms. What reforms o
any magnitude have come that republicans can
trust republican platforms, promises or speeches?
When they talk about their reforms, and what
they have done and what they are going to do,
I am reminded of the old colored man who mar
ried a second time' and got an extravagant wife.
He was telling one of his friends how extrava
gant she was.
"Why," he said, "today she wants a dollar
and tomorrow 50 cents, and the next day a quar
ter, and then the next day she wants a dollar
again and then 50 cents, and then the next day a
vquarter, and then a dollar and then 50 cents
and ,then a quarter and it is just dollar and 50
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