TjTwfw5ip
V'"
The Commoner
VOL. 20, NO. 7
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wine thereof and was , drunken; his sons, in
mortification, took a garment and, walking
backwards that they might not seo their fathor's
nakedness, sfroad the garmont over him as he
lay drunk in . his tent. Back in the twilight
day whntf Homer sang of the fall of Troy
even then th,e word "Winebibber" was used.
ai a term of reproach. Alexander the Great,
in a drunken quarrol, slew a favorite general
who had once saved his life, Wine has not
cwftd to bo a mocker; Ibanyoz, the greatest
living novoljst of Spain, tolls us that in his
native land it is wine not whisky, but wine
that destroys the young men of promise be
fore they are old enough to bo of service to
'their country. This id the verdict of history,'
confirmed by our own experience; and it con
demns boor as well as wine.
,0omo with ub and'moot the auostion squaro
ly; lot it bo settled that wo may take up other
questions that demand the attention, of the
American people. Whyshould we bo drawn
away from the tromondous problems that con
front us today in ordor to quarrel over the
amount, of alcohol to be allowed in a non-in-toxtoating
drink. (Applause), If you cannot
get' alcohol enough to make you drunk, why do
y.ott want alcokol at all? Why not cut it out
altogether and go on about your business.
(Great applause),
It ifl argued that, if you adopt the 'platform
planjc that I suggest, some will leave the party.
That is true; you cannot do anything good
without giying some an oxcuse for leaving the"
party rfHut, in politics, you weigh those who
vcpme, against those who go. While we may
lojfe iome wo will draw to our support a muoh
greater number; and when these new recruits
com they will come because of love tor the
principles for which We stand. (Applause) , They
will not come because afflicted with a disease of
tp 'hrpat;' they will not come as invalids to
aJble, fcr,a time in a hospital! f They will come
btcauw they stand for the home against the
Hpint'i greatest enemy.
ft t were to select a text I have already
selected it, On the night of the sixteenth dayi.
of last January when, at the nation's capital,
we celebrated the Passover from the old era to
tho now, I was honored by the leaders of this
great cause with the privilege of being the
last speaker at the meeting, I watohed the clock
nl when' l was within one minute pf the time
'When this nation would become saloonless for
over more, I quoted .a passage from .the Bible
-the language In which tho Angel assured
Joseph, and Mary that it was safe to take the
young child. Jobubj back to the Holy, Land you
recall the words: "They are dead that sought
the young chilcVs life," (Applause). When
yeu. remember that- King Alcohol has slain a
itlllcm , more children than Herod over did,
wmath language can mre appropriately express
the Joy in the hearts of the parents today than
those words: "They are dead that sought the
yeng child's life."
Are you afraid that we shall lose some
vdtes? O, my countrymen, have more faith in
tM Virtue of tho people. If there be any here
who "Would seek tho support of those who de
sire11 to carry us back into bondage to alcohol,
,let them remember that it is better to have
ifie gratitude of one soul saved from drink
than the applauso of a dfunkon world. (Great
applause). It is better to have the mothers of
the land think of our party as they press their
babes to their breasts and thank God that they
are now safe from tho temptations of .the saloon
aye) far better than to hear all the hurrahs
that can come from those who would make
money by selling poison to their fellow men
who would for money raise the death rate among
the. little children in thoir neighborhood. (Ap
plause) ,
And now, because tho limitations- placed up
on my time by parliamentary law, I. must turn
very briefly to four other' propositions, only
stopping to add that I wish it wore possible to
discuss and settle one question at a. time.
(Cries of "Go on, go On").
J shall speak of prohibition againwhen I
use the 20 minutes, that I have in closing, "(Ap
plause). Now let mo in a moment's time ask
you to consider four other amendments, whic,
In niy judgment, would help our 'party to win. l
The first is a national bulletin. We, have no
newspapers in this country except those under'
private control, and these, arejiiyided into two
classes; namely, those that are owned by'ndn
wk and; patriotic irion .anu used" fojr a patriotic'
purpose, and those owned by predatory corpora
tions and used to deceive those who read their
editorials and news columns. (Applause)-. - It
is not fair that the voters should bo loft tb the
mercy either of a biased press or to be exploited
by tho subsidized papers that sell thotr read
ers at so much per head. Tho very best of
our papers are owned and- edited by men who
are human, and, because human, are biased.
They cannot give both sides fairly even when
they try. Tho organs of the plunderbund do
not try to give either &!jc1e honestly. Thq Demo
cratic party should declare that it is in favor
of light rather than darkness, because its deeds
are not evil. Democratic principles and policies
do ' not fear tho light ofday, A government
publication, furnished to all who desire it, of
fers tho only means by which tho people can
receive, thru unpolluted channels, the informa
tion that they-need. Such a bulletin would in
form them as to the issues before the country,
and the editorials, written by chosen repreaent
atlves of both parties, would furnish the argu
ments on all sides. There should be adver
tising space for the proper presentation of the
claims of candidates for national offices. These
tireo things are necessary for tho following rea
sons: First, because government by the "con
scl of the governed is a mockery unless the
people know to what they are consenting; (Ap
plause) second, the voters cannot vote intelli
gently unless they hear both sides. Out of the
conflict of ideas comes truth. We believe with
Jefferson that "error is harmless when reason
is left free to combat it." But reason cannot
combrit error unless it is presented to those who
must decide. (Applause). The third reason. id
that .we do notwant any more candidates for
president excusing large campaign contribu
tions, as Republican candidates tried to do, on
the ground that it is necessary to spend enor
mous gums of money in order to get the facts '
before the people. " We do not want them to4
spend either large sums of their own money, on
large sums contributed by others. Any man of
merit should be able to ajpphne tQ .the ifcighe; of
fice, within, the gift- of -the people, .regaWJess of
whether, hja ba,s a fortune himself or .rich, .friends
or Is poor, (Applause) ,
My third plank deals with the profiteers,
You have read the plank, I cannot go' into detail.
The records now show that some of these prof
iteers have been making a" thousand per cent,
some two thousand, some three thousand, and
isome even five thousand. This profiteering be
gan when our country was at war; when young
men. were leaving college to offer upon their
country's altar their preparation for life; when
mothers were-giving up their sons, wives their x
husbands, nndychildren their fathers; and when
the country wos straining every nerve.. It has
continued and even increased . since hostilities
ceased.
I went to the Republican, convention and
urged delegates to write into their platform a
strong plank on profiteering. I told them that
I would gladly bring such a plank here and aslc
this convention to insert the same plank in our
platform, so that we could act jointly for the
protection of . society against these plunderers.
(Applause). But they did not do it, Why?
Because nearly all the profiteers were there in
the convention, or in the gallery, or nearby. (Ap- "
plaue) . I suppose wo have here, all the prof
iteers who were " not at Chicago, and possibly
some who were. (Laughter). We may still
have some in our party, The profiteering plank
in our platform is not harsh enough; my plank
is written for tho express purpose of driving
out of the Democratic party ahu into the Re
publican party every profiteer who is not al-ready-a
member of the Republican parly; so
that, when we put tho profiteers 'in. the peni
tentiary, they will enter as Republicans and
not as Democrats. (Applause and laughter).
" My .fourth plank Is against universal com
pulsory military training. (Applause). A Re
publican senate committee reported a" bill pro
viding for universal compulsory military train
ing which contemplated an annual appropriation
of about 700 .millions of dollars a year a larg
er sum than we. ever spent oh the army and
nayy before the, war waged, to make the "world
saferfor democracy." Is it possible that after
wo' have spent 2.5 billions of dollars in this war
sand sacrificed an hundred thousand precious
lives, we must load our people down with this
previous burden of taxation, and train ".every
life, bn the theory hat war Is a necessary part
-.
of civilization? No, tho Democr'atle party should
do as our Democratic congressmen did in tho
House of Representatives; -this convention
should assure tho nation that there is one party
that will never support universal compulsory
military training in timo of peace. (Applause)
And now, my friends, I havo only a moment
left for a subject to whieh I shall devote moro
time. in. my closing 0 minutes. I propose as
my fifth amendment a plan that, at least, gives
hope of an early entrance into the League of
Nations. It will enable ns to remove the issue
from the campaign and do Our duty to our own
people and tho world. You may think it ;om
prohensive; but it needs a -large and compre
hensive plan to meet tho extraordinary condi
tions of today.
Our nation has shamed itself before the
world for a year! Why is it that while our
government could speedily, go into tho war, and
under the leadership 6t our President, mobolize
the resources of tho nation ns no other nation
ever mobolized its resources in the same
length of--time why is,it that we could do this
but cannot get out of the war? "Why is it that
Germany and Great Britain and France and
Italy, and oven poor devastated Belgium, can
make peace while we confess ourselves Impotent
to ratify a treaty? Why? Because wo have
a provision in our constitution that requires a
two-thirds vote of the Senate to ratify a treaty
The constitution should be so changed that tho
American people can ond a war as quickly as
they can begin it." (Applause). We fought for the
most fundamental of Democratic principles,
namely, the right of the majority to rule. If
that is worth fighting for in Europe it is worth
recognizing in the United States and worth
recognizing in: representative bodies as well as
when the people vote directly, ,
If we endtor thi, QAtrine and5 how can
wo refuse to endorse it?4we re thes. in a posi
tion to demand that the Repulicaa senators
shall meet-us. in Washington and there join with
Democratic senators in an eJCoft to -secure im
mediate natifieaticwi. on. any-term -that a major
ity may agree upon, leaving for thp-future such
change's as may bo deemed necessary. If they
"refuse to accept our challenge wo will go out
and tako the larger and the bettor part of the
Republican party away from the leaders. Tho
people o.f all parties favor a league of nations
and they want our nation to do its part in
World affairs. If they do join us in securing
ratification,, they will turn over to our party the
moral leadership of the world.
The Lord has delivered them into our hands.
vWe have a Democratic president who can re
convene the Senate; we have enough Demo
cratic senators to convert a majority into the
necessary two-thirds majority by voting or not
voting, whjehever they prefer. The issue lies
with us, and we cannot shift the blame, how
ever inexcusable the opposition of Republican
senators has been.
-Is it not worth while for the Democratic party
to present these alternatives to the. Republican
.party? Is it not wortli while to place In the
hands- of Woodrow Wilson the standard of civil
ization and allow America to' lead in tho con
quest of the world for universal' peace? Some
day the songr the shepherds heard at Bethlehem
will be sung in every lanft why not make it
the international anthem now? (Great applause).
Mr. Bryan's ClosingSpeech
. (After, others had spoken, Mr.. Bryan con
cluded the discussion as follows:)
My friends, I only'have twenty minutes and
I need every second of the .time, In the
first place I desire to say just a Word about the
National Bulletin I want some way of get
ting information to every voter; I want them to
know the facts when they come to vote;' I want
them to hear the arguments pro and con; let
them know the truth, and- the truth will make
them tree. j. have faith in the virtue, integrity,
and patriotism of the American pe"oplo but
how can these 'things find expression in govern
ment unless the voters have the arguments on
each side frpm the highest sources. We need
a paper tbr.u which every candidate can lay his
clainj before too voters: ,We want it so that
they will not sell a congressman's position on tne
bargain, counter. Wo want it so that they can
net open the door of the United States Senate
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