The Commoner.
'AUGUST 30, 1912
Governor Marshall's Notification Speech
Following Is an Associated Press dispatch:
Indianapolis, Ind., Aug. 20. Governor Thomas
It. Marshall was this afternoon notified of his
nomination for the vice presidency on the demo
cratic ticket. The Hoosier executive replied
in a brief speech.
Owing to engagements made before the date
for the Marshall notification was made public,
Governor Woodrow Wilson was unable to bo
present. Ho sent his regrets. Chairman Mc
Combs of the democratic campaign commltteo
was also unablo to attend.
Prominent democrats from every part of tho
country attended the' ceremonies, which wero
held on a platform erected in front of tho
Indiana Democratic club, opposite University
square.
Thomas Taggart, Indiana member of tho
democratic national committee, introduced
Samuel M. Ralston, democratic candidate for
governor of Indiana, who introduced Judge
Alton B. Parker, chairman of the notification
committee, who made the notification speech.
Judge Parker said, in part: "Tho faithful sons
of democracy, proud of the history of their party
covering a half century of federal administra
tion welcomed at Baltimore, seized the oppor
tunity to substitute practice for preaching and
performing for promise.
"The method by which the democratic con
vention seized the opportunity is so simple and
straightforward that it at once captured confi
dence and arouses enthusiasm. It was accom
plished by simply nominating for president and
vice president men whose records as governors,
respectively of New Jersey and Indiana, show
that they know how to create and apply needed
governmental remedies and whose lives give
abundant surety that the pledges of their party
and their own promises to the people will be
faithfully kept."
Mr. Parker took his text from Governor
Wilson's notification speech, wherein is con
sidered the partnership between government and
privilege. .
His method of treatment was to declare:
First The fact of the partnership and the re
sulting public injury.
Second That the republican party was solely
responsible for the inauguration of the partner
ship relations, instancing the tariff and combi
nations to restrain trade and prevent competi
tion as the illustrations.
Third That neither the republican nor the
progressive party could be trusted to break up
the partnership.
Fourth That the democratic party could be
relied upon to accomplish that result.
Judge Parker's contention that, relief could
come only from the election of Wilson and
Marshall and a democratic congress followed an
offering of reasons which he said negatived
all possibility of relief from either the re
republican or the progressive. Of the latter he
said in part:
"Its creator and nominee for president occu
pied that office for about seven and a half years,
but during that time he could not be persuaded
to say a single word in favor of lifting from the
people the burden imposed upon them by extor
tion of tariff rates. True, he admits in his con
fession of faith that certain interests have been
improperly favored by over protection; declares
himself in favor of 'disrupting the old crooked,
log rolling method of tariff making' and advo
cates a tariff commission wholly different from
the present unsatisfactory tariff board. It is
Impossible to rise from a careful reading of his
tariff discussion without being convinced that ho
is a standpatter now as he was when president.
"Certainly only a very stupid man would ex
spect him to curb the trusts. Seven-eights of all
tho combinations in existence when he went
out of office were created while he was presi
dent. Their creators had confidence in him
surely and it is but just to say that it was not
misplaced. Did he not stay the hand of his
pliant attorney general when he was about to
bring suit to dissolve the harvester trust? Was
not a twenty minute conversation long enough
to persuade him that ,the steel corporation
should be allowed to absorb its leading com
petitor?" Following the notification ceremonies tho
members of the notification committee and
guests were taken for a short automobile ride
through the city, thence to Governor Marshall's
home, where a reception was hold by tho gov
ernor and Mrs. Marshall.
Previous to tho coromonies there was a
parade.
William G. McAdoo, acting chairman of tho
democratic national commltteo, arrived today
from New York. Ho will go to Chicago to opon
headquarters. With McAdoo was Josoph 13.
Davies, secretary of tho national committee.
THE SPEECH OF ACCEPTANCE
In his speech accepting tho democratic nomi
nation for tho vico presidency Govornor Marshall
said:
"Judge Parker and Gentlemen of tho Notifi
cation Committee: Permit me to say that it is
not my purpose on this occasion to present de
tails. I wish merely to present some general
observations clothed in homespun language in
the belief that they may bo of valuo in fixing tho
opinion and determining the conduct of the in
telligent voter this year.
"Try as we may to separate tho religious from
tho civic, tho fact yet remains that good govern
ment has in it an element of morality. Neither
constitutions, nor laws, nor ordinances, can
completely divorce civil government from re
ligious sentiment. Thero are periods in the his
tory of a people when the conflict between tho
good and the bad may involve almost all of tho
commandments. Thero is rarely a conflict in
which at least the one commandment against
covetousness does not become an issue, and this
campaign is no exception to the rule.
"It will bo well for tho voter to clear up some
hazy definitions. We have for many years been
entertaining a belief founded upon no fact what
ever, that democracy and republicanism repre
sent different ideas of government. The repub
lican has looked upon the democrat as a man
opposed to the government. Tho democrat has
looked upon the republican as a man opposed
to the people's rule and in favor of aristocratic
Bway. It is time for us to remember that de
mocracy is not a system of government. In
deed, democracy may find its expression in any
one of numerous systems.
"The rule of tho people Is not essentially
rule by the people. By their votes, even when
democracy has unfolded to full manhood suff
rage, tho people may have a monarchical form of
government. The people's rule does not depend
upon the number of votes nor necessarily upon
the system of government under which they
vote. Good or bad government must go back
to good or bad citizenship, to intelligent or
ignorant, to honest or dishonest, electors. I
venture tho assertion that if the electoral fran
chise were now granted to all tho citizens of
Russia, the little father would again be crowned
in Peter's city.
MEANING OF DEMOCRACY
"American democracy in its purity was in
tended to mean, and I believe does mean, some
thing more than voting, something more than
selecting officers. Like the sunlight, wo can
not see it, yet wo can not see without it. And
like the sunlight, it has not only bathed this
republic in a sea of beauty and glory, but it
has warmed and nurtured every fruitage planted
in tho garden of universal brotherhood.
"American democracy does not depend upon
caste or creed or condition, upon race or color,
upon wealth or poverty, upon success or failure.
But unerringly, it does depend upon the inner
life of J-lio individual citizen. It is an inspira
tion and an aspiration. It does not always de
pend upon the ticket which a man votes. It
does depend always upon tho motive back of tho
ballot.
"The historic democratic party of America
had its inspiration and its aspiration in the life
and conduct of its great founder. It is time
now to have a perfect concept of that democracy
for in recent years we have divided ourselves
into three classes and the classification has been
made not by the heart-throbs of men but by
the social condition. We have those who are
immeasurably rich and who are looking for '
more, and we have those who are unutterably
poor and who are growing poorer. Between
these extremes, we have a great middle class,
living well and reasonably content except for ,
tho uncertainty of not knowing whether they
are to rise into the first class or sink into the
third.
"Many have assumed that only the unutter
ably poor and those sinking into that class were
domocrats, and thnt tho immeasurably rich and
tho climbers wore republicans. But theso
divisions havo not boon logical. It wan not tho
outward and vlslblo which marked tho Inward
nnd spiritual of Thomas Jefferson. Born of tho
bluest blood In tho Old Dominion, and accus
tomed as gentleman, scholar, diplomat and
statesman, to all tho luxuries of his genera
tion ho was the man who declared that all men
wero created equal and that all woro endowed
with certain Inalienable rights such as life,
liberty and tho pursuit of happlnoss. Even to
his dying hour this seeming aristocrat had not
a single heart-throb which was not In unison
with tho heart-throbs of his followmon. His
great opponent In statecraft sprang from a
llneago so lowly as to bo unknown. With none
of tho advantages of either fortune or family,
Hamilton believed In hanging on princes' favors
and in catorlng to tho chosen few.
CAMPAIGN OF CONVICTION
"At Its best, human nature Is weak. The
cares of tho world and tho dccoltfulness of
riches ofttlmos stlflo generous Impulses. Great
crises are necessary to awaken many men to their
sense of duty. It was because I thought a crisis
to bo at hand that four years ago I made tho
statement that 80 per cent of tho people of
Indiana wero domocrats at heart oven though
they did not know It. I now enlargo that state
ment and declare that 80 per cont of the entire
country believe in tho historic democracy of
Thomas Jefferson. This campaign is going to
rid the democratic party of every man who dooa
not believe In its principles and is going to add
to the party's ranks, I hopo, every man who
does believe in them.
"Men havo allowed their personal Interests,
ambitions and prejudices to sway their political
conduct and consequently this great body ot
American citlzons, thinking alike and feeling
alike at heart, has never been united under one
banner to fight for tho common rights of com
mon humankind. Tho strength of those de
termined to give every man his chance In life,
unhampered and unaided by legislative enact
ment, and to Btriko down every species of special
privilege inuring to the benefit of a few; of
those like-minded In their vlow that government
is a nocessity and not a luxury, and that business
should have its large opportunity for success,
but that this government was made for men, not
corporations; for principles, not Interests; and
of those with sufficient courage and fortitude to
drive tho money-changers from tho temple of
our national life, has been impoverished by de
sertions duo to personal interests, ambitions and
prejudices.
"This campaign calls upon some for Justice,
upon others for charity, upon all for patriotism.
It does not call for tho bandying of epithets nor
for an appeal to tho personal. Wo may safely
leave to that senile dementia which has seized
tho so-called republican party the personali
ties of this campaign. Its unfitness to rule the
republic is disclosed by its inability to keep its
temper. It was cohesive so far as its leader
ship was concerned whllo It was engaged in
looting the public, but even its leaders are now
disorganized while quarreling over the loot. As
for the party's bosses, the Improper influences
in American political llfo are about equally
divided between them. Everywhere, "Boss"
Barnes is crossing swords with "Boss" Flinn,
and their charges and countercharges disclose
greatness only when wo apply Emerson's state
ment: 'Consistency is the hobgoblin of little
minds.'
A SINGULAR CONDITION
"How comes it that wo have reached such a
condition of affairs in American life that the
party in power Is rent In twain, that boss is
charging boss with knavery, crookedness and
dishonesty, and that each faction Is claiming
an exclusive patent upon honesty and patriot
ism while avowing that the success of the other
would spell irreparable ruin for tho public?
And more particularly, how comes this to pass
under a republican system of government con
sisting of co-ordinate branches to which were
ceded by the people none of their inalienable
rights, but only such powers' as were thought t
be needful to redress the wrongs, preserve th
rights and keep unshackled the moral, intellec
tual and physical forces of mankind?
"Though a majority of the people have beem
voting the republican ticket and have beea
assuming thereby that the majority would rule,
the disgraceful but purifying scenes which have
been enacted recently in republican conventions
disclose that a large number of those who have
been voting the republican ticket are democrats
at heart. These scenes disclose further that w
(Continued on Pago 14.)
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