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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1916)
''Twmmiw x liTlX A It I The Commoner WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR v ' '" VOL 16, NO. 10 Lincoln, Nebraska, October, 1916 Whole Number 690 Record of Wilson and Democracy Deserves Indorsement of the American People Outline of Speech Made by William Jennings Bryan During the Campaign of 1916 (After discussing such local issues as were pertinent, and giving indorsement to state can didates, Mr. Bryan emphasized the importance of electing a democratic senate and house to support tho President during the next four years, asserting that tho sjlendid record made during the past three and a half years would have been impossible i the President's efforts had been obstructed by oithor a republican sen ate or house. He then took up national issues.) xuia is tue aiAiu presidential campaign in which I have taken a prominent part. In three I was myself a candidate; in three I have sup ported the candidacy of others, and I call you to witness that I have labored in behalf of others as 'earnestly as in my own behalf. In the five campaigns preceding this I have presented the promises of my party; in this campaign I pre sent a record of achievement which surpasses promise and prophecy. I am able, therefore, to make a more convincing argument in favor of the re-election of President Wilson than I was over able to make in behalf of my own candi dacy. And what I say for the President I say for the democratic candidates for senate and house, for without a congress to support him ho can not continue his progressive work. TWO SUPREME ISSUES There aro two supreme issues of this cam paign one is domestic and one deals with our international relations. The first is whether this government shall continue to be administered by those now in control, or shall ho turned back to tho reactionaries from whom the government was taken four years ago. That is the first question. I shall present the details later when I present the record of reforms accomplished, In order that you may form an opin ion on this question whether it is "wise to return it to those in power prior to 1912 let me remind you that the men from whom this government was taken four years ago had behaved so badly that a majority of the members of the republlcan'fmrty had repudiated those men at the polls on election day. Their conduct had been so reprehensible, their admin istration so odious, that more than half of the voters of the republican party repudiated their last president's administration, left their party, and voted for Colonel Roosevelt. REACTIONARIES IN FULL CONTROL TdiKso men are now in 'control of tbe republican party. The reactionaries controlled the convention at "Chicago this year without opposition; they controlled it; four years ago in spito of opposition. And they were so reckless this year, they felt so confident of having secured complete control of tho republican party, that they did some very foolish things. One of the most foolish things, I thought, .was to invite Can" - Depew to mot. -i-ubb at that republican convention, after refusing to invite Roosevelt. Mr. Roosevelt offered to go to Chicago and ad irp.Ra 4i.o convention; he sat in his home at Oyster Bay with a telegraph instrument in one hand canda.telephone- .receiver in. the otfier waitiiig for the invitation thdgjiftyer came. And, to add insult to injury, the delegates listenfcd to speeches from Cannon and Depew, who did more, probably, than any otlnr two men to bring odium on the republican party. It was because of Cannonism in the house and Depew ism in the senate both standing for corporate domination of that great political organization that four million republicans revolted. Cannon- gave his name to a system of rules since abolished, and Depew led the last fight in the senate against the proposition to elect senators by direct vote. And yet these two men were invited to speak at that republican convention where the reactionaries were in full control. When I heard Cannon and Depew making speeches there it reminded me of a story I heard, many years ago, of a poor woman whoso husband died of dissipation. She selected a very modest casket for him, and then the undertaker asked, "What about the trimmings?" "Don't mention tremmens," she protestedr'that is what Jlmmie died of." It was of Depewism and Can- CONTENTS RECORD OF WILSON AND DEMOCRACY' DESERVES INDORSEMENT -THE OUTLOOK THE WOMAN VOTE LOCATED AT LAST THE LIQUOR ISSUE IN NEBRASKA PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC SENA TORIAL CANDIDATES WILSON'S ADMINISTRATION A RECORD OF EFFICIENCY MR WILSON AS SEEN B,Y ONE OF HIS FAMILY CIRCLE MARSHALL'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH nonism tho republican party died four years ago, and yet this convention had tho impudoncq to bring theso reactionaries out as the two prom inont exhibits at that convention! Tho first question, I repeat, Is whether thOMAinggf t ty10 E WcniunP reactionaries, who, for sixteen years spread a Bolshnzzar's feast before tho pre datory Interests. Tho second question 1h whether .wo shall re pudiate a President who has succeeded in keep ing us out of war with Mexico, and out of war urross the ocean. Now, these aro tho two qucsh tions that will bo decided by your votes tho two supreme issues of this campaign for you can not defeat Woodrow Wilson without putting this government back into the hands, not of tho republican party merely, but of tho REACTION ARY members of tho republican party: and you can not defeat Woodrow WHboii without robuk ing tho man who has succeeded in keeping this country at peace while war rages throughout Europe. I will take up these questions, one at a time, and show you tho record this administration has made since tho government was taken out of tho hands of the reactionaries; and it Is a wonder ful record. No wonder the President said, In reviewing it, that it was so extraordinary, that it sounded more like the promises of a platform than a record of what had actually been done. TARIFF REFORM If you wonder how It was possible to bring about so many reforms in such a short time, just remember that the republicans had accom plished so little during the sixteen years pre ceding that the democrats found a large accu mulation of work that should have been done before. In the first place, as soon as the demo- cratic party took possession of the government It reduced the tariff. We not only have the best law that we have had in fifty years; we not only have a law written from the standpoint of tho whole people, Instead of from the standpoint of a few beneficiaries of the high tariff; but we have a tariff law that, by its success, has eman cipated the nation out of the thralldom of fear and made it impossible for the republicans to carry an election again by the threat of a panic. For twenty years they have refused to discuss this question on its merits; they have simply tried to frighten you by telling you that, if you dared to make the beneficiaries of protection .take their hands out of your pockets, you wquld have a panic. When you recall the history of the panics since 1800, you wonder how a, re- -"i f , t fl II IM y iV