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The Commoner
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
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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-
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