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Th6 Commoner
JUNE, 1918
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Pitf none to rattficationists on guard. Democrats and Re
publicans everywhere should see to it that every candidate for the
state legislature is openly pledged to vote for the ratification of the
National Prohibition Amendment Take no 'chances This is
the supreme domestic issue until Constitutional Prohibition is secured.
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The War
Abstract of Mr. Bryan's address before the
Ad club, Palace hotel, San Francisco, June 5.
Gentlemen: I appreciate the invitation that
brings to me this opportunity to address you.
You represent an important branch of Industry;
you occupy the ante-chamber, so to speak, of the
temple of business., Those who enter business
can not afford to pass you by.
I have, been interested in the crusade that
the advertising clubs of the country are mak
ing against dishonest advertisers. While it is
based upon a high ideal of morality, it is sup
ported by sound business reasons, it is wrong
to misrepresent an article offered to the public
and it is also unwise to do so if the vendor, ex
pects to. remain In business. You are really
drawing a line in favor of permanent business
as against business which is merely temporary.
You are, so to speak, cutting out the carousal
at night that is followed by headache in the
morning.
The jnan who expects to make business a life
matter cah-not afford to spread falsehoods be
fore his customers 'and the newspapers can not
afford to be parties to conscious deception of
their readers,
The prohibition movement has reached a
point where the advertising men may well con
sider it both from a moral and business stand
point. The evil effects of alcohol are now so
well known that advertisements that represent
alcoholic liquors as beneficial can no longer be
spread before. the public with innocence.
Neither can the advertising elubs Ignore the
fact that the purpose of such advertisements is
not primarily to convince the public or the merit
of the article advertised; they a. re inserted
rather with the hope, if not with the under
standing, that a liquor advertisement on one
page will soak through to the editorial page and
color, or rather discolor, editorial opinion.
I have, during the past three weeks, visited
more than forty California communities and
have been increasingly impressed with the va
riety and value of the resources of this great
state; I do not know of any other state that
approaches it in the wide range covered by its
products. Surely, California should be the last
state to put the pecuniary interests or a single
industry against the claims of the greatest
moral reform of the generation.
But in the brief time that it is proper for- me
to occupy let me call attention to a general ad
vertising work in which your club is fitted to
play an important part, namely, the fortifying
of the public for the war work to which patri
otism calls us. First, the public should be
urged to Temember that the expenditures of
this war should not be measured against the
incomes of today. They should be charged, in
large part to the advantages which we have en
joyed In the past, and to the blessings, which
we purchase for posterity.
We are now paying something like Tour.-billions
a year in taxation, and yet the President
has recently asked congress to prepare, a new
revenue law raising it to eight billions, arid, if
the expenditures of the war require It the
amount will be still further raised, but We
should ..not complain, as long as one American .
boy must offer his life upon the country's altar,
no tax that can be levied on income or prop?
erty can pogslbly be as heavy as the tax, on life
and blood. ;:uc ;
Remember for how many years we have en-r
joyed the blessings bestowed by our government,
without having to make a return comparable
with what wo have received. A part of that
which we now pay should bo charged against
accumulations which we would not have been
able to ma)ce had we paid for these 'blessings
according to their value,
And then we must not forget that we are pro
tecting those who come after us in the enjoy
ment of the accumulated advantages of pop
ular government.
When we contribute to the welfare of our
soldiers through the Red Cross, th6 Y. M. C. A.,
the Knights of Columbus, the Jewish Brother
hood, and other organizations, we are not only
purchasing the satisfaction that comes with the
conscious performance of duty, but we are add
ing to the fighting strength of the men who
stand between us and a cruel, barbarous foe.
The spirit of the soldier is an important factor
in his fighting value, and this spirit Is strength
ened by the provisions which are made for his
physical comfort.
The value of, the soldier is also affected by his
morals. We can not, therefore, afford to allow
tfim to be surrounded by anything else than the
most helpful environment. TheAmerican sol
dier is proving himself to be the best fighting
machine over used upon the battlefield, and why
not? More is being put into the average Amer
ican than was ever put into any average man
before, or anywhere else, and the average Amer
ican has before him more hope and opportunity
than has over been placed before any other av
erage man. He would disappoint us, therefore,
if he were not the best soldier in the world, and
the American soldier Is at his best only when
his morals are at their highest. The records
will bear me out in the statement that we have
sent forth to battle the cleanest body of men ever
used in the war, and they are proving the econ
omic value of morality and manhood.
The Ad club can also advertise the financial
value of our government bonds. They are a
first mortgage on every dollar's worth of prop
erty under the flag, and they have the nation's
honor thrown in to make the security doubly
sure. The rate of interest, too, is more than
the average rate paid by the saings banks of the
country. Considering the security back of
these bonds and the interest . that they draw,
they are the best investment on the market of
the world today.
The War Saving Certificate Is just a little bit
better than the government bond because it can
be collected at any time on ten days' notice, and
it has two incidental advantages, First, it Is
issued In denominations so small that the child
ren can use War Saving Certificates and Thrift
Stamps -as the basis of savings accounts and
thus acquire a habit which will be even more
valuable to the children than their money is to
the government. The other advantage Is that
if any adult is unable to purchase a fifty dollar
Liberty bond, he can, .by investing in War Sav
ing Certificates, become a party to the increas
ing number who are financing the war. Seven
teen million joined in furnishing the money for
the third loan a number almost equal to the
number of voters in the United States. This
igi twice as many as subscribed for the second
loan and four times as many as subscribed to
the first a" splendid postscript to add to the
announcement of the oversubscription of the
loan. We can mow notify the kaiser that w
havtonot only loaned and loaned and loaned a
third time, but that the American people will
loan and loan and loan until the liberties of the
people of the world aro no longor monaced by
autocratic power.
And one word more, tho Ad club can impress
upon tho public tho far, reaching effect of this
war.
Tho character of tho conflict as a mortal com
bat between two forms of 'government has boon
greatly emphasized by our ontranco into the
war. Tho greatest republic in history stands
face to' face with that government which in mod
ern times most fully represents all that is hos
tile to our government. Ours is a people's gov
ernment. Those who temporarily exorcise au
thority are chosen by the people, and aro re
stricted in their action by tho terms of a wrlt
'ton constitution. Hero the people are tho mas
ters, while tho officials aro but their public ser
vants. Not so with tho German government.
Its head claims to rule by right divine, and is
supported in his pretentions by military power.
Under that form of government authority
comes, not up from the peoplb, but down froir
the man at the head. Tho people aro not mas
ters, but enjoy such privileges as the ruler con
descends to Lrant them.
These two forms of government have had
their defenders in tho past. Tho advpeates of
autocratic government place tho emphasis upon
strength, and contend that a ruler under such
a form of government can better direct his whole
force against a given object.
Tho advocates of popular government dispute
this, and insist that popular government is not
only moro just and more wise, but also stronger
than the monarchial form.
No one has better presented our side than the
great historian Bancroft who, In his eloquent
plea "The People in Art, Government and Re
ligion," declares that the rOpublic is in truth
the strongest of governments because, discard
ing the implements of terror, it dares to build
its citadel in the hearts of men.
Now that these two governments meet upon
the battlefield the result can not but effect tho
opinion of the future as to tho relative value of
those two forms of government.
Wo aro told that single battles in the past
have changed the course of civilization for cen
turies. If little battles in the years gone by could
have exerted such an influence, who will bo pre
sumptuous enough to peer into tho future, and
attempt to estimate for how many centuries the
stream of thought may bo colored by tho blood
iest of all battles which Is now being fought up
on the western battle-front.
We must win this war, not only for ourselves
and our allies and for tho world of today, buc
we must win it for the world o? tomorrow. We
can not afford to have any historian write that
an emperor was better ablo to mobilize the re
sources of his empire than a President and con
gress could tho resources of a republic. The
students of history shall not read, a century
hence, that the oppressed subjects of an ambi
tious kaiser were more loyal to their govern
ment than were the free citizens of this ropub
lic to the public servants whom they themselves
had chosen, and to a government which had
given them more of freedom and of hope than
any other people had ever enjoyed. I have no
doubt that victory will crown our efforts, and
this confidence is based upon the belief that the
American people will, while the war lasts, ai
they have thus far, arise to every responsibility
and meet every demand made upon them. The
Ad club enjoys unusual opportunities for ser
vice and will, I doubt not, fully improve those
opportunities.
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