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those amendments with great earnestness, the
first for twenty-three years and the second for
seventeen.
Then came the question of prohibition and I
contributed what I could to the success' of vari
ous prohibition measures, beginning in 1910
with county option, continuing in 1916 with
state prohibition and ending with the Eighteenth
Amendment.
Then came woman suffrage. I spoke in faVor .
of tho suffrage amendment in Nebraska in 1914
and -advocated tho national amendment later,
Tho Commoner took up the discussion of these
questions from tho date of its appearance, 'and
through it I presented arguments in favdf of
tho'rofdrms which I advocated. -
In February, 1905, I presonted in an editorial
in Tho 'Commoner, tho peace plan which after
wards, by authority of President Wilson, I'irir
corporatdd in-thirty treaties with three-quarters
of the world. These treaties contained a rio.w
principle, namely, investigation of ALL disputes
before war. This treaty plan involved three
essential propositions, namely, investigation of
ALL disputes; second, refraining from hostilities
during investigation (limited to one year), and,
third, reservation of' tho independence of tho
parties at the close of the investigation.
Tho plan has boon, to a largo oxtent, itfeor
poratod in the League of Nations Covenant1, and
embodied entire in tho Four Power Treaty.
In tho League, of Nations' Covenant provision
was made for tho investigation of all vdis-'
putes before war and for abstontion from1 hos
tilities during the investigation (tho time being
reduced from a year to nine months), but in
stead of adding the third provision, namely, in
dependence of action at tho conclusion of the in
vestigation, the Covenant sought to substitute
tho moral obligation embodied in Article Ten.
Article 10 more than any other provision, led to
the failure to ratify.
Tho reforms thus far mentioned have been' po
litical in character and it will be noticed that
they increased in importance. The income tax
amendment and the currency laws and the. trust
laws were economic and the prohibition amend
ment both economic and moral, while, the popu
lar election of senators and the suffrage
amendments affect the machinery of government
as do the initiative and referendum which (like
tho bank guarantee) have been endorsed in sev
eral states but have not yet been adopted by the
nation.
In
jh mvur ui hucii an administration of tun cnv.
ernment as will insure, as far as human wisdom
can, tnat each citizen shall draw from society a
roward commensurate with his contribution to
tho welfare of society."
For some years I have been discussing the di
vine law of rewards and laying increasing era
liasis upon the proposition that man's right to
draw from society is measured by the contribu
tion which he makes to the welfare of society.
So far as I know, my platform of 1908 was the
first political platform that ever presented a
doctrine so fundamentally important to society.
As I have discussed the subject it has ' grown
upon me and in recent years I have pointed out
that it lies at -the root of nearly all of the
world's 'difficulties. If all were as intent upon
earning all they collect as they are in collecting
all that they earn, most of the world's problems
would be solved. It is the greed that seeks to
COLLECT WITHOUT EARNING that disturbs
tho world and disorganizes society.
-The discussion of God's law of rewards natu
rally, turned attention to the importance of a
belief in God, because no one will respect or obey
God's law unless he believes in God. As belief
in God is the basis of man's sense of responsi
bility to God as well as tho basis of God's law
of rewards, I was gradually drawn into tho dis
cussion of those influences wtych, by undermin
ing belief in God, undermine not only religion
but Civilization. It was this course of reason
ing that led me to bring to the attention of the
Christians of the world the effect of Darwin's
unsupported hypothesis which links man in gen
erations with the brutes of the forest.
I had not intendeds to devote so much space
to the subject, but attacks from evolutionists
college professors and ministers compelled
me to make replies, some of which I have pub
lished in Tho Commoner. If I overestimate the
importance of belief in God, my work deserves
criticism, but I do not go farther than Christ did
when He announced as the first and great com
mandmont "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thv mimi
and with ALL thy soul, and with all thy
strength." If I am nbt overestimating the hi
portance of belief in God, then I am right In dls-uon-ting
from Darwin's doctrine if it is true a
1908 my .platform contained a declaration
vor of "such an administration of the gov-
"AND HE WAS SO SPRY TWO YEARS AGO"
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By Rollin Kirby.
I assert, first, that the doctrine is unproven and,
second, that it is harmful.- It led Darwin to de
clare himself an agnostic and to repudiate the
Bible as an inspired book and, according to Pro
fessor Leuba, it has led a majority of the promi
nent scientists of the United States to deny the
existence of a personal God and of a personal
immortality.
Whether one is Jew or Gentile, Catholic or
Protestant, he must defend belief -in God
whether the attack come3 from the materialistic
evolutionist who denies the existence of God or
from theistic evolutionists who put God so far
away as to weaken, if not destroy, his
influence upon life. If the unsupported doc
trine of evolution (applied to man) does, as I
contend, weaken faith in God, destroy confi
en.ee in the Bible and belittle Christ by denving 4
Him the glory of a virgin birth, the majesty of
His deity, and the triumph of His resurrection,
Christians must oppose it or must give up their
faith in the Christianity' taught in the Bible.
I am not attempting to argue the question
I am simply reviewing the course that I have
followed and the positions which I have felt it
necessary to take. This review is merely for
the information of the readers of The Commoner,
and I conclude it with the assurance that I shall
continue the use of The Commoner as a means
of laying before the readers of The Commoner
arguments in support of tho measures which I
deem essential to the welfare of our country and
the world. I was never more interested than
now in politics, national and international and
never more interested in religion. There is no
conflict between them. Every human -being
must be interested in religion and every Ameri
can citizen should be interested in politics
I do not ask that any reader agree with me on
all questions or even on any -question; all I ask
is that he consider the reasons which I advance
I have never asked anyone to accept my word as
authority on any subject; but I have appreciated
their willingness to read what I have to say and
to form their own conclusions.
The Commoner has relied upon its friends for
the extending of its circulation and I trust that
the readers of today will be as generous in their
words of commendation as the readers of the
past The Commoner has never dealt with great
er themes than it is dealing with today. It i
?rnn T pro?08ition-I draw no money
from it; it is merely propoganada and I prize
the paper because it is the means by which t
reach a thoughtful and Intelligent group f
American citizens. wT J. BRYAN.
RELIEVING THE DEMOCRATS
Press dispatches report that the President a
disposed to reappoint Mr. Harding Presidlf !
the Reserve Board. It will be a great relie th
the Democrats to have the Republicans awiJS
responsibilty for him. Ho has been a Saw El
lty to the Democrats for several years
On another page will be found a report of an
interesting extension of church activity Thn
Episcopal church has established an insurant
company for the insurance of preachra S
Christian workers at cost. OtLchurches mav
well follow the example, and it would Jm! J? I
to extetod it to all church members! Urt
The Republican
Record
Senator Lodge and Senator Watson the P
.ern and western leaders-of the reactionary oi
ment m the Republican partyhave preiS
their f defense of the. .administration, but tho i?
fense which they cresent is nH sufficient EvpJI"
good thing secured during the present ConweS
has been secured in "opposition to the leader S
the Republican pary, The agricultural blop u
responsible for the. three reforms secured bv til
farmers first, the anti-optjon.aw; second, reg
ulation of the packers; third, aniigrlcultura ren
reserftative on the 'Reserve ' Board. The ant
option law (partially nullified by a -Supremo
Court decision) was a western- measure mi,
through by the representatives from the acricti
tural sections. The packers bill was drawn bv
Senator Kenyon, of Iowa, a progressive Reimh.
ican, and Senator Kendrick, of Wyoming a pro
gressive Democrat. The agricultural representa
tive on the reserve board was secured dv an
amendment offered by Senator Harris of Gponr'ia
and .opposed by Secretary of the Treasury Mtl
lon. Insofar, as reductions have been made in the
appropriations, the Democrats have furnished
the balance of power which - enabled the pro
gressive Republicans to overcome the reaction
aries. Tho Revenue bill' gives us the clearest proof
of the real tendency of the Republican leaders
they have gone as far as they could in transfr r
mg the burden of taxation from the rich to the
poor. But all the legislation for which the Re
publican "party is really responsible is along the
same line. What has the administration done to
protect tho public from the -profiteer who blocl-s
the way to prosperity? What has the adminis
tration done to bring labor and capital together
and speak peace to the industrial world? What
has the administration jlone Jo. recognize the na
tion and to restore general prosperity? These
questions will have to be met in the campaign;
they cannot be met by the arguments of such
leaders as Senator Lodge' and Senator Watson.
W. J, BRYAN.
FARMER ON RESERVE BOARD
The farmers have won their fight for a mem
ber on the Federal Reserve Board and they won
in spite of Secretary Mellon and the president
of the Reserve Board. Now let us hope that
"a farmer who farms" will be selected. And
what about "a laborer who labors" and "a busi
ness man who is not a banker?' Both of these
classes need representation on the Reserve
Board. The cabinet has representatives of these
three groups why not the Reserve Board? But
it is something to get the farmer the others
Will follow. w. J. BRYAN.
A NEEDED WARNING
Prof. Gray of Carlton College (Minn.) gives
the church a needed warning when he points
out the unchristian attitude of those ministers
who take the side of capital in its effort to crush
labor. Labor organizations are not always in
the right (neither are big business organiza
tions), but wage earners would soon bo reduced
to serfdom if they had no organizations to pro
tect them.
WHY NOT HERRING?
The nomination of Brooikhart, in Iowa, calls
attention to the Democratic nominee, and the
party is fortunate in having a candidate who will
stand scrutiny. Clyde Herring is just the man
for the place. Now that the Republican voters
have declared their progressivism they ought to
elect a Democratic senator who will have his
party to work with. Mr. Brookhart would do tho
best a 'Republican co.uld do, but a progressive
Republican in the Senate is powerless except as
he works with the Democrats. Pie cannot con
trol his own party but ho may be able to help
the Democrats, just as the agricultural bloc has
helped the Democrats in the present Congress,
and just as ninety-three Republicans in the
House helped one hundred and si Democrats to
raise the tax rates on large incomes.
The Republicans in Iowa can do more for the
masses by sending a man like Herring to the
Senate then they can by electing anyone who
must preserve a formal connection with the Re
publican party oven when he revolts against Re
publican leadership. W. J. BRYAN.
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