Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-27

which fits him in his ideas or his business.
/ I was interested when I saw the typeset-
| ting machine, the linotype, and when I saw
| the matrices distributed. When they are
| run through with line these matrices are
| carried off and distributed by machinery;
| they run along until the matrices find their
| places and drop down: another runs along
| and finds another place, and they make no
| mistake. They drop in the grooves with
| greater accuracy than they can be put
| there. I tell you this to illustrate the man
ner in which the idea drops down to the
| person who is interested in that subject
| and passes by the rest. That is not new.
| You have q great many ideas. That is
| true of small ideas, because there are two
| kinds, but the small idea comes in to 1T
| the condition; the great idea comes in to
make the condition fit it. The small idea is
suited to the surrounding, but the great
! idea makes the surrounding TO suit itself
Now, while the grocer would be interest
| ed in those things which concern his busi-
| ness. and the lawyer in those things which
| concern his profession, the physician in
| those things concerning his profession,
| there are certain ideas which must concern
| all, because there are certain questions
where all stand upon level; certain ques-
tons which concern all alike. If an idea
| affects our religion, IL it affects US tenn
| porarily, or our future welfare, we are all
| interested in it. If it concerns society, the
| home, the family, those about US, it must
| affect us. We must be interested in it all
| alike. If it affects the government we must
be interested in it, because the government
| is us and government is a thing we can
not escape from. We may have one kind
OF government or We may have another
kind of government but we must always
have some kind of government, and in a
government like this We have that kind of
government which we want badly enough
tc secure it. The great beauty of our form
nj X
such government as We desire. 1t is not
perfect; it will not be perfect, but ii will
be just as good as we deserve to have. 1t
will be what we make it, and, therefore,
any idea which concerns government must
concern all of us. I want to talk to you
tonight about some ideas which concern
government. This, you may say, is my
hobby. l suppose everyone has hobby
At this point Mr.. Bryan paid tribute to
the fanatic" as the motor in the world of
ideas.
Il used to think the word fanatic very
harsh name, but after was able to define
1t myself it didn't seem so bad. A fanatic
is one who thinks 50 deeply upon certain
subjects as to make himself a nuisance to
everybody who doesn't think as deeply on
that subject as he does. daughter and ap-
plause) One is fanatic on one subject
and one on another. Now the subject
which has been most interesting to me
/ AOA SSNEidA years past Is the SUBJECT OF
government and the thing in government
which impresses me most, as 1 have
studied the question, is the Indifference of
citizens in a government like ours to the
great problems of government and if
can succeed in awakening in your minds
deeper interest in the problems of govern
| ment I can trust you with that awakened
thought to find some way of giving express
sion TO your ideas. But if you have never
thought, you will not take time to give ex-
| preston.
''I have taken as my subject the Ancient
Landmarks. And my reason for so doing
is this, that in my judgment all we need to
do to make the government fulfill our ideas
is to carry 1t back and place it upon the
foundations already laid and establish it
On principles already established. (Ap-.
plause.) There is nothing new in govern
rnent principles. The principles underlying
our form of government are understood.
They are written in books. They have been
taught in the schools. The only trouble is
we fail to apply those principles. We fail
to measure legislation by those principles
and desire to suggest in your presence
some of the ancient landmarks, and TO
bring your attention to some of those prin-
ciples, the truth of which you must admit.
and having admitted the truth of the prin-
cipies, you must admit that they must be
applied. The fundamental principle, the
one that lies under all others, the one out
Of which all others grow, is that all men
are created equal. Now you say it is COM
monplace to talk that way. Yes,m my friends,
1t is. That is commonplace prin-
ciple, but show me single
bad law upon the statute books and 1 will
show you law that violates that principle
which you call commonplace. But out of
that principle of equality come all princi-
pies which must be used in determining
what kinds of legislation are bad. Out of
that principle of equality comes this prin-
ciple which I desire to impress upon the
minds of every listener and that is that If
all men are created equal, then no citizen
has a natural right to injure another cit
izen, then a good government will neither
enable nor permit one citizen to injure an
other citizen. (Applause.)
Now. from the study of that principle,
and from its application 10 legislation pro-
posed. you are able to determine whether
that legislation IS good bad. Andrew
Jackson gave utterance to one sentence
which was sufficient to stamp him as a
statesman of the highest order. had he
never said another word. He said: There
are no necessary evils in government. Those
evils exist only in its abuse Ny friends
there is sentiment worthy of considera-
tion. 1t is true that there are no necessary
evils in government. The evils of govern
ment exist in the abuse of government.
More than that; I challenge you TO find a
| time when an abuse of government was
ever attacked but what the people who de-
| rived a benefit from the abuse identified
1 themselves with the government and ac-
| cused the man who tried to remedy the
abuse of raising his hands against the gov
| ernment itself. (Applause) Remember
| that there is ali the difference In the world
| between government itself and the abuse
! Of government. In that same conclusion
| Jackson said that If the government would
| treat all alike, and heaven rains show
ers of blessings upon the rich and poor
| alike then government would be an un-
/ qualified blessing. And then. to draw that
| distinction, so necessary, my friends, if
YOU are going to make government what it
| ought to be. draw the distinction between
| protecting citizens in the enjoyment of the
| fruits of their own labors and in confer
! ring upon some citizens the fruits of other
| peoples labors. Applause)
Now, you would be astonished. If you
| have not given the subject thought, TO
| find out in how many ways government
| can violate that idea of equality. If you
! ask me what is the cause of discomfort, 1
will tell you that the cause of more dis
! content than any other thing is favoritism
/ in government, less under our form of
| government than under other forms. but
faVoritism is the chief cause of discon-
| tent under our form of government; and
! discomfort ends in despair when persons
! who complain believe that remedy is an
impossibility. When we talk about equal
/ ity before the law there are some who at
! tempt to make it appear that this means
transferring TO the indolent the rewards
/ earned by those who toll. But that is not
/ the meaning of it. Jackson will explain
Sr,.9