The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-10-03
WESTMINSTER, MD, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1896.
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
Mr.. Bryan Discusses Some of the
Planks Other than the Financial.

Mr. Bryan discusses oOnS Vi ChS
Planks Other than the Financial.
Hon. Vim. Jennings Bryan, in his great
speech at Brooklyn, New York, last week,
discussed some of the planks the Democratic
platform, before taking up the paramount
question of finance. He said:
Before addressing myself TO the money
question desire to say something III regard
to the planks of our platform which have been
assaled by the enemy. only speak OF them
because persons high in the Republican party
have called attention to them, and sought to
twist them into meaning never Intended, and
TO give them an Interpretation which they
will not bear.
Federal Interference and Lincoln.
Let me read to you the plank of the Chi
cago platform against which so much abuse
has been levelled:
"We denounee arbitrary interference by
Federal authorities in local affairs as a
violation ofthe Constitution of the United
States, as a crime against free institu
tons
That is the part which they say is bad;
When did that become bad? Let me read
a plank of another platform and see how this
plank which | am about to read compares
with the one which | have read:
THAT the maintenance inviolate of the
rights of the State, and especially the
right of each State to order and control
its own domestic institutions according to
its own Judgment exclusively, is essential
to that balance of power upon which the
operation and endurance of our political
fabric depend; and we denounce the law
less invasion by organized force of the
soil of any State or Territory, no matter
under what preteXt as among the gravest
of crimes"
Do you know from what platform that
plank is taken? A voice, abraham Lin
coln's.") 1t is from Abraham Lincoln's plat
form. That is plank in the platform of the
Republican party of 1860. And when you
compare our plank with that, you will find that
ours is mild in language compared to this one.
Applause Abraham Lincoln ran for Presi-
dent on that platform. He was elected Presi-
dent on that platform. (Cries of $50 will
you be.") And in his inaugural address he
quoted that plank in full and reiterated it with
his approval.
Now, my friends, if our platform is wrong,
/ want these Republicans to repudiate Abra-
ham Lincoln. (Applause.) Because If you
take Abraham Lincoln from the Republican
party. you have taken from it its most sacred
memory. (Applause.J
The Supreme Court
Now let me call your attention to another
thing they complain of They say We crit
cize the Supreme Court. Let me read yor
what we say on that subject.
"But for this decision of the Supreme
Court (speaking of the decision on the
income taxi ''there would be no deficit
in the revenue under the law passed by
Democratic Congress in conformity with
the uniform decisions of that court for
nearly one hundred years, that court hay
ing sustained in that decision cOnstitu-
tional objections to its enactment which
had previously been overruled by the
ablest judges who ever sat on that bench.
We declare it is the duty of Congress to
use all the constitutional power which re-
mains after that decision, or which may
come from its reversal by the court as 1t
may hereafter be constituted, so that the
burdens of taxation may be equally and
impartially laid, to the end that wealth
may bear its due proportion of the eX-
penses of government.
What critisism is there? | call attention
to the fact that the court overruled the de
cisions of hundred years. 1t is fact
Haven't we a right TO mention fact? We
declare that Congress ought to use all the con
stitutioual power that remains. Let then
use what they left.
s'We demand that Congress shall use sucl
power as may come from a reversal by the
court as it may hereafter be constituted.
Has no court hereafter right to reverse
the decision of this court? If no, what righ
had this court to reverse the courts for lOC
years before it? (Applause.) This cour
changes from time to time; judges die or re
sign. and new judges take their place. Is i
not possible, my friends, that future judge:
NAV adhere to the precedents of hundred
years instead of adhering to decision rend
cred by a majority of one, and that one
changed his mind in two months? Ap
plause. When did our opponents find tina
a decision of the Supreme Court was so sacred
why the Court Reversed Itself.
WHY. this decision would not have beer
rendered but for the fact that the men wht
had to pay the income tax attacked the de
cision of the Supreme Court, and asked thi'
court to overturn former decision. Gap
plause.) Every time lawyer goes into cour
and asks for a reversal of u decision of the
court-and it is not an infrequent thing
every time a lawyer does it he attacks th'
correctness of the decision which he desires
to have reversed. Let me read to you wha
the Republican platform said about decisions
of the Supreme Court in 1860
"We condemn the recent opening OF
the African slave trade under the cover
of our national flag, aided by perversions
of judicial power.
That is what the platform said; it declared
that decision of the court was a perversiol
of judicial power. There is no language IL
our platform that is so harsh on the Supreme
Court as that Republican platform. ZAP
plause. And they call upon Congress in tina
platform to take prompt and efficient measure
for the total and final suppression of that ex
ecrabe traffic.
My friends, on these two questions we arr
assailed by the Republicans today. We have
not taken as emphatic a stand as the Repub
lican party took in the first platform upor
which it elected President of the United
States. Let me read to you now what Abra
ham Lincoln said, about the Supreme Court
This is from his inaugural address. This il
not party platform. This is not an ex
tract from public speech uttered upon th'
spur of the moment. | read to you from {
State paper, from the inaugural address o
Abraham Lincoln:
What Lincoln Said.
81 do not forget the position assumed