The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-08

WAS riBnC, therefore, Wnen ne prayS Tor thlS
intermediate condition. The great middle
classes are the bulwark of society, and
from the middle classes has come almost
all of the good that has come to bless the
human race. (Arplause.) Let me recall
| another compliment paid to the common
people. You know where we use that
term, there are some who say that we are
appealing to the passions of the masses;
there are some who apply the name of
| demagogue to anybody who speaks OF the
| common people. My friends, let me call
to your attention the fact that when the
| meek and lowly Nazarene came among
men preaching peace on earth, good will
towards men, he was not welcomed by
those who were described as the people
who devoured widows houses and for
pretense made long prayers. (Applause)
But when he gave that commandment
that Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy
SELF who listened to him? The Scripture
tells us and in so doing pays the highest
compliment ever paid to the masses. The
Scripture tells us that the common people
| heard Him gladly. (Applause.) And the
common people are the only people who
have heard gladly any person who
preached humanity and equal rights.
applause
"There are three forms of Government
best known among men. There is the
Ii
divine; there is the aristocracy, where
few control and there is the democracy,
which means the real people themselves.
Why is it that the strength of democracy
u do not use it in party sense-why is
! it that the strength of democracy has al
ways been found among the common peo-
pie? Why? Why it is simple enough. If
a man has high position or great wealth
he may be able to stand and keep on tho
n Ii l,n 1,o,
influence he may be one of the ruling
classes in an aristocracy. But you are
not willing to leave any form of govern
ment to your children except democracy
i'll which each citizen is protected in the
enjoyment Of life and liberty and the pur-
sui of happiness. (Applause.)
THE great common people believe in
democratic form. of government because it
is only in democratic form of government
that they are able to protect their rights
and advance their interests so far as gov
eminent can advance human interests
Let me dwell for moment upon the
object OF government. In this land it is Il
boast that our government derives it's Just
powers from the consent of the governed
What kind Of government will people con-
sent to when they are free to consent?
There is one kind of government above all
other kinds that they love. ca voice:
"Bryan's government-spplaus ann
government which knows no favortism
A government in which every citizen
stands on the same plane and where the
government treats. them all alike without
regard TO wealth; government which
gives equal rights to all nut corfers special
privileges upon none. ca voice: "Good
boy'O that is the kind that appeals to the
affections of the common people
"There are two things to be considered
III government The first is that in the
enactment of Legislation you shall be care
1ul TO give no advantage to one person
over another, if that advantage can be
prevented. In other words it is the duty
of government TO avoid acts of affirmative
injustice; but that is only part of the bus
mess of government. Jefferson has stated
the other half of it, He says that govern
ment must restrain men from iniuring
one another. That is one of the impor-
tant duties of government, to restrain
men from injuring one another, and the
government that fails to restrain the
strongest arm that can be lifted from in
juring the weakest citizen in all the land
is government which fails to do its
whole duty. (Applause.) / was passing
through Iowa some months ago and got
an idea from some hogs. Haughter.) An
idea is the most important thing that
person can get into his head and we
gather our ideas from every source AS
L was riding along l noticed these hogs
roofing in field and they were tearing up
the ground and the first thought that |
came to me was that they were destroy
ing good deal of property, and that car.
ried me back to the time when 1 was n !
boy. lived upon farm and remembered !
that when we had hogs we used to put !
rings in the noses of the hogs and then !
the thought came to me: why did we
have to do it:' Not to keep the hogs from !
getting fat We were more interested in !
their getting fat than they were. Naugh- |
ter.) The sooner they got fat the sooner !
we killed them The longer they We're in !
getting fat, the longer they lived But !!
why were the rings put in the noses of !
those hogs? So that while they were get I
ting fat they would not destroy more
property than they were worth daughter
and applause.) And as thought of that /
this thought came to me that one of the !
duties of government, one of the impor-
tant duties of government, is the putting |
of rings in the noses of hogs. (Applause.) |
Now, my friends, do not consider this a |
reflection on your neighbor We are all !
hoggish. We are all selfish, my friends, /
and must not apply this lesson simply to !
somebody else. If you tell me that you |
are not selfish I can prove by your neigh !
Dor that you are. (Applause) And if
your neighbor denies that he is selfish / |
can prove by you that he is. (Applause.) |
We are all selfish. The Creator did not |
make any class of people who were en-.
tirely unselfish.
''But have faith in our form of gcv-
ernment because believe that the people |
Ill their better moments will adopt laws