The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-10-08
AN AUDIENCE APPALLING IN IT'S
DIMENSIONS GREETED
BRYAN AT ST. LOUIS.
He LECIURED ON GOOD GOVERNMENT
Quoted Literally From Thomas Jeffer.
son in an Attempt to Prove They
Both Stood on the Same
Brood of Principles.

at the Auditorium this evening. BE
fore the afternoon session Of the demo
cratic clubs had completed its work PEG
pie began to crowd in at the door. re
quiring the utmost efforts Of the sergeant
alarms. his assistants and a squad OF
police 70 keep the crowd within bounds.
By : o'cl,ck III Aud forum was packed
10 suffecation. 1t was SO when Sena-
tor Money. permanent chairman. called
the convention to order
When Mr.. Bryan appeared he was
greeted with a storm of cheers. lie
looked as fresh and healthful as though
his weeks for some months past had been
spent in quiet home life, instead Of in al
most Il continuous succession Of speaking
and travelling. While he was removing
his oyercOat the crowd kept up a cOntin-
nous uprOar. The ladies on the platform
became effected with the enthusiasm and
at the last stood upon their chairs seek
ing 10 Out-shout and Out-wave the others.
1t was fifteen minutes before Mr.. Bryan
began 10 speak He spoke as follows:
MIR. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle
men-For just a little while | ask your
attention.
THE democratic clubs have met here
and | am here to address a few remarks
TO the members of the clubs. 1t will
not require q great deal of time to say
all desire to say tonight, but let me i'm
press upon you that the club can be of
more service in this campaign than any
previous campaign, because in this cam
paign the work is going on by the people
themselves. These clubs have adopted
a button which presents the likeness of
Thomas jefferson. If you had searched
through all history you could not have
found man more worthy of being taken
as your ideal statesman. because in the
history of the human race there has
never been but one Thomas Jefferson.
OF all the conservative statesmen whom
the world has ever seen, Thomas JEFF
ferson stands first.
AT a time when republican govern
ment was an experiment he wrote that
immortal document. which declared
among the self-evident truths that all
men are created equal. that they are en-
dowcd with certain inalienable rights,
that governments are instituted TO pre-
serve those rights and that governments
derive heir just power only from the con-
sent of the governed. In stating this
proposition he stated the ground works
Of democracy. Men may write books.
men may fill libraries with volumes, but
they can never improve upon the simple
statement recorded in n few sentences
and compromising all there is in a gov
eminent of the people. by the people and
for the people. In my judgment no
statesman ever lived who so fully under
stood human nature as he did; no one
more fully understood the danger TO be
guarded against. He stated the prin-
ciples which underlie democracy and then
he applied those principles to every ques-
ton which arose during his time We
today can invent no new principles: we
are ecking 10 discover no new truths.
We are simply applying new conditions
to those principles which must forever
control the people if the people still cher
ish their love for free government. As
you have chosen Jefferson as your ideal,
| will read the code of principles given
by jefferson II does us good to read
those principles and renew our allegiance
10 them.
Equal and exact justice to all men,
of whatever sect or persuasion. and JUS
tice to all. This is the FIRST, this is the
fundamental principle: equal and exact
Justice TO all men. Show me the abuse
of recommendations me the law which
has been violated and will show you
violation of this principle of exact JUS
tce to all men.
"Favoritism is the greatest of all
abuses aIHong the governments, and yet
favoritSm is dangerous in our govern
ment because the government is admin
istered through human beings.
My friends. if you would have gov
eminent just, then you would have govern
men fulfill the ideal of perfect govern
ment. You must have a government
just in the respector of persons. govern
ment which deals with an equal hand.
government which recognizes no favOrit-
ism, and government. in its admlnistra-
ton of law. deals out justice to all alike
and Furnishes the great villain as it does
the poor thief. Our constitution and our
surroundings made it possible for us TO
have and enforce AT all times justice TO
al men. The support of the state gov
eminent is the most compe tent admins
traticn of our domestic concerns and as
sures and raises bulwarks against anti
republican tendencies.
My friends. our form of government
recognizes the right of state to do certain
things. and the perpetuity of this nation
depends as much upon respecting local
self-government as it does upon respect
ing national supremacy. If we neglect TO
preserve that local self-government pro-
vded by the constitution we encounter
those dangers which will threaten this
iepuhlic as they have threatened all 9th
ers. and the concentration of power in
the hands of few people will be the re-
suit and those people will suffer the con-
sequencies of usurpatiOn of their rights.
The preservation of the general gov
eminent in its old constitutional vigor is
the sheet anchor of our liberties and safe
ty abroad. jefferson believed in the pre-
servation of the rights of the states, and
yet he did not abate one iota of the power
of the federal government that extends
over all. And so today we should follow
him and earnestly endeavor to perceive
those rights which remain with the states,
and we shall as firmly enforce those rights
of the people and the nation.
Guard with jealous care the rights of
election by the people and we will save
the aggregation of abuses which are the
sources of revolution where peaceable
methods are not provided.
MY friends. election by the people is
the safety valve in n republic. Here all
discomfort can spend itself. Stop cleo
tions by the people and you dam up dis
content until il breaks its dam and floods
mankind.
jefferson did not say that we should
preserve with jealous care elections by
corporations. He did not say that we
should preserve with jealous care cleo
tons by few syndicates and few
trusts. or even by few bank corpora
tons. He said elections b ythe people,
and he meant by all the people.
Absolute acquiescence in the decision OF
the majority is a vital principle of gov
eminent from which there is no appeal