The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-14

there is a standard gauge to measure
merchandise.
Raising his voice, Mr.. Bryan said, L
believe there is a rule for government
good or bad" That rule is the Declara-
ton of Independence. 1t reads, "all men
are created equal" You may say, why
that is old" SO are the Ten Command
ments. Still we find it necessary to i'm
press them on the minds of the people
The constitution is the fundamental prln-
cinle Of the government. 1t enables us
70 iudce what is right and what is wrong
A person who disputes the equality OF
man. lis not in harmony with the institute
ton under which he lives.
"This equality is not to be confused
with the equality Of possessions. 1t has
often been misunderstood, but jackson
clearly draws the distinction. Equality
in wealth and merits cannot be expected
under a just form of government. 1t IS
the duty of the government to protect
the citizen, whether he be great or small.
After deciding that such equality cannot
exist, the people have right to complain
when the government goes beyond this,
and makes a poor man poorer and rlch
man richer.
IF all men are equal, no one has the
right to injure another. If that be true.
no government will allow one to injure
another. 1t is one Of the duties Of the
government to act for all citizens alike.
The government is cooperative In GER
tain sense"
In illustrating this last statement, Mr..
Bryan said the people Joined together 10
appoint Judge and all officers trusted
with the enforcement of justice down to
policemen. If the people made the laws,
none should be made, taking from one
man and giving to another. Mr.. Bryan
said the subject of taxation was ever
present one. In his opinion, each citizen
should contribute to State or government
support in proportion to the benefit and
protection he received from them. 1t
was a well recognized principle.
A departure from this principle was il
Illustrated. One man paid $40 on So worth
of property. Another paid So on $40
worth. The effect was simply taking So
| from one man and giving it to another.
That was the real effect of unjust laws.
If they were made by mistake, they were
| to be regretted If they were made by the
man who paid So on SO worth of prop
erty, that man was guilty of taking from
w
ence in taking money from a man on the
highway and taking it under the more
polite form of legislation.
LOCALIZED LARCENY.
Larceny by law may be as dangerous
as larceny on the highway. | speak of
this so that you may apply the principle
when occasion may arise" Mr.. Bryan
submitted several propositions to illus
trate this point. Wherever inequality ex-
| lists, there was injustice. 1t was the duty
of a good citizen to see justice done man
| to man. There was a general feeling that
a man ought to escape taxation If pos
sible 1t should not be so. Public inter
est should be SO aroused that man who
shirked his duty to the government in
time of peace should be held in as bad re-
pute as one who shrked it in time of
war.
| Patriotism was needed on both times,
and there was no patriotism more needed
than that which made a man willing to
bear his own expense in the support OF
the government. The government should
iavoid affirmative acts of injustice. Every
question should be measured by that
| law. A measure that violated it was a
bad ONE, no matter by whom started or
for what purpose.
| 1t was not only the duty of the govern
ment to avoid injustice, but to prevent it.
If the government is Indifferent, what
Involvement had one to contribute to it's
support? Mr.. Bryan said laws had been
enacted prohibiting a man from injuring
his fellow in physical way. Laws
should be made to protect them in other
( ways as well.
| The age had been reached when the &C.
formulation of wealth made one man more
powerful than another. The people had
/ created a corporation. 1t was not a nat
ural person, but was the creation of leg
/ islation. Against these the weak should
be protected. 1t was the duty of the gov
eminent to protect all alike, and gov
eminent that did not protect the rights
of the people was incomplete; one which
was strong enough to do so and would
not was worse.
| Corporations should not be permitted
| to become greater than their creators.
The individual had double restraint on
| his tendency to do wrong. If he escaped
the law of the land he must consider the
| future. A corporation had only to es-
cape the law, it had no future to provide
! for.
| A strong Illustration of the operations
of trusts in freezing out small dealers
was given. "a government" said MIR.
Bryan, (which is not great enough to
protect it's citizens against trust is not
worthy to be called a government" What
were the remedies? There were State
laws and national laws. If State law
was passed there came the objection that
| Interstate Commerce was involved and
| the law was not operative.
| If national law was passed the OBJ
lection was that it interfered with State
legislation.
| The Constitution was sometimes raised
in the way of reforms. 1t was made by
the people and they had a right to change
lit. When that became necessary, every
man who was robbing the people would
object. Patriotism could better be shown
by remedying the defects of government
than by seeking to preserve them.
| Every man was selfish. The students
were giving their time and money to be
enabled to rean rewards later. Welfare