The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-14
TALKED DEMOCRACY
YOUNG MEN OF THE JEFFERSON
IAN FAITH MEET AND BAN
QUET.
7. D. 0'BRIEN AS THE SPEAKER
HE DISCUSSES THE OUTLOOK OF
THE PARTY FROM A NATIONAL
STANDPOINT.
NO PESSIMISM IN HIS TALK.
John p. Rea and Others View the
Situation for State and Munic-
ipality.

The supper given by the Young Mems
Democratic club last evening at the
Guaranty Loan restaurant proved q
highly sociable and pleasing event. 1t
was attended by the majority of the
members of the club, and many promi-
nent local Democrats. The supper was
in six courses, to which the party was
seated at $50 o'clock. After it had
been disposed of and cigars lighted,
William Baldwin, president of the club,
made a short address of welcome to
this initial social attempt by the club.
He announced that three addresses
would be delivered, treating with the
outlook of the Democratic party. S. r.
Childs spoke upon the subject from q
state standpoint, and was followed by
Thomas d. O'Brien, of st. Paul, mem
Der Of the national committee, who
spoke upon the topic from a national
point of view. Mr. OBrien's address
was an able effort, and met with the
approval of the entire gathering He
said:
MR.. O'BRIEN'S ADDRESS.
Minneapolis should be congratulated upon
having a Young Mems Democratic club of
the character OIL the men here 1t is graft
lying to see men in politics who have the
virtues Of youth We hear a great deal of
the foilies of youth, but as l grow older l
like TO contemplate some youth1ui virtues
The rightly constituted young man is high
minded, brave and generous-he fills our
armies in time of war because he is willing
to make sacrifice for home and country
He is actuated by other than mere selfish or
sordid motives. His dreams and ambitions
fntlrp jnpndp han off
He still loves with all his youthful enthusi-
asm the good, the true and the beautiful
In this spirit must the American of today
perform his duties of citizenship, not as a
mere spokesman, not as a member of cor
rupt political machine, but a patriotic
lover of his country, using his influence first
for his country's good
The problem of our time is how to adjust
the powers of government to the changed So
cial and industrial conditions brought about
so largely by the discovery of forces of nIr
ture hitherto unknown. Human nature has
rot changed, there is still the same small
but well organized and powerful few seek
ing their own aggrandizement against the
unorganzed, and therefore weak many. To
stand between these opposing forces, to con-
cede to the minority their full rights, but to
resistto the utmost their unwarranted en-
croachments as the barons did at Runmeyde
is the task of the enlightened citizen of to-
day.
1t would be impossible on the present oc-
casion to do more than suggest some of the
most important questions now necessary to
be considered by the people of this country
indeed, these questions are worldwide. But
here the final decision resting with the who-e
people, our situation is peculiar in this, that,
while here one would naturally suppose an
economic difficulty would be at once solved
upon the principle of the greatest good to the
greatest number, yet where reform is nee
essary there must first be overcome the in
ertia of people accustomed to think their
liberties secure, and the agitation necessary
to arouse them may produce a reaction so
violent that wrong and disaster will follow
first and reform only after one of those awful
struggles which blot the pages of history.
In an effort to arrive at the truth of dis
puted question it is always well to know
what is disputed and what is admitted to be
true. Now l think you viii hnd no one VINO
will dispute the following propositions: First
that our constitution aims to maintain, as lar
as possible, equality among men. and to pro-
tect the weak against the strong, to this ex-
tent at least, that the thrifty and industrious 5
man shall have the opportunity of supporting
himself by honest independent toll and in the
meantime be sustained and cheefeo py the
hope and fair prospect of advancement. sec
ond that the concentration OF wealth., accom-. .
panied with the creation of monopoles and
the consolidation of the great industries of
the country in the hands of few, is de-
structive of those constitutional aims.
These propositions are elementary, ana, as
saw no one will dispute them. But we DO
not always realize how nearly they ehect US
in our daily life. The concentration OF wealth
clocinp of the avenues of fair success TO tne
MANY. 1t means the breeding OF corruption
in nub.ic officials, great ard small, until pup
lie honesty becomes by-word. II means
.ba avtinction of independent American man
hood and the substitution of a mercanule anu
professional class who fear 10 express an
nninion not approved of by lord OF mohoP
oly or Napoleon of hnance ana hndly, IL
leaves a popular government nothing but lts
defects it's insufhciencies and its vices
Understand me, l do not mean to say that
Tod
this is the aim OF conce5.aateu ns cornoration
Saeking to do a legitimate business IN leell-
innate manner has been blackmalled oy co.- @
rupt legislator or other pupllc olneeI sa inoo ~
faeding his rapacious NAV, but the Iact le-
mains that from the Doodle alderman TO tne
bond syndicate secretary OF the tLeasuIS, f
nothing has, been so productive OF olsnonesty
and corruption as the iisiu,ue ;,a,etriou of the
monopolize the WealIh anu
~ viii not attempt to argue this evening at
length whether or not TINS process ,;no ~, III
soIi6ation has reached the danger loI,,raa
! fa;cations that it has would NIL Hoiulie;;
Tho unrest and discomfort OF the lluu -. Ia 10
c1oSSes the extravaganza OIL uellioSo I0 - -
fanatics, the mutual een atS un' the classes. the
,ri6ont determination of the powerful " iol ~
Sbar entrench themselves by Ilsans ao.S oA Leo
tended franchises, control OIL ne% i+ico This
sin+iTe bodies and courts OF !usllce' @ slu
d;,,ine the laboring classes INTO s'ior5 on5
T,nions so often used by unscrupuipouss ps mi nj
Sngerons demagogues to rise 10 d a 20 ti1-e
nee are all sufficient to the leaSt IeLeo' i Nc
nence' are +bis nropostion-that when we
ed &C we did during the last can ~ ~
tbo mononolies all the trusts, ali to1 ~ On
norations, combining as suen ubon no Smccessful
e-ectlol, ~ tbe government which, OF course
90 Goh'rot nOIorse Of the government contr'lihS
them. -. o,oonraeement do
In this situation what encouIagte,innS &C.. nnw IN
m III receiye from the Republican party oth,ne nI% 40
we W.o1 80 tbe federal government! Nolnilis
SUn' Snt high protective tariff NOW - seens ~ >
w me It would be foolish 10 aehy o,Ss iI,,
! W ~ nne of highly protective laws necessarily necessary
passage VI r,annfacturing, at least temporar-
a.. Neither 1t seems to me- can any 90 90
n,ii3dnd man deny that such laws tenu ~ - apd e
gravate the very evils l nave spEnen 1fs of " busi
s. +emnorary and artificial stimulus vi
- iinnnlv hills the people into 1ancled Sc
nnritv while the fatal consolidatloh goes On.
The doctrine of the Republican OF tooay
is the doctrine of despair. Tro5nct Of
nresent cond tions. They are simply the re.
suit of the survival OF the httes5-to a'ssnp' up
| TO legislate against them wou!Q De u lnteit ,t
| IN legislate against them Osu-a De 10 @ @lesui1
n1ouId he to take away the ince tive to person.
oil effort and produce poor form Oh soclaliSm
He sees nothing but legitimate enterprise,
which should not be nampereu OF ihlei1ele Gu
with. =. +,; =. +b,+
the present Is not a contest petWeen ta sa.
tural persons with equal opportunities; puS
the struggle of a people against an artlHclal
entity cTeated by law and endowed by law
witty %ith the er9as powers s. it now But even
this we're true it should be believed and re.
membered that the benefc- ent provlaenee
which stored the electricity in the atmosphere
gave it's power to steam, and produced beds
of coal in the bowels of the earth, did SO for
mans benefit and not for his destruction :.
For the man, therefore, who believes 1t
necessary to arrest the present tendency to
consolidate the wealth and power of the coun-
try in the hands of few. the Republican
party has no place. It, in effect, denies the
exisfence of any such EVIL. 1t proposes no
nan to remedy it and see how Promptly