Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-09-22
.BRYAN'S WISE WORDS
Outline of the Great Democrats
Address at Davenport
Yesterday.
DISCUSSES THE LEADING ISSUES


Appssrs ut His Best and T.lks to an
Eager Multitude-Bimst LI,sm the Main
Theme -Gen. Weaver Also Heard
big Msstiags In Jackson County Lat
Night.
Hon. W. J. Bryan's address at
Schue,zen park yesterday afternoon
was listened to by 5000 people.
MIR. Bryan having been introduced
as "the champion of the common
people," be took that as the keynote
of me opening of his address. He
mentioned the fact il this connec-
ton that The other class needs no
champion. Referring to the tolling
masses. he quoted Lincoln's "God
must have loved the common pso-
pie, he made SO many Of them," and
then dwelt ct some length on the
conditions that exist today. The
tnrong at this point having made
move to press forward. the speaker
told them to make themselves easy,
that there were no irjunctions
against sitting On the grass. Much
applause greeted these words. and
he then went on to show the I'M JUS
tice Of our present system OF Taxa
ton. He commended that under ex-
lifting conditions there was no such
thing as equality before the law. "
lie showed how under the internal
revenue system the consumers Of to-
bacco and whisky bear the burden of
the tax, while on import duties she
heaviest burden falls on the one least
able to bear it. VIII anyone say
for a moment" said Mr.. Bryan,
that the man with an income CT
100000 consumes 100 times ss
much whisky as the man with a
thousand dollar income, or that the
man with q $40, 900 income uses 10
tunes as much tobacco as he who
gets but o thousand dollars9" This,
the speaker continued, is not equal
iity before the law. 1t is unfair, he
argued. for a man with 10 mouths to
feed to be compelled to thus pay
taxes on the necessities of life to
maintain the government. He here
made apparent the desirable features
of the income tax-showing how i,
embraced the cardinal principles o.
"equality before the law" All citi
sens we're thus put on equality and
the government expense borne by
each in proportion to his income
He held that this system had beer
Hook cd upon as just until the income
measure had been declared unconsti
tutional by the supreme court by ,
ma jOrity of one. Replying to an ed
itorial in yesterdays Davenport
Republican, aimed at him an the IL
4 caesse TAX, he held the writer up t
public scrutiny and showed wherein
its author had but q limited concep
ton Of the subject in hand. In pass
ing he good-naturedjy called atten
ton to some of the Inconsistencies o
the much praised protective tariff
showing that il that measure di,
what was claimed for it, namely
keep out foreign products 80 tina
home industry would prosper. n
foreign goods coming in would Gu
short the import duties, and as tn
income tax had been declared uncon
stitutional, there would be no sourc
from which to derive the expense
of running the governments sa
state of affairs indeed.
BImstsl,isrn.
Turning to the subject OF bimetal
lism. Mr.. BrS an pointed to the recor
of 81 years Of this country under tn
double standard. or until 1873, in Al
OF which time no party in conventio
had assai.ed that system. Almos
every other governmental policy ha
been criticised by one party or ar
other, but bimetallism never. II
declared that in the % years sine
the demonetization Of silver, the r.
publican party had not found enoug
good in the change to even commen
it in its platform He pointed OF
the Inconsistencies Of the gold den
oorats in their declarations-epok
of President McKinley's bimetalli
commission in Europe. and quote
FROM Il press dispatch the inform,
zion that the inauciers Of EnA Ian
were against an international COME
ence. From she same source he al:
read that the only argument tt
commission could bring to bear Q
the English capitalists was shat III
less something was done immed
ately toward that end that the siivs
Ip,rty would triumph in 1900. Frol
this he argued that all classes
Iowa-democrats and republican
alike-should show by electing Ere
White governor OF Iowa that tn,
Igreat agricultural state is III
Iqualifiedly for free silver az
that the fact might be use
~ith telling effect by Senate
Wolcott in his arguments for q
international conference. He the
|. INDUCED in some sa,irical illusior
to the republican party that Gillette
warm applause. and closed with
hand ome tribute to the democrat
candidate for governor. with whol
the speaker had served in congress
His address, while embracing man
strong points. was OF exceedir
good nature, his explanation Of Il