The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-09
Is address as follows:
MIR. BRYAN,s REPLY.
Touches on Many of the Issues of
the Campaign.
Mr.. Bryan said:

the Campaign.
Mr.. Bryan said:
MI Chairman and Members of the
Notification Committee. / shall at an
ey eafly Gay and IN a more formal manner,
accept the nomination which you tender
and shall at that time, discuss the yari-
Gus questions covered by the Democratic
platform. 1t may not sbe out of place.
nc however. TO submit a few observations
at this time upon the general Character
or the contest before us, and upon tho
question which is declared to be of par
amount Importance In this campaign.
Wnen @ l say that the contest of 1906 is
contest between democracy on the one
hand and plutocracy On the other. / do
not mean to say that all our opponents
nave deliberately chosen to give to or
canned wealth predominating Influence
In the affairs Of the government, but |
do assert that on the important issues
or the day the Republican party is domi-
mated by those influences which con-
stantly tend to elevate pecuniary consid-
erattons and ignore human rights
In 1853 Lincoln said that the Republi-
can party believed In the man and the
dollar, but that in case Of conflict it be-
lieved In the man before the dollar. This
is the proper relation which should eAist
between the two. Man, the handiwork
OF God, comes first; money, the hand
work of man. is Of inferior Importance
Man is the master; money is the servant,
Dut upon all important questions today,
Republican legislation tends to make
money the master and man the servant.
The maxim of jefferson .'euual rights
to all and special privileges to rome, >
and the doctrine of Lincoln that this
should be a government f'sof the people,
by the people, and for the people," are
being dtSregar6ed and the instrumental
ties of government are being used to ad-
vance the interests of those who are in
position to secure favors from the gov
ernment.
The Democratic party Is not making
war upon the honest acquisition Of
wealth; 1t has no desire to discourage
industry, economy and thrift. On the
contrary, 1T gives to every citizen the
greatest possible stimulus to honest toll
when 1t promises him protection in the
enjoyment of the proceeds of his labor
Property rights are most secure when
human rights are respected. Democracy
strives for a civilization in which every
member of society win share according
to his merits.
No one has a right to expect from so
ciety more than a fair compensation for
the services which he renders to society
II he secures more, it is ut the expense
of some one else. 1t IS no Injustice to
him to prevent his doing injustice to
through class legislation or in the alb
sence of necessary legislation, trespass
upon the rights Of another, the Demo-
cratic party says Thou shalt not"
REPUBLICANS CHANGE FRONT.
Against US are arrayed comparatively
powerful, number who really profit by
Republican policies; but with them are
associated large number who, because
OF their attachment to the party name,
are giving their support to doctrines an
tagonistic to the former teachings of
their own party Republicans who used
to advocate bimetallism, now try to cen
vince themselves that the gold standard
Is good; Republicans who were formerly
attached to the greenbaek are now seek
ing an excuse for giving national banks
control of the nations paper money: Re
publicanS who used to boast that the
Republican party was paying off the ma
tional debt are now looking for reasons
to support a. perpetual and increasing
debt; Republicans who formerly abhorred
a trust, now heguile themselves with the
delusion that there are good trusts and
bad trusts, in their minds, the line be-
tween the two is becoming more and
more obscure; Republicans " no III times
past congratulated the country upon the
small expense of our standing army. are
now making light of th.s objections which
are urged against q large increase IN
the permanent military establishment;
Republicans who gloated over our inde-
pendence when the nation was less pow
erful, now look with favor upon a for
eign alliance. Republicans who three
years ago. condemned ''forcible annexa-
ton as immoral and even criminal are
now sure that it is both. immoral and
criminal to oppose forcible annexation.
That partisanship has, already blinded
mandy to present dangers is certain; how
large a proportion of the Republican par
ty can be drawn over to the new politics
remained to be seen.
For time Republican leaders were in
clined to deny to opponents. the right to
criticise the Philippine policy of the ad-
ministration, but upon investigation they
found that both Lincoln ana Clay assert
ed and exercised the right to eriticise a
president during the progres of the Mex
ican war.
Instead of meeting the issue boldly and
submitting. clear and positive plan for
dealing with the Philippine question the
Republican convention adopted plat
FORM, the larger part of. which was de-
voted to boasting and sef-copgratula-
ton.
In attempting to press economic aues-
tions upon the country to the exclusion
of those which involved the very struc-
leaders gave new evidence of their aban-
donment of the earlier idols of the party,
and of their complete subserviency to
pecuuiary considerations.
MUST FACE THE ISSUE.
But they shall not be permitted to evade
the stupendous and far-reaching Issue
which they have deliberately brought
into the arena of politics. When the
president, supported by a practically
unanimous vote of the house and senate,
entered upon war with Spain for the
purpose of aicing the struggling patriots
of Cuba, the country without regard to
party, applauded. Although the Demo-
Gratis recognized that the administration
would necessarily gain political adj
vantage from the conduct of the war,
which, in the very nature of the case,
must soon end in complete victory, they
We'd with the Republicans in the support
which they gave to the president. When
the war was over and the Republican
leaders began to suggest the propriety of
q colonial policy, opposition at once man
ifested itself. When the president finally
laid before the senate a treaty which
recognized the independence CT Cuba,
but provided for the cesSi6n Of the Phil
ippine islands to the United Stotes, the
menace of imperialism became SO appar-
ent that many preferred to reject the
treaty and risk the Ills that might follow
rather than take the chance of correcting
the errors of the treaty by the independ-
ent action of this country. ] was among
the number of those who believed it bet
ter to ratify the treaty and end the war.
release the volunteers, remove The ex-
cuse for war expenditures, and then give
the Filipipos the independence wliich
might be forced from Spain by a new
treaty.
REsTATEs HIS POSITION.
In view of the criticism which my ac-
ton aroused in some quarters, l take
this occasion to restate the reasons given
at that time thought 1T safer to trust
the American people to give independence
to the Filipinos than to trust the ac-
complishment of that purpose to diplom-
acy with an unfriendlys nation. Lincoln
embodied an argument in the question
when he asked, Can aliens make treat
les easier than friends can make laWS?"
I believe that we are now in better
position to wage a successful contest
against imperialism than we would have
been had the treaty been rejected. With
the treaty ratified, q clean-cut issue is
presented between a government by con-
sent and g government by force. and Inn
perialists must bear the responsibility for
tied. If the treaty had been rejected, the
opponents of imperialism would have
been held responsible for any interna-
uonal complications which might have
arisen before the ratification of another