The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-13
BRYAN AND LINCOLN.
Continued from First Page.)


tenance shou.dered his sins OH Divine
Providence. Like the heroes of all ages
and all countries, he stood on the side
of the masses of mankind. He stood on
the side of the men and the women that
were doing the worlds work. carrying
the worlds burden bearing the world
sorrows. In his day he was opposed by
AL the forces that corrupt wealth could
control
Our Three Greatest Men.
1t is worthy of notice that three of the
greatest characters that America has pro-
duced and who have since been canonized
in the temple of Immortality, were de-
nounced in their day as demagogues sim
ply because they dared to stand erect and
demand fair treatment for the tolIing
masses.
When Jefferson advocated and secured
the abolition of primogeuiture in Virginia
he was denounced as a demagogue. When
he advocated aud secured the establish
ment of religious freedom in Virginia, and
the overthrow of the power of the state
church he was denounced as an enemy of
God and an emissary of Satan. And when
he advocated and secured the establishment
of free common school system in which
the rich had to contribute for the edu-
cation of the children of the poor, he was
a socialist and a dangerous character.
y third of century later the same
interests and the same classes that had
denounced jefferson rose in their might
and hurled torrents of abuse upon Jack
son.
lincoln and Bryan.
Another third of a century later the
same interests and the same classes and
the same influences denounced Lincoln
as a cheap dema g0gue, n common, igno-
rant. vulgar fellow. And still another
third of a century later, the same in
fluences and the same classes and the
same interests rose in their might and
denounced William j. Bryan as a cheap
demagogue who would destroy the good
order of society.
jefferson. jackson and Lincoln, whose
names have been selected in christening
your club, were the exact opposites of
Grover Cleveland and William Mckinley,
Those men fought the great money pow
er and endeavored TO protect the people
While Cleveland and Mckinley were mere
conveniences for the money power and
betrayed the people
Jefferson, jackson, Lincoln.
am asked what would jackson do to-
day if he We're alive? lie would do eS-
actly what he did in his day. He would
do exactly what Jefferson did In his day.
He would do exactly what Lincoln did In
his day. He would work and fight for the
interests of the toiling mass~s of America.
He would oppose the brutal and vulgar
strut of miltarism. He would fight the
parasites and vampires of Imperialism
for imperialism never made a blade of
grass grow, 1t never planted and it never
watered. 1t is simply a highwayman. 1t
contributes not one cent to support gov
eminent. 1T simply makes burdens for
others to carry. 1t robs others of their
rights. 1t acts the role of bully. In the
last analysis the debts and expenses Of
government must be paid out of the pro-
ducts of the field and the products Of the
shop. The cost of Imperialism all falls on
the back of labor. AS a rule the men who
advocate imperialism in America contri-
butte nothing to support the government
for they do not work with their
hands. AS a rule they are para
sites. Jefferson, Jackson and Lincoln were
radicals in their day. They knew that
the world progresses; that men outliVe
institutions and that government must
from time to time adapt itself to new
economic and social conditions. They
fought to extend the rights of man-never
to curtail them. True, they were not
agitators. They were statesmen. 1t was
and to change systems. The difference
between the agitator and the statesman
is that the agitatorl lives half a century
ahead of his time. He blazes the path
through the forest. The statesman comes
on at a later period with the multitude
and sees that the harvest is garnered.
The agitator is a John-the- Baptist in the
wilderness.
Heroes and Martyrs.
He must be a hero and nearly always
is a martyr-sometimes a physical mar
tyr-always a social and political mar
tyr. The mission of the agitator Is moro
lofty than that of the statesman. The
world owes all its progress to the agta
tor. The politician lays his hand only
on those things for which the age is ripe.
He is not sower of seed not so much
a designer as a gatherer and regulator.
IL the agitators are the children of God
carrying the torch of progress, the states
men are the servants of men building
habitations for humankind. As polii-
clans we do not aspire to the high mis-
sion of the agitators. We lack the heroissn
and the spirit of the martyr for that pur-
pose. But II is proper that we should
oval ourselves of the work they have
done. We must put In concrete form those
things that exist as yet only in theory
say, be a little more specific What you
would Jackson do with the private mon
opo'ies that are being fostered by the
Mckinley administration and that are d =
vouring the substance of the American
people?
what jackson Would DO.
He would destroy them. How, I can
not tell you. He could not tell you In
advance If he were here, but we know
that wherever there is fierce determi
ma ton there Is a way to succeed, and he
would furnish that fierce determination
Understand, It is not the idea of mo-
nopoly that Is so obnoxious, but the idea
of a private monopoly that is intolerable.
There are many monopolies in this coun-
try to-day that are the natural out
growth of THE civilization and the indus
trial and economic conditions of the
times that can not be wiped out, and
which we do not want to have wiped out
But in all that class of cases the whole
people must own and get the benefit
Of the monopoly.
Right Is the Issue Always.
While Jefferson, Jackson and Lincoln
were not agitators but statesmen, they
we're always with the advance guard OF
political progress and neither of them ever
once asked the question whether a GER
tain proposition would win or lose votes
The question with them was not whether
they cou.d get offices or carry elections,
but the question always was, what Is the
Just and the right thing to do. What is
the pocaec4rV thing n do In order m cam