The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-23

London, Montreal. 1902 PIP. 4ss.
Among us Americans is an idea which
Is reactionary from a present condition
of things, and Mr.. Bryan is an untiring
fighter for that idea There are other
fighters-there should be numberless
A first and foremost of the van is The
odore Roosevelt
Our president and William Bryan are
men of different temperaments, differ
ent outlooks- They have been bred
differently. the one in an atmosphere OF
yesterday as well as today, the other
in tomorrow with no great heed for to-
day They see things differently. and
have different methods of taking hold
of things. But the end both seek Is the
same
What is this they are fighting for?
should call it hearty democracy
democracy of the heart: a genuine con-
viction that the good of the people is
the best rule, and the rule of the people
Is good, is best; the faith in theory and
practice of the absolute equality of the
individual in all the peoples affairs
Like the two N en- named above, many
another here in our United States is
battling in the way he sees is right
against the selfshness, the exploiting of
human life by greedy sellers Cor
Caesars) of power, the injustice of ex-
cessive wealth and its selfish unfeeling
ness that make against a hearty DEM
ocracv.
The need of the fight is because
strong trend away from the earlier
sterner and simpler ideas OF our dem
ocracy has come about within the last
quarter Of century. This trend Is not
only due to the prosperity that for many
years. almost without break. followed
the civil war. 1t is not only due to the
vast immigration that swarned to this
country allured by that prosperity, but
bringing ideas and habits not yet set
aside for our American habits and mind
1t is not only due to the facile accep-
lance by many of our more highly edu-
Gated of the estimate English and
French men of letters have put upon
our institutions. 1t is not only due to
teaching our college and university stu
dents the Interpretation of our consti-
tuition by an exponent of German i'm
pertalism. It is due to all these ana
more, and 1t is due also to a zeit geist
that is working all round the world;
even IN Russia, where TOlstOis great
cry for humanity everywhere and at all
times has risen in rebuke.
But in our own country, whatever the
cause, these late years have found US
with very different ideas and ideals
from those of preceding generatfons-I
speak of our whole country, not any
particular part of it Individualisn
upon which our institutions are founded
the tndividualisn of the Declaration
OF Independence and the Constitution
mas been constantly attacked, upon one
SIDE by socialism. especially arid
Comtisrn. upon another by corporate
unconscious germ of socialism The
unity of individuals into the people has
been broken by the accretion of enor-
nous wealth and power in the hands of
few who live in idleness, and whose
luxury equals the excess of old Rome
and of France in the time of Louis XIV
wealth SO great that 1t is neither
bic, plastic, disable nor enjoyable
py those in whose name it stands
Such conditions have been. and still
are among US, and they have been up
held as the greatest good for human
beings by institutions and teachers who
ought to stand for things of the spirit
by universities, schools. churches More
over of the vulgar life and daily dis
play or the owners of the excess the
iInpudence and humor seem to be lost
smaller sympathies. Rather, on the
contrary. they have touched a popular
fancy, and possibly with an eve to their
own private furtherance, some news
papers have exploited the brainless at
tempts of such folk to become import
ant, and have dubbed them "aristo-
Gratis" which means best rulers"
This latter point may seem worthy of
profound contempt But the matter as
whole Is grave. 1t goes deeper than
the very fiippant crudity that calls
itself society" 1t famflfar.zes the peo-
pie with false ideals-as happened in
Rome In the beginning Of its decadence
1t is only a surface sore, but 1t signi-
hes fever for money. and false esti-
mate of power and values in our de-
mocracy.
The whole condition sketched above
anects the economic and political con-
d1t1on OF our country. 1t inculcates false
ideals 1t develops class, "aristocrats''
falsely so called Next after class is
class privilege With class privilege
goes corruption. With corruption ends
the rule of the people, the democracy
OF the heart. and the oppression of the
people begins. There has been, and
stiH IS, oppression of the people in this
country. Look. for instance, at the hor-
rible child-labor in the cotton mills of
our south. where children of SIX seven
and eight years. begin their standing
at machines at half-past five in the
morning and work till half-past six a,
night. and longer if their boss demands
Such settings aside of the value of the
Individual and the sovereignty of the
people are bound to produce valiant
fighters for purity, simplicity, unity.
humanity. men of the democracy OF
which Theodore Roosevelt is a good ex-
ample-a democracy built upon so
strong a manliness and so thorough and
selr-respecting gentlemanliness that It
looks to each man for what he is, not
to meretricfeus dress, his bonds in q
safe deposit vault, or to his control OF
steel, steamers. or constituents.
The man Of Independent mind,
He looks and laughs at a. that"
The rank Is but the guinea stamp,
The mans the gowd for a. that"
In the first line Of the fighters for
purity, simplicity. unity and humanity
among the able warriors which false
values and diseased spots in our democ-
racy have produced Is William Jennings
Bryan.
Just the meaning and the teaching of
the political channels in which Mr..
Bryan's sympathies express themselves
IS of no question here. His remedy for
present Ills may or may not be ours
II is OF the originality and force of his
ideas as a science or literature that we
Judge To make his utterance more
complete Mr.. Bryan has been editing a
weekly paper in Lincoln. Nebraska
editorials in this weekly would natural
" nave the irnpermanencs Of all news