Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-07
bryan ON JACKSON
Steadfastness of Purpose Of the
Hero OF New Orleans Dwelt
Upon.
Lessons For Democratic Party
Drawn From His Life and
Character.
Parties Whose Principles Are
Wavering Sure to Meet
With Defeat.

Wavering Sure to Meet
With Defeat.
lam j. Bryan spoke here last night at
the Jackson day banquet, which was
held last evening, at his suggestion. in
order that he might keep engagements
at New Haven and Boston later in the
week. His subject was "Steadfastness,
and he said in part:
Among the traits of character which
! distinguished Andrew Jackson, no trait
was more prominent or more helpful to
his country than his steadfastness.
When he believed thing, he believed
! it. Where duty led, he followed without
questioning. When he decided that any
thing ought to be done, he did it, and no
power could overawe him. He did not
have in his veins a single drop of any
thing to win" blood. When Nicholas
Biddle declared that thru the national
I
crosses, Jackson replied that that was
| more power than any one man ought TO
/ nave in this country, and he then began
his war against Biddle and his bank,
which resulted in the overthrow or that
| great financier and the institution wh1ch
| he 30 automatically controlled. Otners
| were afraid that Biddle's influence, II
antagonized would defeat the demo-
cratic party, but Jackson saw In II
menace to his country and he dld not
| stop to consider what effect an attack
| on the bank would have on himself or
| on his party. He won, and we revere
his name and celebrate his day.
Benton, in reviewing Jackson's work,
said that, as Cicero overthrow the con-
spiracy of Cataline and saved Rome, SO
| jackson overthrow the bank and saved
America We shall observe this day IN
vain If we do not gather from the HE OF
jackson inspiration and encouragement
for the work which lies before us. To-
| day, the democratic party needs to learn
from the hero of New Orleans the lesson
OF steadfastness; 1t needs to learn from
him not only that to be right Is more
important than to be successful, but
| that to be right is the best way to In
| sure success.
"a party must have principles or 1t
| can have no claim upon public confi-
dence; and how can 1t commend its
principles better than by standing by
them? Who will have faith in the creed
of party if the party stands ready to
barter away its creed in exchange for
the promise OF patronage? A hating,
4 Facilitating course, not only fails to in
vite recruits, but 1t alienates and drives
away veterans. - ~
Another reason for steadfastness is
/ found in the fact that no one can tell
until the attempt is made what obsta
cles courage can overcome. The bold
and fearless triumph where the timid
fail. The victories which live and light
us on to noble deeds are the victories
snatched from the Jaws Of defeat by in
trepid spirits who preferred death to
/ retreat.
There is r 7found philosophy, as
we'll as a religious truth in the words.
He that saveth his life shall lose it,
The party that has no higher purpose
than to save Its own life will die be-
cause 1T deserves to die, while a party
which is willing to die. If need be, for
the sake of a great cause, will live be-
l Sdust IL observes 10 i've.
Who says that the money power is
omnipotent and that the democratic
party must compromise with it or sur
render to 1t? Not until human nature is
entirely changed can the financiers be
intrusted with the guardianship of the
producers of wealth; not until greed be-
comes just can the money changers con-
struct system for themselves which
Will be fair to any one else. A top can
be balanced upon the point only when it
is in rapid motion, and so the great
financial structure designed by Wall
street for the benefit Of Wall street Will
stand upright only so long as it can be
kept whirling; the collapse will come
when the speed is slackened.
I Who says that we can not afford to
measure strength with the great monop-
olies which now arrogantly assume to
control the domain of politics as we'll as
the field of industry: Not until we can
gather good fruit from an evil tree and
figs from thistles, can we expect pri-
vate monopoly to bring forth public
: blessings. The water that has been
poured into the stocks of cur great cor
porations has for the most part been
drawn from the agricultural regions,
will teach the farmer the meaning of the
: trust system.
Must we abandon the self-evident
truth that governments derive their just
powers from the consent Of the gov
erned? Must we accept imperialism as
an accomplished fact and join in the
; shout for blood and conquest? Our re-
: public rests upon solid rock and while
. its principles are revered 1t can not be
overthrown from within or from with
cut, but if all parties joined together to
erect an empire upon American soil they
would build upon the sand and the edi-
flee could not endure. 1t is a law divine
in it's origin, irresistible in it's force and
eternal in it's duration that wrong-donG
ultimately destroys the wrong-doer and
TO nation or combination OF nations is
strong enough to evade or resist retribu-
tive justice.
But suppose-what no one should as
sumo and what no one can prove-that
steadfast adherence to democratic prin-
ciples would result in repeated defeat, is
there any reason why we should aban-
don those principles and adopt others, or
have none at all? Those who prefer
prison fare, or a servile subjects lot, to