The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-13
HIS FRIENDS
 HONOR BRYAN
tceatlnued from Page One,

tContinued from Page One, Il now known entirely exemplify either theory: nearly all, If not all of them
 representing compromise between inc
 two theories. but in every government 1there is a tendency either in one direc-
 Ition or the other.
 'Tf we may represent self-govern-
 ment as the day and arbitrary and
 irresponsible government as the night.
 lthen most governments would represent the twilight. The twilight that pre- cedes the dawn gradually brightens into day. The twilight that precedes the night ends fin darkness. It Is very important therefore that the tendency of a government shall be towards the light. In using the twilight recog- nize that 1t Is not q perfect illustra- tion, because the dawn always grows brighter, while the shades of night l always grow darker. Possibly 1t would be more accurate to describe the contest between Democracy and cen- traiization as like game of football, in which the government may be car- ried this way or that way according as it is in the hands of one side or the other, the ultimate goals being at opposite ends of the field. In monarchies I the fight for seif-government is often
 made for some particular reform. with
 without discussing fundamental prin- ciples. and so in republics those who
 attempt to restrict the power of the people often If not always make their | light under some mask.
 l Centralized Authority.
 | 'Tn this country opposition to the rule of the people usually takes ! form of the advocacy of legislation
 which removes authority from point
 near to the people to some point more | remote from them. This tendency to remove authority from the locality to a centre farther away may be described as standardization. If the principles upon which self-government rests are sound, then the people can best govern where they are best acquainted with the machinery of the government and with the proposition upon which they are to act Every attempt to take authority away from community and vest 1t in some power outside of the of infidelity to the democratic theory of government. Usually there Is some partisan reason which furnishes the Justification, but no partisanship can remove a fundamental objection. In some States the police control of the larger cities is taken out of the hands of the people living in those cities and uGpOS1NeO WIIn IHb IoFcTnOT OI tHt State. No matter on what theory this is done. it is not consistent with com fidence fin the capacity of the people
 for self government and is certain to
 be used as a precedent for further weakening of the power of the people to control their own affairs.
 Just now public attention is being directed to the encroachment of great corporations upon the rights of the nannla and the HtannoQt0S nf TApnQdipS
 reveals the "@ct that among those who really desire to effectively restrain corporations there are two distant ele-
 ments-those who desire to enlarge
 the scope of the federal government and those who desire to preserve the
 states. I invite your attention to this subject because 1t is likely to be the
 rock upon which honest reforms will split unless there is a clear under
 standing of the situation. The Jeffer- sonian democrat would not take from
 the federal government any power necessary to the performance of it's legitimate duties, but he recognizes that the consolidation of all the gov ernment at Washington would be menance to the safety of the nation and would endanger the perpetuity of the republic. He believes in the pre-
 servation of the power of both state
 and federal governments. recognizing
 in the constitutional division of those
 powers the strength or free govern
 ment
 Would Erect Barriers.
 "The advocate of centralization are
 always optimistic when the dangers
 of standardization are pointed out. He Is not afraid that any harm can come
 to the American people, and yet no enthusiastic advocate of centraliza-
 ton can talk long without betraying
 his distrust of the people. Instead of
 accepting the theory that the people
 should think for themselves and their
 direct representatives carry out these
 thoughts, they believe that representa-
 tives are selected to think for the peo-
 pie and they do not hesitate to build
 barriers between the government
 and the voters. while the advocate of
 centralfZation is urging legislation
 which obiiterates state lines and re-
 moves the government from the con
 trol of the voters. the monopolist may.
 on the other hand, hide behind the
 democratic theory of self-government
 and use this theory to prevent national
 legislation which may be necessary.
 The democrat who believes in demo-