The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-23

since 1896. The letters I receive are
of a more hopeful tone and the ex-
pressions OF those whom 1 meet at
banquets like this indicate that con-
ditions are better within the Demo-
cratic party than they have been for
years.
'.In our own party there is no longer
any question what shall be the policy
of the party in the future We lost in
1886, but it was after a terrific strug-
gle in which we suffered from deser-
tlonS among a certain element, but
that campaign brought out new men
and new speakers who rose magnif-
Gently to the occasions and when the
fight was over we rose hopeful and
prepared for the next election Dur
ing the succeeding four years cOndi-
tions changed, and some of the states
which had been with us in 1896
turned back to the enemy in 1900.
We all know how discouraging 1t
seemed and how hard it was prior to
the st. Louis convention to arouse our
people into going to st. Louis and in
Sisting on what l believe to be the SEN
ttmentS of a great majority of the rank
and file of the Democratic party The
reorganizers, as they were called, got
control, but when they polled a mill
lion and Il quarter fewer votes than
paigns, Notwithstanding the great de-
sertions which we suffered among east
ern Democrats, it was settled that
there shall no longer be two Repub-
hcan parties-no longer two parties
bidding for the plutocratic support,
but that the Democratic party shall in
the future stand for the people. The
failure of the policy of the reorgan-
izers, not only in the west, but all
over the nation, made it positive that
in the future the Democratic party
will be the party of reform. We have
conquered the Republican party and
compelled it to adopt those principles
for which we have been fighting. The
ship of state is now guided from the
rear, and the Democratic party holds
the rudder.
"The subject of tombstone inscrip-
tions has been referred to here to-
night, and it recalls to my mind one
which seems to me to illustrate the
position of the Republican party On
an old tombstone a husband had had
this inscription placed for himself: I
am waiting for you-1S42,' and under
meath it years later his wife had en-
graved, Here am-1S61.'
Pendulum Swings Back.
while neither Of these parties are
dead, it seems as though the Democratic
party in 1896 took a stand on certain
principles and said to the Republican
party, i am waiting for you And now
the Republican party comes forward
and says, Here am The pendulum is
swinging back to the people.
TT is so in the nation, and it is so
here in your own state. If were to
draw a cartoon illustrating the situa-
ton in Kansas, I would make a pic
ture of two platforms, one above the
other. The lower platform would be
the Republican platform. with a mean
ingless plank on the trust question.
Above it would be the Democratic plat
form of 1896 with this plank: A private
monopoly is indefensible and fntolera-
ble.' I would make a basket filed with
Kansas Republicans, and would show
an oil derrick hosting them to our
platform Gentlemen. we had not got
through welcoming a Republican presi-
dent to our position on rate legislation
before we had to rush over to Kansas
to welcome Kansas Republicans to our
position on the trust question
Colonel Bryan then referred to the
practice of certain money interests con-
tributing largely to campaign funds in
order to control governmental policies
and called attention to the awakened
public sentiment against such practices,
including the recommendation of Presi-
dent Roosevelt that campaign contribu-
tions shall be made public. This, Mr..
Bryan asserted, is in line with Demo-
cratic principles. He continued:
''The president has asked for legiS- |
lation on the railroad rate question. |
Did his platform demand it? No, but
our platform has demanded 1t for
eight years. When these great cor
porations want anything themselves |
they exercise the right of eminent do |
main as public corporations, and now
when the people want something they |
tfons. While this bill which is now in !
congress is not as good as it ought to |
be, it has many good points and it |
passed the house almost unantm ously. |
1t is now stopped in the senate. Why ? |
Because it is a railroad-owned senate. |
The railroads have made it their busi- |
ness to see that they have representa- |
tiveS there, and every great corpora |
ton has representation in that body. |
The corporations have not been foolish |
enough to put men there who would
be so easily scared into going back on |
the interests that put them there 1t |
was not to be expected. But I want |
to say to you that the agitation that |
has been started will be an issue in /
the reelection of every senator and it /
will result in our getting a senate |
some time that will represent the in |
terests of the people instead of the |
corporations. The action of the United /
States senate simply illustrates what \
we have been contending-that it is |
not a representative popular body, re- |
sponsive to the will of the people. The
same condition exists in almost every |
state 1t is usually the state senate
that stands for the corporations. The |
lower house in our legislatures usually /
will do the will of the people, and it is |
the senate that does not do so. 1t is
the smaller body and the corporations
do not have to have so many repre-
sentatfves there to control legislation.
But this condition cannot last always.
You will find public sentiment awak-
kind of senates in the state legis-
as we'll as in congress
Democrats Moderate in 1896.
sIf you will read the revelations that
are now running in some of the naga-
zines concerning some of our big fin
anciers you will find that we were very
moderate in what we said about them
in fact. 1 am now ashamed of my mod
Grafton since those on the inside have
told us how bad things actually are.
It is less than three years since the
were publishing pictures of
Charles Schwab and holding him up as
a model of what could be accomplished
by young man in business by intelli-