The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-04
Bryan Talks on 8-HOus Day
and Railroad Scheme
ROOSEVELT HAS BORROWED
Reiterates That the Presidents Popu-
larlty Is Based Entirely on His Ad-
vocacy of Doctrines Taken From
Democratic Platforms.

Detroit Mich, September S-W. j.
Bryan was greeted by large crowd here
today. Upon his arrival, Mr.. Bryan and
party were driven to the Fair Ground,
where Mr.. Bryan said he was impressed
during the last few months of his travels
abroad with an idea in connection with
labor
"As l passed through the Orient" he
said, 'I found a great gap between those
who stand at the top and those at the
bottom of the social structure. I return
TO my home more than ever believing in
the dignity of labor and the Importance
of cultivating sentiment among the peo-
pie which makes them respect more the
man who tolls, than the one who idles
in society. | trust we shall never have
in this country a leisure class, if by
that we mean we see nothing to do. 1
cannot conceive any place in well-regu-
lated society for men or women who have
nothing to do"
Regarding shorter hours of labor Mr..
Bryan said:
Il believe in the eight-hour day, and
this is why:
II believe laboring men are justly en-
titled to it, and that society at large
would be better If he had it. You can
not separate man from society-you
cannot deal with the question as one
purely of class.
Give the laboring man shorter hours
and l believe forces will be put to work
which will cause him to make the best of
his time The rich man leaves his chill
In11 m
cannot hope for justice under any other
government than that which believes In
the inaIienable rights of man, can hope
to leave his children good government,
which is better than any fortune. Recog-
nize the laboring man not as a beats OF
burden, but as human being.
crowd Greets Him Standing.
The meeting in Light Guard armory
was held tonight. Drums rolled and
most of the packed house rose to its feet
cheering as Bryan ascended the platform
tonight. When the house became calm
he said, in part:
1T has been my privilege during the
last few months to stand before SOW
ereigns, but never have | felt so proud
as when standing before the sovereigns
of my own land Possibly there never
has been a time when I could speak
of democracy with less chance of hurting
peoples feelings than now. In Wash
ington not long ago l was guest at a
dinner at which President Roosevelt was
the chief guest. Some of those present
were accusing him of borrowing from
our platform, and were cracking all sorts
of jokes along this line. Ten years ago
the republican party came into power.
and has held absolute control ever since.
What strikes me as the most astonishing
example of republican decadence Is that
while at the outset of that ten years
f,od haIi Iaat s1ftU
number of men from their ranks might
be nominated for the presidency, now
they admit that there is only one man,
who, If nominated, would stand any
chance of election, and that man is our
President
"Ask the republicans how they explain
the fact that the President alone is ell
gible | say it is because he has re-
pudated the platform on which he was
elected, and adopted a democrats plat
form I challenge you find one element
of the Presidents popularity based on
anything otherwise than a democratic
plank in a democratic platform"
Came From Democratic Platform.
AS in prior speeches Mr.. Bryan pointed
out that the President had a compromise
rate bill passed, the original idea of a
rate bill having been found not In the
republican platform where there was no
mention of one, but in the democratic;
that democratic senators came to his sup
port; that the President could not have
secured the "defo nademrdhrdlu ashr
secured the "deformed and distorted bill"
he did accept without having threatened
the railroad magnates that they would
have to deal with something more radical
government ownership of railroads-un-
less they submitted The Nebraskan whose
address was punctuated with cheers and
applause then condemned the railroads
as a corrupt influence in politics and advo-
Gated his previously offered theory of first
trying as an experiment a system of dual
government control, the state owning the
state lines and the federal government
owning the interstate lines giving a
chance for the avoidance of Capitalization
and building up the power of the state.
Mr.. Bryans treatment of the trust ques-
ton was along the lines of his New York
and New Jersey speeches. He declared
that he could outline the battle cry of
the corporations on the trust question
regulation so the people cannot suffer
by the election of president and congress
by the trusts
The problem was of having the tariff
reformed by it's friends, so now the OPP
portunity was Offered of relieving the peo-
pie by having the trusts controlled by
their friends.
Mr. Bryan left at II o'clock for Chicago
on his special train.