The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-25
BRYAN SAYS He IS
ISSUING WARNING
If Regulation Fails Ownership
Must Come
TALKS ON CUBAN QUESTION
Says No One Ever Maintained That
the United States Could Not Gov
ern Itself Because 1t Had
Civil War.
TALKS ON CUBAN QUESTION

New Orleans, September 24.-William j.
Bryan speaking here today defended his
right to express what opinion his con-
science dictated upon the government
ownership of railroads.
He touched upon the Cuban situation
and gave arguments used throughout his
southern trip to show that the republi-
can party has adopted democratic prin-
cip1es. feature of Mr.. Bryan's recep-
tion was a banquet in his honor where
party lines were thrown aside, and he
was introduced by a leading member of
Louisiana Republican club. Before an
audience of about 1000 persons on the
polo field at City Park Mr.. Bryan said:
No Time to Call Meeting.
II am afraid l got myself into trou-
BILE when l intimated that we would have
to go further than the regulation of rail-
roads and that the government might
have to own them. While abroad l found
the trend of opinion toward government
ownership and l saw what 1 believed to
be better solution than centralized
ownership. namely state ownership
where possible combined with government
ownership of trunk lines. When | re-
turned to New York l had to say some-
thing on this subject and | had no time
to call mass meeting to have pointed
out to me what / ought to think. | have
seen railroad Influence pack conventions
l have seen 1t corrupt legislative bodies
and courts and | for one am not willing
to see the railroads rob the people of
one million dollars or more a year and
tao Wh 7 oh I
to warn you to think about government
ownership of railroads now. If regulation
proves effective | do not believe the peo-
pie will want government ownership but
warn you that 1t will come II regula-
tion fails, and that IL II does come you
may have to try the experiment, unless
you consider now a dual plan OF federal
ownership of all railroads. l want you
to consider combined state and federal
ownership in order to avoid centralizing
power by dividing 1t among the states
If 1t is q sacrifice of my own prospects
to advocate what | consider the demo-
cratic plan of government ownership,
then no man ever walked to sacrifice
more willing than l."
On Cuban Question.
On the Cuban situation he said: Be
cause there is an insurrection in Cuba
have heard some people deny that Gu
bans can govern themselves. | might say
the same thing myself II my memory
did not run back SO far that l remember
the time when that there was civil war
in this country. I never heard any one
say that this country, while in state
of war couldn't govern itself"
Mr. Bryan had little difficulty In get
ting away from the park after his speech
on account of crowds which wished to
shake hands. Preceding this speech Mr.
Bryan had been the guest at a pon-parti-
san banquet given him by the New Or
leans Progressive union, whose guest he
was.
Introduced BY Republican.
Here he was introduced first by Albert
Godchaux. president of the union and a
republican and afterward by Governor
Blanchard. The Louisiana Republican
CONTINUED ON PAGE 81