The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-09-13
BRYAN EXPLAINS
 NEW YORK SPEECH
DECLARES IT WAS CAREFULLY PREPAREDA AND HAS NOTHING
 TO WITHDRAW OR M0DIFY.

Expresses Own Opinion and Does Not
 Attempt to Compel Acceptance of
 Others-If Democrats Think Govern
 ment Ownership Plank should Not Be
 Incorporated in 1908 Platform Then
 Ii Should Not-Reasons for Looking
 to This Method for Relief
 Louisville, Sept. 12.-Entering the south land for the first time in two years, William Jennings Bryan to-day was welcomed with spontaneous glad ness. He seized the occasion to read a statement in explanation of his New York speech on government ownership of railroads. The statement, in part, follows:
 Tn my speech at the New York re- ception I made some remarks concern ing the government ownership of rail ways, and thought that had expressed myself so clearly that my position could not be misconstrued even by those who desired to misconstrue it. The New York speech was prepared in advance. It was not only written, but it was carefully revised It stated exactly what it wanted to state, and l have nothing to withdraw or modify in the statement therein made, What l say tonight is rather in the nature of an elaboration of the ideas therein pre- sented.
 After quoting from the democratic platform of 1900 that a private monop- oly is indefensible and intolerable, and after laying it down as principle that public ownership should begin where competition ends, and that the people should have the benefit of any monop- oly that might be found necessary, stated that I had reached the conclu- sion that railroads partake so much of the nature of a monopoly that they must ultimately become public property and be managed by public officials Tn the interests of the whole community.
 T added: I do not know that the country is ready for this legislation. do not know that the majority of my own party favors 1t, but l believe that an increasing number of all parties see in public ownership a sure remedy TOT discrimination between persons and places, and for the extortionate rates for the carrying of freight and passen- gers.
 T then proceeded to outline a system of public ownership whereby the ad- vantages of public ownership might be secured to the people without the dan- gers of centralization. This system contemplates federal ownership of the trunk lines only, and the ownership of local lines by the several states. further expressed it as my opinion that the railroads themselves were respon- sible for the growth of the sentiment in favor of public ownership, and said that. while l believed that the rate bill recently enacted should be given fair tTial, we might expect to see the rail roads still more active in politics unless our experience with them differed froE, the experience we had with franchise holding corporations.
 This statement of my views has been assailed by some as an attempt to force these views upon the democratic party and by some as an announcement of an intention to insist upon the incorpora- ton of these views in the next demo- cratic national platform.
 Let me answer these two charges have tried to make it clear that l ex- pressed my own opinion, and have never sought to compel the acceptance of my opinion by any one else. Re- serving the right to do my thinking, respect the right of every one else to dc his thinking.
 If you ask me whether the question of government ownership will be an nounced in the campaign of 1908 1 an i0ht