The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-22
Tells of the Days When He
MIXED Cows
BELIEVES IN ARBITRATION
Mr.. Bryan Talks While Seated In a
Chair In Heart-to-Heart Fashion.
He Advocates the Eight
Hour Law.

panied by Colonel Tomlinson, John Kaiser
and Jack Curran, drove Directly to Gel
ders hall, where Mr.. Bryan was invited to
speak by the Bryan Wage Farmers
clSb"
The hall was well filled, about 800 being
present Most of the audience, who were
standing moved toward the stage to be
within ear shot of the speaker.
Some of those on the stage were John
Harrington, Jack Curran, P. ]. Mulvey,
Ed Flynn, James Il. Leath, ]. Fl. f. Mos
| ley, Charles Sumner and John Kaiser.
Mr. Kaiser, chairman of the arrange
ment committee, arose and introduced
Mr.. Curran, who in a short and appro-
! pirate speech presented Mr.. Bryan.
Mr.. Bryan's speech there was uniquei
1t was more in the nature of an intimate,
heart-to-heart talk.
Mr.. Bryan moved his chair to the edge
of the stage and sat down during all of
his discourse. Rather than detracting any
from the dignity and interest of the oc-
easion, his hearers seemed drawn close
to the speaker as at a family freside. He
said
Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen-I am
little tired, and l have not had time to-
rest before talking to you, and as 1 can
make myself heard as well sitting down
as 1 could standing up, I am going to beg
your pardon while I sit and talk to you
can only talk for little while. be-
cause we have to leave this evening for
Mississippi, and l am now wet with pers-
piraton and l win have to have time to
change my clothes and get something to
eat and go to the train.
don't know how many of you are
here that may have been over at the
other meeting. | avoided certain ques-
tions that l thought l might want to touch
upon here, and l am going to try to crowd
into very short space of time a number
of suggestions.
Labor Movements.
In the first place l want to say to you
that my defence of what are called labor
movements, not movements but law, is
based upon somewhat broader ground than
some places them. l have never attempt
ed to advocate thing merely to please
any particular class of people. When
was representing farmers in the Congress
I told them all that If they voted for me
| they must not expect me to try to get
! their hands into other peoples pockets
that all / would promise them was to try
to keep other peoples hands out of their
pockets, and that was all l could do; and
that Is all have said in addressing any
! class
My. effort has been directed towards pre-
I venting injustice-towards securing JUS
] tice and not towards securing any partic-
ular favoritism to any body of men. My
theory is that this country is too large
our society too complex to enable us to
look at any question from the standpoint
of one class only.
/ Now, my father was poor man when
he was young man; he worked his way
through school and he was 27 before he
| graduated When l was going to school
| he was well enough off to send me to
school, and I have never known what 1t
was to really need a thing that could
not secure But my father was demo-
crat and he taught me democracy In the
| broadcast sense; he taught me that labor
was honorable and he not only taught 1t
to me by telling me, but he made me work
and 1 thank him for 1t. (Applause)
Although 1t was not absolutely neces-
| sary yet he thought 1t was wise that
| should learn to work. | took care OF
| the barn; l cleaned out the barn. |
MIXED the cows; 1 fed the horses l did
| farm work of every kind, and when l
| was old enough to go to school | was
not ashamed of work and | look back
| with pride to the fact thht when l was
| in the law school took care of an office
| and made 81 a week. / swept the office
! out every night and scrubbed the floor on
| Saturday nights and | am not ashamed
| of it, / have tried to teach that labor
| was honorable and I think that the one
thing that this world needs more than
anything else-I repeat it-more than any
| thing else. in the way of economy Is that
the people shall learn that 1t is more
1 ~ To 1.n 1afna
of wealth than to spend the money that
somebody else has made. (Applause)
Labor Respected.
In this country labor is more respected
than any other country that have Wis
tied, but in this country we have great
many people who think that there is
something degrading about getting your
hands dirty; and In this country there are
plenty of people who will work for Sc
week at employment where they can wear
good clothes rather than work for $12 a
week where they can put on everyday
clothes and get their hands dirty. ZAP
plause).
There are lots of young men who are
brought up to believe that 1t is more re-
spectacle for them to loaf around and
have somebody else feed them than 1t Is
to be a bread winner and, therefore, l
never lose an opportunity to, try to Gull
sential in this country, and that Is that
men should be measured in proportion to
what they give to the world and not in
proportion to what they get out of the
world. (Applause)
Things Laboring Men Want.
One of the reasons l want to see labor
death with justly is because | think the
better you treat the laboring man the
more respectable in the eyes of the world
is going to be the position of the laborer
and honest toiler. There are certain
things that laboring man wants, and |
agree with him, because the labOring man
constitutes so large proportion or So
ciety that when you raise his condition
you raise the average of the country and
the greatness of this country is not TO
be measured by the conspicuous men
whose names YOU read In the paper; The
greatness of this country is to be meas
ured by the average man, and when you
raise the condition of those who toll you
raise the average in the United States.
Now, | believe in arbitration. | hope the
laboring men favor 1t, but I believe in
it whether they favor It or not. say that
man who is not willing to submit his
differences TO board for investigation
that the public may know the facts is
conscious that he is not right: that the
man is afraid of publicity. afraid of pub
lie OPINION and afraid to have the facts
known; is a coward, because his con-
science makes him a coward (Applausc)
In London 1 had the pleasure of seeing a
resolution adopted unanimously that I
proposed. | believe that 1t would go fur
Their in the way of peace than any step
vat taken IL IL was adopted by the cOun-