St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-05-01

want IL TO De SOOQ ana DdQ WHEN IHey |
permit it to be bad.
Now who constitute the common peo-
pie? The farmers are the most numerous |
class in the land nearly so per cent. OF
our people are tillers of the soil, and they
belong to this class. They haven't |
enough to get into the aristocracy and
they have sufficient to avoid the poor
house. Occasionally you hear of rich
farmer but the farmers as whole never
get more riches out of the soil than they
put in by hard labor. The laborers all
belong to this class for they are the
wealth producers. The merchants also
belong. There might be few merchant
princes who would jump out of this
class, but the majority couldn't if they
tried, for statistics show that 80 per
cent. of the merchants fail in business.
The doctors belong to the common peo-
pie among whom and on whom they
live. They are daily among the common
people and do more work for nothing
than any other class in the community
Occasionally doctor gets rich by tes-
titying as an alienist in a noted murder
trial, but these cases are rare. The law
yers, as whole, belong to this great
class, although some might feel uncom-
Portable there and are occasionally
gathered in by some trust and then &C.
quire great wealth. A wise editor re-
Gently wrote a criticism of the Oklahoma
constitution saying it was drawn up by
a corn-ied lawyer The constitution
was drawn up by corn-fed lawyer, but
| that lawyer puttied up all the holes that
| trust-ted lawyers had shot in other con-
stitutions. Most of the newspaper men
belong to the common people, although
| there are corporations which control
newspapers, having their sheets chloro-
form the people while they (the corpora
tions) pick their pockets. The editors of
the weekly newspapers are all in this
class and perform a great service among
their constituency, the common people.
Teachers belong to the common people;
| they go to school with the common peo-
| pie, later teach the children of the COM
mon people and in the country board
around among the common people
Most of the preachers and priests, ex-
cept the occasional head of wealthy
church. belong to the same, great body.
Regarding fnanciers, those who want to
come in with the common people may.
This makes pretty big class of people,
about 80 per cent of our population, SO
you see the average man is pretty big
man in the United States.
Looking at the subject of government
from the view point of the average mali,
what kind of government is he likely
to favor. 1t is that government which
best protects his life and looks out for
his welfare. When | was in college |
was taught that monarchy is the
strongest government autocracy the
wisest, and democracy the most just.
have since cast away two-thirds of this
and now believe the one-third that
democracy is the most just. Our country
will be strong only when it rests upon
the hearts of the people. The word
democracy is the best word ever invented
to describe government of, by and for
the people.
Some of the democrats have found
fault with the President because he has
been stealing their thunder. The speaker
said he would not complain because the
President has borrowed planks from the
democratic platform. If the democrats
cannot get chance to use them in
national affairs. he was glad to have the
President do so.
All of the people know more than any
body and the country that can draw
from all is wiser than the one which
draws from few A republic is better
than any other government because it
rests on the hearts rather than on the
shoulders of its people. The common
people want government which they
can direct. The average man, the COM
mon people if you will, want govern
ment which is theirs and which they can
control. Much is heard about harmony
in the party but when all people think
alike it is an indication that nobody
thinks. The only way to have harmony
in a party is to have one man in the
party. Hyou have two men, one will be
conservative and the other a radical.
Turning his attention to history, Mr..
Bryan said that Jefferson trusted the
people, while Hamilton didn't. Jefferson
believed that all men are created equal,
with inherent rights, to secure which
governments are instituted deriving their
Just powers from the consent of the
governed. Hamilton held that there are
two classes, one well born whose pro-
vince is to rule and the other not well
born who should be ruled. The speaker
said he wished to stand on the Jefferson
ian principle that the people have inalien-
able rights which they need to protect.
Hamilton, he said, prepared draft of a
government providing that the President
and senators be elected for life. In over
a century there has been just one Presi-
dent who sought to depart from the
precedent of Washington and Jefferson in
declining a third term of service. Hamil-
ton would have had president for life
but the common people would not then
and will not now.
At this point the speaker made a
decided hit by saying that the present
President was only two years older than
f himself, and what chance would a young
man have for the office if the president
held the Office for life. After the applause
had subsidized Col. Bryan added, "And,
ladies and gentlemen, remember that il
we kept president in office for life Mr..
Roosevelt would not be president today
for Grover Cleveland still lives"
The present way of retaining senator's
in office smacks too much OF Hamilton s
idea, the speaker added. In this connec-
ton he emphasized the Importance of the
present demand for the election of United
: States senators by the people. In Is
years, the popular branch of Congress
| has five times voted for the popular
election of senator's and the Democratic
party has twice made it plank in its