Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-21
IN CHICAGO LAST NIGHT
Principles, Parties and Men Are
Enunciated.
ESTIMATES OF THE LEADERS
Declared That Roosevelt and BRYAN
Are the Two Greatest Men in
All the World.

welt. the two greatest men in all the
world"
John Temple Graves of Atlanta, Ga. thus
approached the conclusion of his speech
tonight at the twenty-seventh annual ban
quet OF the lroquois Club, on The Re-
generation of Parties" The address key
note was the speakers assertion that party
hnes In general had never held so lightly
as today. Mr.. Graves spoke from the
standpoint of a democrat, and declared:
i have never been a better democrat
than / am tonight. and l have never been
more hopeful of the ultimate success of
democracy"
Following the tribute paid to Mr. Bryan
and President Roosevelt, the speaker said:
one word from Bryan would send Roose-
welt omnipotent to the White House. One
word from Roosevelt would just as surely
make Bryan President and clothe him with
the power for reform
The address follows:
Mr.. Graves said, in part
II l have spoken on another day be-
yond the limit of party orthodoxy il is be-
cause my eyes have been opened to a con-
dition of affairs which l have not known
before. l am looking now with open eyes
where l have been accustomed to grope in
heredity and tradition. l am seeing things.
not in the night time, but in the open day
and ! should be less than loyal and less
than honest If l failed to express my con-
victions of my party's future and of the
peoples veal. Let ME add just this, that
if you do not do what / have couuseled you
to do, 1 cannot do it by myself, and IL you
cannot go with me, 1 shall doubtless with
out dogmatic obstinacy go with You. When
the general council is concluded and when
the roll Of the rank is called i shall be
found fighting as l have always fought, be-
hind the organization to which my fathers
pledged their faith. and which, beyond my
individual vision of any present opportunity
and d:ty, carries the permanent hope of
the people and the best construction of the
government. / have never been a better
democrat than l am tonight. | have never
been more hopeful of ultimate democracy
than l am tonight.
II believe, however, in the ancient essence
rather than in the individual construction
of the creed.
Party for Plain People.
ours was party formed for the plain
people OF this country Its shibboleth was
equal rights to all and special privileges to
none 1t stood against the tariffs that
plundered the many for the sake of the few.
1t stood for the reserved rights of the
states and an honest administration of the
government. This was the party to which
my fathers pledged their faith 1t the
creed around which they formed loyal or
ganization to put these principles into gov
eminent and law. So long the party re-
mains true to these initial principles | am
bound to it by the faith which my fathers
pledged and by the faith to which l am
pledged through them and by myself. When
1t forgets this creed or goes beyond it or
below it, the obligation is weakened both
in heredity and in common sense.
In the shadow of the past stands the the
oretical statesman. In the sunlight of the
present lives and labors the practical citi-
zen.
The man who gets his mail from the little
box placed by the government in front OF
his gate may read with interest the long
winded theories and the passionate protests
of men on either side upon the perils or
high tariff and upon the necessity OF the
federal idea. But when he has read his
paper he filings It aside and falls to think
ing what are the best policies to bring bet
ter prices for his crops and cheaper trans
portaton for his products to and from the
farm The practical citizen in practical
age has passed the possibility OF being put IN
a panic over the possible triumph of states
rights or a central government. He Is
only vaguely conscious of the pros and cons
of protective tariff. but what he does
know or what he does believe is that the
trusts and the corporations are ropblng MS
pocketbook and corrupting his political
campaigns, and that he is fer the man or
dering policies that will halt the robber and
re-establish equality in trade and honesty
among men.
Names and Theories.
The practical citizen-and he is nine
tenths of the republic-cares less than he
ever did before for names and theories. He
is less frightened and less inspired than he
ever was before by shibboleths and organ
izations. What he fears is not ostracism.
but practical damage to what he produces.
What he wants is good government with
out regard to names
Meanwhile each party has outgrown its
creed and outlived the confidence OF its
followers. They are each topheavy with
selfishness and split to fragments by ma
teral divisions. Worse than this there
seems to be no medicine suggested or de-
veloped to heal the differences OF these or
CARNATIONS or to set them right again.
What democrat of the definite stripe is to
tell Belmont and Ryan that they do not
hinder but becloud the promise of a def
mite and plain democracy?
What conservative democrat, save Alton
B. Parker with his confreres, has been
strong enough to put Bryan to indignity
and Hearst to shame.
Roosevelt Strong Enough.
What republican Is strong enough to re-
duce the irrepressible Roosevelt to the
ranks of the orthodox in privilege?
And what republican,. save Roosevelt,
can coerce the thronged magnates of the
trusts to a proper humility?
How are statesmen and patriots to evolve
from this tangle Of terms and this conflict
of policies a pure democracy Of equal
rights or an orthodox republcanism of
conservative privilege?
Where is the hope In parties Of an honest
alignment, of honest thlnhers anu Oh honest
voters outside of rebirth and regenerationE
Where is the process of elimination that
will make parties mean real pontical
creeds, unless we have new start and
square deal?
From the stalwart ranks OF either party,
,ron, the oppos:te sides of the republic.
from the rich and finished east and from
the militant and virile west, there have
risen and groaned and broadened two great
men who more than all others, are pre-
yailing now to dethrone the partisan and
to uplift the patriot. They are great be-
cause they are above the partisan.
Mr. Bryan is great because in all his life
he has never feared or hesitated to cham
pion his convictions against his party. and
to put them in balance against his personal
interest.
Bryan First Democrat.
He is the first democrat of the world to-
day.
But he 10 q composite democrat In his