The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-12
SATURDAY, OCTOBER -, 1907.
MIR. nRYAN.s SPEECH.

n Mr.. Bryans speech at the State Fair
yesterday was conservative and in
good temper 1t was lusty and pro-
nounced. and unsparing in its attacl,
upon the foes of Democracy and the
common veal, but it was singularly
tree from viEdictiveness. vituperation
or. display of personal spite. There
were some sayings in the first part of
his speech on the average man" and
the middle class which might we'll
have been left out. for they had the
vote-gettins flavor. and Mr. Bryan is
not supposed to be on canvassing
tour. Otherwise there was little in his
address to which any good Democrat
: or any good citizen could object. Mr..
BryGsn's differentiation between the.
Jefferson school and Hamilton school
OF politics was able and scholarly, ana
yet SO clear and plain that the sim
plest mind could understand and COM
rrehend. He was bold and aggressive
ri his denunciation of Capitalization
and eloquent in his Championship of
STATES rights as the means OF keeping
Me government close TO the people.
That is Democratic fundamental.
When the government is close TO the
people tfey understand ii and take
"a personal interest in it. Ii is that
sort of government only that teaches
the high art OF self-government and
develops it, President Roosevelt is
forever telling the people that they
! should strengthen the government at
Washington and increase its powers. on
I the plea that the Federal government
can take care of the interests of the
people better than the local govern
4 true. hut as a general proposition it
is false and mischievous doctrine and.
in its tendency, destructive of Demo-
tIcratic government. Its advocates, as
Mr.. Bryan we'll said would remove
the governing power as far as possible
from the peoIle. for that means more
power nd.,gr,.ater' license for the
rulers. and less interference from the
! people. But it means also less power
to the people, who in this government
are supreme. Local selfgovernment is
4 a prime essential of popular govern
4 Inent. Destroy it and centralize the
1 power in Washington, and the republic
VIII soon pass into monarchy. These
u and in substance they must be incor-
4 poraied in the next Democratic plat
form. And Mr.. BRYAN so declares.
81 Mr.. Bryan has done well to declare
and champion the doctrine. He has
also done well to declare in no uncer-
a tain way for tariff reform and against
1.-The protection robbery. which is the
another of graft. His discussion of
the tariff yesterday was Intelligent
gsiorceful and statesmanlike. 1t is not
often that the people of Virginia have
had ssclearer or more striking or con-
iTincing presentation OF that subject
s1The tariff is not a purely business
tquestion.'' as the protectionists de-
clare. 1t is a moral question. The
government has no moral right to levy
u tax for any purpose, save for revenue
lonly. The government has no moral
~ right TO levy q tax upon the whole
people for the beneht of favored
class. This is also Democratic fun
damental and must form a prominent
plank in the platform Of 1905. And Mr..
IS Bryan so declares.
@ The Times-Dispatch does not approve
al the policies which Mr.. Bryan advo-
n Gates but ii is in hearty sympathy
with his views on Democratic essen
tials as expressed in his Richmond ad.
dress.