The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1908-03-20
Bryan Tries To Show
De1as Only ReformersI
In Speech at Chicago He Says Greatest Reform
Needed Is Elimination Of Fayor.Seekng
Corporations From Politics.:.IIe Holds
That Democrats Alone Can Do
This. .Blames G. 0. r.


Chicago, Ill, March 20. Declar-
Ing that the greatest Of the present
day evils is the domination Of polit-
les lby favor-seeking corporations,
and asserting that the democratic
party is the best qualified to under
take the task Of correcting this.
William J. Bryan last night cele-
brated his Forty eighth birthday by
delivering a speech on national is
sues before q big mass meeting III
the Seventh regiment armory.
Mr. Bryan said in part: NJ
Assuming that reforms are neces-
sary, what party can best be trusted
with the work Of securing them? !
beg to present the claims of the DEM
ocratic party. What are the evils to
be corrected The greatest OF all
eyilsand 1t Is a fruitful source Of
almost all the other evils-is the do
mtnation Of politics by favor seeking
corporations. BY dominating poll
tics, they dominate the government.
There is no question upon which the
people are thinking which does not
ito a greater or less extent involve
this question: Shall the government
be administered In the interest of
the whole people, by unpurchaseable
land incorruptible representatives OF
the people, or shall favor king cor
porations control the elections, raise
their represent tatives to power, /, and
Through them exploit the country?
Present Conditions Due to Repub-
licans
fIf the present situation is salts
| factory, if the people are contented
with the distribution Of wealth, and
with the predominating influences Of
these combinations, then there Is no
good reason why the republican par
| ty should not be continued In power,
for it has created the conditions
which now exist, and must have the
credit or the blame, according as
these conditions are desirable or un-
desirable. | think I can safely as
sert that the conditions are not sat
isfactory and in support Of this as
sertion can point to the fact that
remedial legislation Is demanded by
practically all OF the democratic par
ty, and by q very large proportion
of the republican party. Whatever
popularity the president has Is due
to the efforts that he has made in
the direction Of reform, although
these efforts have been spasmodic
rather than continuous and have not
been supported by his own party.
Dems Will Garry Out Reforms
The democratic party can claim
the right to carry out these reforms,
first. because that party is almost
unanimously in favor of reform,
while In the republican party there
is very large minority, II not an
actual majority. against any and all
important reforms. "A democratic ad-
Iministration Will, II elected, enter
Office pledged to the specific reforms
named in the platform while the re-
publican patty will ask the public
| to trust 1t to carry out such reforms
as may be outlined after the election
In the one case the people know
what to expect; in the other case
they are left In uncertainty. hut
this is not the worst Of 1t. "A re-
publican president will have nc
lstraightfor platform declaration
with which to draw republican leg
islators up to specific reform, while
"a democratic president will have q
platform which will commit those
elected with him to certain clearly
defined measures. President Roose-
Ivelt's trouble has been that his plat
form promised nothing and. with ali
his great energy, he has not been
able to secure any substantial re-
forms. S.8
G. Q. 2. Leaders Examples y
'The difference between the dem.
ocratic position and the republican