The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-26

| Dsry of No" from the audience. Mr.
| Bryan looked in It's direction.
well, Ill not debate the question
| with You" he shouted They were
| Democrats when they were elected, or
| TO be more exact the people Thought
| they were Democrats when they were
elected. These four men were either
elected after the decision at the pri.
mary or were elected committed to the
party. Not one would have been elect
cd to Office If he had announced In adj
vance that lie would vote for Il Re-
publican. Not one would have voted
for a Republican If his constituents
had suspected it. AS an individual
they might have done So as represent
tatives they occupied u position OF
trust, and had no right to substitute
their Judgment for the judgment OF
those who elected them. There was
no excuse for such betrayal of a public
trust. representative has no right to
substitute his Judgment for TINT of
tile people, whose voice should be su-
prcmc. They should have given The
people q chance to indorse their change
OF mind or let them send somebody
else.
About Corporations.
"'Fhc man who cannot conscicnti0usly
vote for what his constituents cDnsci-
cntiously want ought to be conscicn-
hous enough TO resign. We are going
to have presidential election soon.
Delegates will be elected and pledged
to party. What would you think of
o delegate who would vote for the can
didate of the other party? What would
you think of the candidate OF the other
party who would accept Office that
way ! have taken an extreme ques-
ton because you must magnify 1t to
understand. That is the mission of th
cartoon. They eXaggcrate every feG
ture and it is all right; but If the
isn't something to begin with the pee
pie won't recognize 1t. I want to sa9
that this principle of the presidential
party change applies to every question
which comes before n Legislature. The
legislator has the temptation to use
the office for himself and not for his
constituents. That is a betrayal of the
people by their representatives; 1t is
embezzlement of power
The Almighty has asked What shall
it profit man if he gain the whole
world and lose his soul" What win 1t
profit legislator ii he gain the whole
world and lose his self respect? What
Is better than that conscience void of
offense toward God and man? If you
ever talked to a representative who
SOFA hlmseIf, he would tell you that he
could not sell unless there was some
body to buy. and when two know a
secret like this one will blackmail the
other all his life. one man has the
OTHER. who yielded in his power.
Suppose 1t Is an indirect bride or a
promise of influence in the next cleo
ton. / am satisfied that more people
are influenced directly by these prom
Uses than by money. but no matter,
there's the question the representative
ought to ask. Am I doing what my con-
stituents want?"
The first application want to make
of democracy is that the representa-
tive must represent and let the people
think for themselves, and that they
elected him to act as they would have
acted. l don't know that we need an
other application. The principles of
right and wrong, said Jefferson. are
easily understood: that the art of gov
ernmont was simply the art of being
honest. The representative. when he
is honest, does what his people want;
the government that Is honest is just
to all it's people.
This is where I connect the two
parts of my speech. for what l say
applies to state and national legisla-
ton and is the dominant thought that
runs through American politics to-day
Why is II that we have cmbezzlement
and betrayal OF trust. Because we
have an understanding between the nat
ural man ANA the fictitious person
called the corporation. Take the cor
porntions out of politics and there
would not be Il State In the Union
where there would be Il large differ
ence of opinion on any question. The
dominant question in Congress con-
Germ the God-madc man on the one
side ana the man-nlric corporation on
the other.
States Rights.
I'VE had a decision from the United
States Supreme Court in the newspa-
pers yesterday. That court. with one
dissenting voice. sustains circuit
judge in the North Carolina and MInno-
sofa cases What was involved? a
corporation The question was whe-
Their the railroads would go into tho
Federal courts and secure a suspension
of the law or merely secure It's suspen-
sion from a Federal Judge The pre-
sumption on the other side was that
as the corporation was doing business
In the State it should give the pre-
sumption to the State court first. Every
newspaper that breathes the spirit ot
these decisions will have a salutary
influence, that they will give confi-
dcncc to property, that vested interests
will be rescued from peril. They tell
you that vested interests are not safe
in the State courts, that IL tho Federal
court does not interfere the mob in the
Legislature will ruin the country.
THAT is a counterfeit issue, and
none know it better than the editors
who are paid to write and deceive. The
real issue is whether the corporation
shall be supeior in its right to the God
made man.
"GoG put limit on the bad man, hut
II is not that way with the bad cOrp.,-
ration. Man could not sice the cOrpO-
ration soul, so If it avoids punisl,-
mcnt here II need not worry about the
hereafter. Yet it Is put forth as the
companion OF the GOd-mnde m.an, aud
II Will rule II tho law-mnkcr In con-
fused In tho difference.
III man moves from one State to
another, he must trust the laws Of that
State; when corporation, chartered unr
der the friendly laws of New Jersey,