The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1908-09-02
BRYAN PRESENTS THE
ISSUES OF DEMOCRACY

Jl DIIIIUUJI0UI
your own interests will plead for
him more eloquently than could.
The best reward, aye, the only reward
Sat grateful people can give to a
Netul servant, is to show that they
late what he has done; and l
am that you,. who know his
splens q ,ord, his sterling quail
ties andS0a. 1t character will give
him the reSap< that he has earned
by your votessbf his reelection.
am anxious too that you will send to
Washington congressman who will
help to secure the reform that the
people need, and believe that YOU
can best serve your own interests by
sending congressman who will act
with the Democratic party. II we
carry the presidency, we ought to have
the house in order that the president
and the house, acting together, may
be able to send to the senate the re-
form measures which are necessary to
correct abuses that now exist; and
when say that abuses now exist, 1
can call as q witness to substantiate
what say the Republican candidate
for president, for in his notification
speech, he referred to the "known
abuses" My friends, they are not only
"known abuses" but we know who
are responsible for the abuses. Even
IL you have few reform Republicans
in congress, they cannot control the
action Of their party. They enter the
caucuses of the party, and when
majority of the Republicans declare
against reform, as they have in the
last congress or present one, when
they declare against reform-these
few reformers- minority in their
own party, are helpless. The first
thing Republican congress has to do
is to help elect speaker, and If the
Republicans win, he will be stand
pat" Republican, and then the rest of
the session the reformer has nothing
to do except to sit there and see q
stand-pat Republican speaker sit
down on all reform legislature. We
want you therefore to help us by CIV
ing us Democratic congress, and
then we want the states that have
senators to elect to help us by elect
ing Democratic senators, and I will
give you my reasons.
Talks Promised Platform.
All Democrats who are elected this
year will be elected committed to the
Democratic national platform, and
this platform differs from the Repub-
lican platform In that it says some-
thing; and II am elected president
and have a house elected with me,
can hold up my platform and say to
those elected with me, these are the
things we are pledged to do;" but If
M Tafts.is elected, he, has no plat
form pledges to hold before Republi-
cans to secure their acquiescence in
anything. Read his platform and you
will find 1t differs from ours in this
important particular, that his plat
form says nothing with elaboration.
Our platform says something and says
1t clearly. Take up any proposition
covered by the Republican platform
and you will find that it is stated in
general terms 80 that man can stand
on that platform and believe any
thing or nothing, and you have moth
ing to which you can hold him. And
that platform is so bad that the Re
publican candidate didn't dare to
fight his battle on that platform. The
first chance he had to make speech
he proceeded to amend his platform
and put into It things that the con-
vention had deliberately rejected. I
want to call your attention to some of
these things, because my only object
In speaking to you is to enable you
to more clearly understand the is
sues that are presented. I cannot hope
to change your disposition or your
purposes. If you are inclined to be
Democratic, I can show you how you
can manifest that inclination. If you
at heart are an aristocrat, cannot do
anything with you. When I find a
man who at heart is an aristocrat, I
never argue with him. To change
him is task beyond my power, for
when man is an aristocrat, he has
to be born again before he can ever
be a Democrat. will venture the as
tsertion that In this audience tonight,
nine-tenths Of the Republicans are ut
heart Democrats. They believe in
Democratic ideas, and If that is iruc,
I can hope to show them how they
can give expression to their Democra-
tic sentiments.
Near Democratic Ideas.
Let me show you how much nearer
you are to the Democratic party than
to the Republican party. Many Of
you were born In the Republican party
and have been voting the Republican
ticket as q matter Of habit. and It is
hard to change mems habits; but
while you have been voting the Re.
publican ticket, the Republican party
has been gradually changing It is
becoming less and less a Democratic
party and more party controlled by
q few in the interests Of the few, and
that is perfectly natural. Mr.. Taft
made i&v speech in Virginia, and he
forgobfall about there being anything
else but Virginia. Virginia was
Democratic state. and he went on to
tell those people that q party long IN
power was apt to become corrupt, and
ought to be put out to have a change.
He forgot he was making the arg,,-
mont In favor of changing the Repub-
lican administration, for the Republic
can party had been in power for q |
long time. It has been IN power now
for twelve years consecuttvely, and
the last Republican national platform