The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-23
Mr.. Bryan Before the Economic Club

gency notes can be borrowed from the
government. 1t was the deposit of
western and southern reserves in New
York that caused the stringency to
spread throughout the country Now,
want TO remind you that for forty-seven
years our laws have been made by
financiers. and yet we reach the condi-
ton which confronts us today. and emil
nent bankers admit here in your pres
ence, that I, farmer from Nebraska,
can suggest changes that your finan
ciers did not think of, or at least, did
not put into law. Oaughter) Why?
A Voice: You ought to be right part
of the time Oaughter)
Mr.. Bryan: Thanks; it is a conces-
sion that / appreciate, and I wish
could return the compliment by saying
that our f1naneiers have been right
even part of the time. Great applause
and laughter)
Now, there is another safeguard.
would like TO see law that would make
it criminal offense for any bank Of
fetal to become a gambler upon the
stock market. Don't wait until he has
lost or committed suicide. but make 1t
criminal to begin. Save the mans life,
and his honor and his family by pro-
tecting him from the temptation.
! read. a few years ago. that bank
official found that the market had gone
against him and shot himself; and an
other official who was associated with him
in the bank came in and found him dead,
and knowing that he had shared in the
dead mans speculation he shot himselI
ana fell dead across the body of the
other man.
Protect Bankers From Temptation.
In Iowa. net long ago. / was told that
miles, ten bankers had committed suicide
as the result of speculation. 1t would
be mercy to these men to protect them
from this temptation. The man who has
in his keeping the money of others ought
to be protected, as far as law can protect
him. from the temptation TO gamble. Am
| not right?
Voices: You are; you are.
Mr.. Bryan: Again 1 am right. Gap
Now am afraid that have talked over
my time. (Cries of go on, go on.'D When
of a fellow down in Kentucky who was
making speech He had TO leave on a
certain train. When he saw the time was
near for his train to depart. he said:7 MY
said. 'go on. go on" And he talked un-
til his train had gone. Finally he stopped
and said: You see, gentlemen, that ]
have been persuaded by your entreaties to
you to go on" daughter and applause
! am not sure just what you mean by
go on" Uaughter)
Now / have said what have upon this
question because | believe 1t should be
presented. 1t is not necessary to wait
until the election is over to find out
what ought to be done. Take q plan that
appeals to the common sense of the aver
age man and you need not be afraid to
present il before election. The people of
this country are the most intelligent peo-
pie of the world. They want to do What
is right. Some of you misunderstood our
people. Oaughter( You think we are
anarchists. You think we want to iniure
the country. / think I am a fair repre-
sentative of the average man out in the
west. at least | have been able to keep
in touch with him in spite of all the
newspapers He and l get along pretty
well together. Why? Because have
sciences and Judgment of these men, You
have said that we are arraying class
against class. 1t is false.
Some Charges Answered.
You have accused US of disregarding
property rights. That is not true. The
man who defends human rights is the
best defender of property rights. (Ap-
wrongdoer is the best1 friend Of bonestv ie
(Applause.) And all that we have asked is
tnat you view this great question from
the bottom and not from the top.
a
Few men and endowed them with greater
wisdom and fitness, and then nut the
country in their hands. That used 10 be
the theory. First, it was the king who
could do no wrong: -hen il was the aris-
toeraey that ruled; now it is the democ-
racy.
These men. whose deposits make YOUR
banking profits: these men whose depos-
its are the basis of your fortunes-these
men ought to be considered-not only their.
interests but their opinions You like 10
persuade man that the bank is a good
place to deposit his money and If his
judgment is good when you are trying 10
persuade him to deposit his money i'm
your bank, trust his judgment a little
when he wants to regulate the methods
to be employed by those who have charge
of his money. (Applause) We will have
10 meet this issue some time, and we
may as we'll do so frankly and boldly
now. If our finances had been conduct
ed as they ought to have been there would
have been no stringency now. II YOU
tell me that you need an elastic cur
rency, / will take your word for il, but
if You tell me that you object to il I'M
less you can hold both ends of the elias
tic ] will tell you that you do not need
it as much as you thought you did. Trust
the government. the representatives elect
ed by the people. These men. acting in
the open and responsible to their con-
stituents. are more trustworthy than