Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-28

| from rage .SeVen.D
could return the compliment by say.
ing that our financiers have been right
even part of the time. Great APP
lplause and laughter.)
Now there is another safeguard. |
would like to see a law that would |
make it a criminal offense for any
bank official to become a gambler up |
on the stock market Don't wait until |
he has lost or committed suicide, but |
make it criminal to begin. Save the |
mans life and his honor and his fam
lily by protecting him from the temp |
tation.
| read, few years ago, that bank
official found that the market had gone
against him and shot himself; and
another official who was associated
with him in the bank came in and
found him dead, and knowing that he
had shared i'll the dead mans specu-
lation he shot himself and fell dead
across the body of the other man.
In Iowa, not long ago, | was told
that within a radius of, | think it was
100 miles, ten bankers had committed
suicide as the result of speculation.
1t would be a 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
from the temptation to gamble. Am
| right?
Voices: You are; you are
Mr.. Bryan: Again l am right.
(Applause)
Now | am afraiu that | have talked
over my time. (Cries of go on, go
On.D When you say go on, go on"
am reminded 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: MY
- train will go in a moment now" and
u they said. go on, go on And he
talked until his train had gone. Fin
ally he stopped and said. You see,
~ gentlemen, that l have been persuaded
10 by your entreaties to miss my train
II They said why we told you to 90
> on" daughter and applause) l am
: not sure just what you mean by go
4 on" Uaughter.)
Not Necessary to Wait.
Now | have said what | have upon
;, this question, because l believe it
70 should be presented. 1t is not neces-
:, sary to wait until the election is over
- to find what ought to be done. Take
a.. a plan that appeals to the common
sense of the average man and you
need not be afraid to present it be
/. fore election. The people of this coun
u try are the most intelligent people in
IL the world. They want TO do what is
: right. Some of you misunderstood
a our people. Uaughter.) You thinl;
We are anarchists You think we want
to injure the country. | think l am
:, fair representative of the average
=, man out in the west, at least | have
,g been able to keep in touch with hin
Is in spite of all the newspapers. He
az and | get along pretty well together
In Why? Because | have tried to appea
g to the hearts and consciences and
judgment of these men. You have
said that we are arraying class agains
class. 1t is false.
You have accused us of disregard
ing property rights. This is not true
The man who defends human rights i:
the best defender of property rights
tApplause) The man who prosecute'
the wrongdoer is the best friend o
honesty. (Applause.) And all that W,
. have asked is that you view this grea
N question from the bottom and not from
the top.
). There is a theory that God selected
" a few men and endowed them will
1f greater wisdom and fitness, and theI
4, put the country in their hands. Tha
lie used to be the theory. First, it wa
the king who could do no wrong; thel
it was the aristocracy that ruled; nov
. it is the democracy.
These men, whose deposits max,
GO your banking profits; these men who's
n deposits are the basis of your fortune
X these men ought to be considered
m not only their interests. but their opiu
ions. You like to persuade man tina
the bank is good place TO deposi
Is his money, and if his judgment is goo
- when you are trying to persuade hin
to deposit his money in your bank
trust his judgment a little when h
81 wants 10 regulate the methods to b
"A employed by those who have charge @
n his money. (Applause.) We will hav
81 to meet this issue some time, and W
- may as well do so frankly and boldl
81 now. If our finances had been cor
- Quoted as they ought to have beer
81 there would have been no stringenc
81 now. If you tell me that you need a
"a elastic currency, will take your wor
81 for it, but if You tell me that you oil
81 ject to it unless you can hold bot
"A ends of the elastic, | will tell you tina
"a you do not need it as much as yo
81 thought you did. Trust the govern
"a meHt. the representatives elected b
a the people. These men, acting in til
open and responsible to their constit1