Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-20
BRYAN 48 YEARS OLD.
Celebrates His Birthday by Making
Speech in Chicago.

| CHICAGO. March 2O-Declaring that
the greatest of present day evils is the
domination of politics by the favor-seek-
ing corporations and asserting that the
democratic party is the best qualified to
undertake the task of correcting this, VIII
liam j. Bryan last night celebrated his
forty -eishtn birthday by delivering
speech on national issues before a big
mass meeting here. Mr.. Bryan took for
his subject Why Democracy and after
discussing the records Of President Roose-
welt. Gov. Hughes and Secretary Taft as
regards corporation legislation he an
swered the question by saying:
Because the democratic party is the
only party sufficiently large 20 give hope
of success and sufficiently democratic TO
give hope Of relief after victory has
peen won.
The speech by Mr.. Bryan was the only
one delivered at the meeting. Carter II.
Harrison, former mayor of Chicago. pre-
sided. About 10OGO persons crowded INTO
the big building, and it was nearly an
hour past the scheduled time of o'clock
when Mr. Bryan began 20 speak.
Mr.. Bryan said among other things:
Assuming that reforms necessary.
what party can best be intrusted with the
work of securing them? l beg to present
he claims OF the democratic party. What
axe the evils to be corrected? The great
est OF all the evils-and 1t is the fruitful
source Of almost all the other evils-is
the domination of politics by the favor
seeking corpora tions. BY dominating poll
tics they dominate the government, ma
tonal and state. There is no question
upon which the people are thinking which
does not, to greater or less extent. In
volve this question: Shall the government
be administered in the interest OF tn,
whole people by unpurchasable and in
corruptible representatives of the people.
OF shall the favor-seeking corporations
control the elections, raise their represent
tatiTes TO power and through them eX-
plot the country
Whatever popularity the President has
is due to the efforts he has made III the
direction of reform. although these ef
forts have been spasmodic rather than
continuous. and have not been supported
by lis own party.
Tine democratic party can claim the
right to carry out these reforms. first, be-
cause that party is almost unanimously
in favor Of reform. Then. too. a demo-
cratic administration will. if elected en-
ter Office pledged to. specific reforms
named in the platform, while the repub-
lican. party will ask the public to trust IL
TO carry out such reforms as may be out
lined after the election.
Mr.. Bryan then undertook to show from
the acts or utterances of Roosevelt.
Hughes and Taft that they cannot be
trusted TO give real relief from the evils
complained of. OF Roosevelt he said:
He favors the Incorporation of rail-
ways and interstate commerce corpora
tons by the federal government. and by
| 50 doing he ignores the right Of the state
to regulate corporation doing business
within the state. Now the democrats be-
iieve that ii IS better for the corporations
casioned by state legislation rather than
that the individual shall he denied the
protection that comes from state legisla
ton